as all the others, but he had an undeniable air of competence and command. He had a thin, intelligent face and a slender, golden-hilted sword that, unlike the others, was still sheathed. Though he’d nearly stepped on her, he didn’t even look at Nico. He simply walked to the edge of the arena and held out his hand, his long fingers pointing directly at Sted.
Don’t move.
The words slammed down like a boulder. Nico could feel the weight of them pressing on every inch of skin that wasn’t protected by her coat, but for Sted, things were much worse. The moment the man spoke, the demon howled and fell. It toppled from the stone spikes and slammed into what was left of the arena floor below, shrieking in that horrible dual-tone voice as it fought against the weight.
Nodding, the man lowered his arm and glanced over his shoulder, looking straight at Nico. She shrank into her coat, clutching her transformed arm against her chest. But the man said nothing. After several awkward seconds, Sparrow broke the silence.
“Hello, Alric,” he said, dusting himself off. “Fantastic timing.”
Alric gave him a blistering look. “Shut up, Sparrow. I don’t have time for whatever games your mistress is playing.” He reached down and grabbed Nico’s rope, dragging her to her feet. Once she was up, he turned and grabbed Eli before the thief could object, nearly throwing him into Sparrow. “I have no idea how you caught Eli Monpress,” he said. “Frankly, I don’t care. If he’s stupid enough to get himself caught, then that’s none of my affair, but I want these two out of here now.”
Sparrow arched an eyebrow. “But you seem to have the situation well—”
He was cut off by an enormous roar as Sted began to thrash. Several League members threw out their hands, shouting commands to the spirits as the demon fought to get to its feet.
“Go!” Alric shouted, his hand going for his sword as he jumped down into the arena.
“You heard the man,” Sparrow said, grabbing Eli.
Eli pried Sparrow’s hands off him. “Now wait just a—”
His words cut off as Sparrow grabbed the length of rope Eli had slipped out of earlier and flung it around the thief’s neck. “Let’s go,” he said, yanking the rope so tight Eli’s face began to turn red.
Tesset nodded. He reached down and scooped Nico up, tossing her over his shoulder like an oat sack.
“No!” Nico screamed, writhing against his grasp. “We can’t leave Josef! He’ll die without the Heart!”
But the two men kept going, Tesset carrying her, Sparrow dragging Eli, who was digging in his heels as best he could with a rope crushing his windpipe. They ran through the collapsing city. Bandits were good at running away, and the dirt streets were nearly empty now, save for a few stragglers and those unfortunate enough to have been trampled in the panic. The buildings groaned and twitched around them, collapsing as they watched, and Sparrow began to push them faster, cursing loudly as he fought to drag a still-struggling Eli behind him.
“Want me to knock him out?” Tesset said, looking over his shoulder.
“No,” Sparrow grunted, yanking the rope tighter. “Sara would kill us if we injured him. What is it about this damn thief, anyway? First Sara goes crazy for him, and now the great Alric himself stoops to giving me the time of day just to tell me to get him out of town?”
Tesset shrugged and got a tighter hold on Nico, who was trying to claw his face while kicking him in the chest as hard as she could. It did no good, of course. Hitting Tesset was like trying to beat a rock into submission. But she kept trying. Dumped over his shoulder as she was, she could see the great cloud of dust rising from the arena as Sted’s roar echoed through the box canyon. Nico bared her teeth and fought harder. She couldn’t even see the roof Josef had crashed through anymore, but she was certain he wasn’t up yet, not without the Heart. He was defenseless, unconscious, and alone. If the panicked spirits didn’t kill Josef on accident, Sted would for sure. She had to get to him.
“Stop it,” Tesset said, thwacking her across the back. “You’re slowing us down.”
“Then leave me!” she shouted.
“Calm down,” he said softly. “You can’t win. Don’t make me hurt you.”
“No!” Nico shrieked. She bent her neck back as far as it would go, staring him in the eyes. “If he dies, I can never repay him. He gave me my life as I know it. He taught me everything. If that story you told me was true, then you know what it’s like to owe your rebirth to someone. I can’t just let him die. You have to let me go!”
“Don’t be stupid,” Sparrow said. “That’s the League back there, sweetheart. Have you forgotten what you are? I don’t know why Alric spared you, but I wouldn’t count on him to do it again. You go back, and they’ll have two seeds to bring home to Papa Storm instead of one. You’re much better off going home to Sara and seeing what she can make of you. I’m sure she’d like a demonseed of her own.”
Nico beat her human fist uselessly against Tesset’s back as the arena fell farther and farther behind. Hot, frustrated tears streamed down her cheeks. Josef was dying, and she could do nothing. She’d never felt so useless in her entire life.
That’s because you are useless. The Master’s voice was nearly cackling with laughter. Sted didn’t even have a proper transformation, the deaf idiot, and he’s got nearly twenty League men fighting tooth and nail just to contain him. You can’t even beat one man to save your precious swordsman’s life.
“No.” Nico sobbed.
Yes, the Master said. And you have no one to blame but yourself, you miserable, pathetic failure.
Nico slumped against Tesset’s shoulder. The Master was right; he was always right. It didn’t matter how hard she tried or how much she fought, she was weak. Weak and pathetic and worthless and untrustworthy and a failure and—
Her thoughts stopped as something brushed against her cheek. She looked up in alarm before she saw it was her coat. The black fabric had wrapped itself up nearly to her head, coiling itself like a snake ready to strike. It knew she was upset, she realized, and it was reacting to her, trying to protect her just as Slorn had told it to. Suddenly, she had an idea.
She bent her head down and pressed her lips into the fabric. In all her life, even the parts she couldn’t remember, she was sure she’d never tried what she was about to do, but at this point, she didn’t care.
I wouldn’t try it, the Master said sadly. It won’t work. Failures like you shouldn’t waste other people’s time on wild shots.
So what, she thought fiercely. It’s not like I have anything left to lose.
The voice laughed and said something back, but Nico didn’t hear it. All she could hear was the memory of Josef’s voice in her ears telling her that even if she failed, she could not stop trying. You were only a failure once you stopped trying.
Holding his voice in her mind, she took a deep breath, and, for the first time in her life, began to talk to the spirit of her coat not as a seed, but as a wizard.
Tesset stopped running, slamming his feet into the hard-packed dirt. Sparrow skidded to a stop a second later, turning just in time to see Tesset whip Nico off his shoulder and hold her out in front of him like an ill- behaved child.
“What are you doing?” he said. “You’ve been muttering for nearly a minute now.”
Nico just stared at him, her lips drawn tight.
“Powers, Tesset!” Sparrow said, bracing himself against Eli, who was now blue, but still kicking. “You stopped us for some muttering? Knock her out and let’s go.”
Sparrow reached to bash Nico across the back of her head, but his hand hit nothing but air. At that moment, Nico’s coat unraveled, and she dropped out of Tesset’s hands.
Tesset grabbed for her as she fell, but the threads of the coat wrapped around his arms, spoiling his aim. Nico landed on her feet and rolled away, coming up just out of reach with her arms out, ready to block whatever came next.
But nothing came. Tesset just stood there, watching her as he calmly tested the massive tangle of black thread that tied his arms together. He was alone in his calm, however. Beside him, Eli and Sparrow were staring at her like she’d grown another head.
“Powers, child,” Sparrow said. “What happened to your arm?”
Nico lowered her eyes, carefully avoiding Eli’s horrified stare. “None of your business. Give me the thief.”
Sparrow started to laugh. “Are you joking? If you’re going to run, then run. I’m sick of your trouble, but the thief stays. There is no way I’m leaving this bollixed-up pit empty-handed.”
