Grandma crushed the lock on the suite door as well, then jammed it shut behind her after she slipped in. “Shall we get out of here?” she asked the room, then slid back into her golem.

Mina stumbled toward a basin and wretched into it, heaving up all the dinner that Grandma had eaten, which mercifully was not that much. Tanner stood by with a glass of water, and offered it to her when she finally calmed down. “Please,” Mina rasped, her voice hoarse from vomiting. “Let’s get out of here.”

The suite was on the second floor, and had only a few small windows overlooking a paved courtyard. After sweeping the area to make sure no one was near enough to interfere, Grandma dissolved part of the exterior wall into raw mana, then pulled out stones from the wall to make crude for their descent. 

In the failing light of dusk, Mina walked out of Duke Avery’s estate for the last time. She did not look back.

Tanner and Fariel held Mina’s hands, one on each side, as they strode swiftly into the city, losing themselves among the evening crowds. Grandma hung back long enough to work one final massive magic, then turned to catch up.

In the Duke’s estate, almost every single person simultaneously clutched their throats, their chests, their heads. Wheezing and gasping, they slowly toppled to the floor. Jiyon watched in frozen horror as Duke Avery turned purple, as if suffocating, before he fell to the ground, senseless. His two sons had enough time to cry out in alarm before they too succumbed. A few minutes later, they were dead. The ducal guards fared no better, collapsing en masse with strangled grunts. A few twitched or thrashed, then everyone was still.

Jiyon’s own guards were unaffected, as was he. They stared at each other, utterly bewildered, then hurried to check the bodies. The Crown Prince called for a doctor, a servant, anyone, but there was no one in the estate to hear his cries. The building trembled, driving him to his knees. His retinue tore him away from the dead, urging him to flee. Jiyon gave up and allowed himself to be dragged to safety. They ran for the exit.

As Jiyon and his guards reached the front door, they were joined by the barest trickle of other inhabitants, white faced servants terrified by the shocking and incomprehensible deaths of their colleagues and masters. They ran through the gardens and fled into the streets of the city.

No more people emerged from the estate. As if sensing its emptiness, the structure shook harder and harder, dust and mortar sifting down from cracking ceilings, until the entire main building collapsed, as if crushed under a massive hand. The stone, wood, and glass wreckage crunched as the ground quaked, over and over, pulverized under an invisible force until everything had turned nearly to powder. The noise was deafening. There were no survivors.

As the final reverberations faded, Grandma climbed over a section of unguarded city wall, carrying Mina on her back. Beside her, Tanner and Fariel made their own way, dissolving pockets of stone to make handholds.

[Is it over?] Mina asked, her voice trembling even in her mind.

[Yes, my heart. They’ll never hurt you again.] Grandma hopped over the wall and descended the other side.

[Did they suffer?] the girl asked.

Grandma could sense the hesitation, the conflict tearing at Mina. [No dear. They didn’t suffer. Not for long, anyway. I closed their carotid arteries. Death took them very swiftly.]

Mina relaxed on Grandma’s back. [Thank you, Grandma,] she said, burrowing her face into the smooth, cold mud of Grandma’s golem body.

Outside the city, they were met by Pluot, Fiddler, Zoop, and all the other beasts. The animals clamored restlessly, unnerved by the massive discharge of mana that had flattened the ducal estate, until Grandma allowed Pluot to snuffle her all over, and Fiddler pinched her leg to make sure she was still solid. Grandma set a few glittering points of light above them to illuminate their path. They remounted, and set off again, striking out through the night for the calamity site.

“Still, I was surprised to see Jiyon there,” Tanner said. “I wonder what he was doing.”

“He’s not dead, right?” Mina added, suddenly alarmed.

[No no, never fear, I didn’t kill the crown prince by accident. Or his people.]

“But you would kill him on purpose?” Tanner asked, mostly as a joke.

[Not unless he gave me a good reason.] Grandma arranged her face into a grim smile.

“This feels nostalgic,” Tanner said after an awkward silence.

“Oh yes, once again, we are fleeing Westhill, only this time, we’ve committed mass murder instead of petty theft.” Mina’s voice was strained, though she tried for light and humorous.

“Hey!” Tanner yelped in protest. “Chestnut is not petty theft. She’s worth way more than that.”

“You do realize that makes it worse, right?” Mina laughed, and the sound was edged with hysteria. A part of her wondered if it was all right for her to feel this free and uplifted, after so many people had died. The rest of her didn’t have any room left for doubt – she was too overwhelmed with the feeling of relief.

Mina peered at Fariel over the ruff of Pluot’s shoulder. The imperial mage, who had been with them for years, had not said a word their entire escape, and now sat cross legged on top of Zoop’s head as they raced through the night. As if sensing her regard, Fariel raised his head and gave Mina a sad smile. “I’m sure you had your reasons. In all the time I’ve known you, you’ve been many things: kind, courageous, compassionate, stubborn, sarcastic. But never cruel. I’ve never seen you delight in other creatures’ suffering. If you decided that they had to die, then I trust you.” The mage paused, his face shadowed by the floating bubbles of light. “I’m just sad that you had to experience something so awful that this was the outcome.”

“Not your fault,” Grandma said, making the effort to speak the words aloud. “None of this was your fault, Mina.” [Besides,] she added privately to the girl, her inner voice fierce and protective, [I’m the one who did the killing. I was the one who chose to do this. You don’t need to take that weight on yourself.]

Mina hiccuped, her body trembling now that she finally felt safe again. Tanner held her tightly while she curled up into Pluot’s dense, warm fur, and wept.

The countryside was surprisingly quiet and free of rampaging magic beasts. Grandma supposed that that might have been Jiyon’s doing. In the past year, he must have traveled the empire helping the various landed nobility manage the dungeons that had spilled open in their domains. When had he reached as far as Westhill? It would certainly help bolster his relationships with the nobles and cement his position as the Crown Prince.

They didn’t stop until the sun had begun peeking over the horizon, not wanting to be caught up in the turmoil no doubt gripping the Westhill capital. It was even possible that Jiyon was hunting for them, since he must have known that, of all the people in Avery’s home at that time, only they were capable of such a feat.

Fariel erected a shelter for them while Grandma rested. The exertions at the estate had taken a toll on her mana reserves, and she wanted nothing more than to lie down and stay very still for a while. Mina and Tanner helped Fariel put together a meal while Grandma rested, and then they all curled up to sleep, exhaustion dragging them into oblivion.

When they woke again, the day was well advanced. They ate quickly and returned to their travels, making their way swiftly across Westhill, doing their best to stay ahead of any pursuers.

Along the way, they discussed their plan for the next phase of their travel. North beyond the borders lay a vast desert. They would need to prepare appropriate provisions for the journey, since drawing moisture from the ground would be unreliable at best. Maps of the area were scarce and lacking in detail, and Fariel thought it would be best if they could engage the services of someone familiar with the terrain.

At a border town, Grandma sent Fiddler home to Bow Harbor with a message for Baroness Annetta. The crab was only too glad to get away from the scorching sands and back to its home waters. Tanner sent the majority of his beasts home as well, bidding them travel swiftly but stay out of sight until they reached their house. Pluot was the only one who refused to leave.

[If you die of thirst, it will be your own fault,] Grandma warned it.

[I accept,] it said with a toss of its head.

The town was surprisingly large. They learned that it was a transport hub for caravans traveling into and out of the desert, so it was well positioned to receive visitors flowing through the city. They hired a guide and rented horses, then spent a disconcerting amount of money on supplies. Their guide, a middle aged woman named Nanur, helped them select appropriate foods, water, tents, and other necessities. After a brief rest, they set out into the shifting sands.