Mart had stayed behind in the lounge. One of the reasons was that at least Aravin wasn't there. He was bored, since everyone else had already left the room. While inspecting the place, he stumbled upon a wooden board game carved with dragons of different sizes. He moved the largest piece, then yanked his hand back in shock when a tiny flame flared from its mouth. Carefully, he shifted a few more dragons. Sometimes their wings twitched, other times they growled or slid themselves one square aside.

"Dragon March, that's what we call it."

Mart looked over his shoulder. Fantoom stood in the doorway.

"Never heard of it."

"No. Lux and I designed it ourselves."

Mart picked up a slender dragon with sharp ridges along its back, running his fingers along the carved wood. "Impressive work."

Fantoom stepped inside. "Want me to explain the rules?"

Mart didn't answer right away. He still wasn't sure what to think of Fantoom. There was something unpredictable about him, but he wasn't unpleasant. Besides, Mart had been alone long enough—and any company was easier to endure than that of Aravin and Alyss.

Fantoom lifted the board and carried it to the table. Mart followed, pulling a chair back for himself.

"How did you get this ship?" he asked.

Fantoom sat down across from him. "An heirloom."

That wasn't something just anyone came by. Did that mean Fantoom was an orphan too? Maybe that gave them a small thread of connection. Or maybe that was already there. His red eyes looked unnatural, not like the result of some tincture. Mart had only recently learned he was a Soultaker, but looking back, he had always felt different. Of course, that could also be because he hadn't been raised by his real parents, and knew nothing about them.

"Then it seems like quite a step to let three strangers on board."

Fantoom shrugged. "I did my homework."

"How?" Mart still didn't understand how the man had known he was a Soultaker. Aravin had asked the same thing, but since this was about him, Mart hoped Fantoom would actually give him an answer now. The only response was a sly grin.

"I'll explain the game."

It didn’t take long for Mart to get the hang of it. Strategy games suited him, though his opponent was clearly far more experienced. The challenge kept his mind sharp, and it took him a moment to notice Saxa standing in the doorway, her face flushed.

“She’s not back yet?”

Fantoom shook his head. “No. What did you do this time?”

“Nothing.” She shot him a dark look, walked to the bar, and took a swig from a bottle. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “I saw those guys again. Thought they might follow me, so I sent her the other way and lost them.”

Fantoom grimaced and pushed his chair back.

Alyss! Only now did Mart realize they were talking about her. He’d heard that the two women were going out to buy supplies. He shoved the heavy stool he’d been sitting on back and got to his feet. “What guys?”

“That doesn’t matter. She’s got nothing to fear from them. Still, it’s not a good idea for her to wander around Koperhaven alone.”

“She’s armed,” Saxa said.

“All the more troubling that she isn’t here yet.”

“Maybe she just got distracted?” Mart suggested. Alyss wasn’t exactly the careless type. “She’s never been outside of Tranendal before.”

“And it shows,” Fantoom muttered. “All right. We’ll go look for her. Stay on the ship with Lux,” he told Saxa. “Make sure it’s ready to leave.”

Mart followed the man downstairs.

“Cami!” Fantoom called as soon as the lift reached the lower deck. “We’re heading out.”

The boy turned his head. The colors in his hair rippled like liquid rainbows. He jumped off a crate and slung a complex-looking device against his hip. “What’s the mission, boss?”

“Finding the pretty lass. She’s gone missing.”

Unease coiled tight in Mart’s gut. He wasn’t sure how to deal with Alyss these days, but that didn’t mean he’d stopped caring. Far from it. The thought of something happening to her felt like a cord tightening around his throat.

Behind the crate Cami had been sitting on, Aravin now rose to his feet. Their eyes met briefly, and Mart suppressed a sigh. They really needed to find a way to get along, or he’d only make things harder for himself. For now, they were stuck with each other. He decided to make an effort—at least until Alyss was safe again.

Mart walked toward him so they met halfway across the deck.

“What’s going on with Alyss?”

Even though he knew Aravin had never felt anything but friendship for her, suspicion still stirred in him, like all this new knowledge needed time to settle. “Saxa saw some people—apparently not friendly ones. She sent Alyss the other way, but she hasn’t come back yet. Maybe she’s just wandering around the city, but…”

“But we’re going to find her.” Aravin nodded firmly. “I’ll check if she responds to a contact tincture first.” He pressed the wolf-shaped copera on his arm and stared into the distance. His face darkened. “Nothing.”

Mart held back a sigh and turned to the others. “Then we’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”

“Think you two can go off together without anyone else disappearing?” Fantoom asked dryly.

“We can put our differences aside,” Mart muttered. At least, I hope I can.

A flicker of hope sparked low in his chest, rising toward his heart. It didn’t feel like his own emotion—it was Aravin’s. His own soul received it with discomfort.

They’d need to fix that too. Maybe the Soultaker they were going to visit would know how to sever this unwanted bond.

Mart reached the railing first and climbed down the rope ladder. When he looked up from the ground, the ship had vanished. He didn’t see the others descend, so when Aravin suddenly appeared beside him, he flinched back, impressed by the technology.

Was this something everyone used now—one of the many developments he’d missed? Or had their inventor really pulled this off himself? For someone who hunted dangerous creatures, it was a perfect advantage.

Or for someone being hunted. Judging by how Fantoom treated Aravin—and what they thought of the Scions—they probably had plenty of enemies. What have we gotten ourselves into? If Alyss was already in danger because of it, they’d need some answers soon. But first, we find her.

The four of them headed toward the city. Behind him, Cami kept talking, though Mart barely heard a word. His thoughts were with Alyss—what could have happened to her?

He didn’t like that Saxa had left her alone. Sure, Alyss was an adult. She could take care of herself—at least back in Tranendal. But here? He could picture the hungry eyes following her through the streets. Her clothes, her jewelry, her copera… all worth enough to feed a family. Maybe that woman robbed her herself.

They reached the edge of the city and split up there.

Mart rubbed his fingers together. The market’s noise carried toward him, feeding his unease. Since his release, he’d avoided crowds. The thought of being surrounded by that many people made his palms sweat.

“You all right?” Aravin asked quietly.

“Can’t you feel it?” Mart grumbled.

Aravin gave him a quick glance and shrugged. “I can barely make sense of my own emotions, let alone someone else’s.”

Mart said nothing. The silence pressed down on him, and he was oddly relieved when the crowd thickened, making him less aware of Aravin’s presence. They passed stall after stall—seeds, potatoes, miners’ helmets, spirals, shoulder pads—everything jumbled together with no clear order.

Among all those hundreds of faces, his hope sank. Alyss wouldn’t be wandering a market like this. This wasn’t where they’d find her. If someone had wanted to hurt her, where would they have taken her?

It would’ve been smarter to go with someone who knew the city. He’d expected Fantoom to think of that. Maybe he hopes forcing us to work together will make us bury the hatchet.

“This isn’t working,” he told Aravin. “Let’s ask around. Alyss stands out—you can’t miss her.”

Aravin agreed, and they split up to question different vendors. Though Mart believed he’d feel it if Aravin were in danger, he still glanced over his shoulder now and then to make sure the man was nearby.

Only so I can help if we find Alyss, he told himself.

It didn’t take long before someone told him a young woman had fallen ill earlier that day. Ill? He hadn’t spoken much to Alyss, but he’d noticed she’d kept to her room at the inn, saying she didn’t feel well. He hadn’t known if that was because of the local food or because this whole journey had worn her down—but she’d seemed brighter once they’d boarded the ship, as if hope itself had lifted her spirits.

Maybe she really is sick, then.

He looked around, spotted Aravin, and walked toward him. “Someone said a young woman collapsed earlier today. They didn’t know much else, but it’s a start.”

Their questions eventually led them to a stall selling mechanical animals.

“It was a classic robbery.” The merchant pursed her lips in disapproval before continuing. “She was knocked out with a tincture, and then two men ran off with her wealth meter and her tincture pouch. Foolish of her to show off like that. My husband carried her to our home. She hasn’t woken up yet. Come, I’ll take you there.”

Mart swallowed hard and followed the woman. His throat tightened. The thought of someone injecting Alyss with something—in a place like this, where tinctures were likely tampered with and shady substances traded...

The woman opened the door to a sagging little house. The floorboards creaked as they followed her through a dim hallway into a small living room. Alyss lay on the couch, blonde hair fanned out across a pillow, eyes closed. Her chest rose and fell as if she were peacefully asleep.

Did she look fragile, or was it just him?

He crouched beside her and gently touched her arm. “Alyss?”

No response.

He looked over his shoulder. Aravin was watching her silently.

Mart moved his hand to her shoulder and shook her—first gently, then more firmly. “Alyss? Can you hear me?”

He studied her face closely. Nothing.

“We’re taking her back to the ship.” Mart slid one arm under her knees and the other around her shoulders. “Thanks for your help,” he told the homeowners. “Can you compensate them properly?” he asked Aravin.

Aravin nodded.

Mart himself had no credit left—not even a wealth meter. It didn’t matter while they were on this mission; someone else would cover his needs. After that… he’d figure it out.

He glanced at Alyss’s wrist—bare now, her wealth meter gone. Carrying her outside, he fought the urge to brush a strand of hair from her pale forehead, but both arms were occupied.

She was heavier than he’d expected—or maybe he was weaker than he’d hoped. He’d tried to stay fit in captivity, but there was only so much you could do in a cell.

Aravin soon overtook him to clear the way. By the time they left the crowded streets, Mart’s arms were trembling so badly he had to hand her over.

There was no sign of the ship. He’d expected they’d reveal it again, as when they first arrived, but nothing.

“This way,” Saxa’s voice called after a while.

She appeared out of nowhere. At her feet lay a stretcher, ready to hoist Alyss up.

“What happened to her?” Saxa asked. “Is she hurt?”

“She was injected with a tincture and then robbed.”

Saxa grimaced but said nothing.

Aravin carefully laid Alyss on the stretcher. Chains rattled above as someone started pulling, lifting her slowly upward.

Mart climbed after her. At the top, he found Lux waiting.

“Step into the lift,” the man instructed.

Mart obeyed. Lux tried to lift Alyss, but his narrow frame made it awkward. Aravin stepped in just in time to help, and together they got her into the lift. It was too narrow for him to hold her in his arms.

“You’d better sit.”

Apparently, they’d done this before. Mart sat down with his back against the wall, drawing up his knees. The two men lowered Alyss between his legs.

She leaned against him like dead weight.

Mart wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn’t slip. The lump in his throat only grew heavier. What side effects might the tincture have? Was she truly unconscious—or paralyzed? The thought of her trapped in her own body, terrified and helpless, was unbearable.

He pressed his lips briefly to her temple. “We’re back on the ship,” he murmured as the lift ascended. “You’re safe now. We’ll take care of you.”

He tightened his hold on her while a new kind of loss gnawed at him. He wasn’t ready to hold her again—but he was even less ready to lose her.

Lux led him into a room filled with vivid colors. Mart laid Alyss on a narrow bed near the door.

He stepped aside as Lux checked her pulse and felt her forehead. “No warning signs. Let’s wait for her to wake up—then maybe she can tell us what happened.”