"No. Absolutely not. You're all going to die."

On the table in front of me lay blueprints and game board figures and pictures with bright red circles. It looked like the beginning of every Old World spy movie.

The men were silent for a moment, but it didn't last long. At first they tried to play nice and beg me for help. When it was clear I wouldn't be providing them with anything but a warning, they threatened me.

"We can't have someone running around with our plan," the older one growled. "If you won't help us, we can't let you leave." 

I sighed and leaned my arms against the table. "Guys," I whined. "I'm really tired. I don't have the energy to tell you all the reasons your plan isn't going to work, but I can promise I'm not going to be one of them. You know you can't stop me anyway." 

I ran my hand through my hair, surprised again by how short I had had to crop it after the fire. It barely fell to my chin. I fought the desire to play with it.

The young one slammed his hands on the table. I rolled my eyes. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted her," he yelled. "She's a child."

I was about to sigh when I heard Annabelle whisper, "No, you're a child," and I smirked instead. 

"Look," I continued, forcing the smile off my face, "this isn't going to end well. I may be young, but the fact that you sought me out for help should prove something. I know what I'm doing, and I know that this is a fight you won't win. I mean, raiding an armory? Literally walking into a place filled with giants and guards and thousands of deadly weapons?" 

I sighed again, shooting them both a look of apology before pushing my chair back and standing up. "I'm sorry, but I can't send my people into a death trap like that."

I had barely turned around when a hand on my shoulder spun me back around. "We don't need your people," the old man said. "We just need you." We stared at each other for a long moment. "You can do it, can't you?"

Shrugging his hand off my arm, I shook my head. "I can. But I won't. She would know if it was me."

They exchanged glances, obviously irritated, but unsure whether provoking a woman I feared was an intelligent choice or imminent death. Tentatively, Annabelle asked, "She?"

I looked around. Chances were, she was watching. She always was. "Let's just say there's someone out there making sure I don't do anything she doesn't want." I held out a hand for Annabelle and offered a nod to the men. "I'm sorry I can't help you."

Guilt tugged at the corner of my mind, but I shook it off. I had warned them. It wasn't my job to keep them alive.

Screams cut through the warm air that night, and fire tore through the slums. Giants paroled the streets, pulling people from their homes and shooting everyone who resisted.

I had warned them.