Kess was used to being injured. She wasn’t used to whatever this was. Her first moments of consciousness were reluctant, and sleep was a siren song in her head. She hauled herself to a sitting position, groaning, her mouth papery and every movement a searing fire in her limbs.

  Slowly, the reality of her situation trickled back into her mind. Oliver, gone. And she…hadn’t she won that fight with Moreen? Then she remembered the alleyway and its aftermath. That was enough to force her back into her aching body. It was what she deserved, after all, for tangling with her powers again.

  Kess cracked her eyes open, managing to sit up partially on her good arm, though it took more strength than she would have figured. In front of her, a glowing blond woman couldn’t hide the look of shock on her face for just a moment before unceremoniously shoving a glass of water into her hands.

  Kess was too thirsty to care if it was drugged or not. She drank, eyes on the glowing woman— glowing. She froze.

  “Stop,” Kess said, the water half finished.

  “Stop what?” She didn’t stop, her hazel eyes slightly unfocused and her hands emitting a sickly green light.

  “That,” Kess said, lifting the water weakly to gesture at the woman’s hands. The woman lifted an eyebrow, a single tress of blond curls falling in front of her face.

  “You want me to stop…healing you?” she asked incredulously. Kess nodded, exhausted. “Why?” the woman asked.

  “Because that isn’t meant for— “ she gestured at her body. “—this.”

  “I don’t understand,” the woman said. “Surely you’ve run into Fulminant healers before. It’s simple really. Your body produces signals not unlike that of Fulminancy. We study those, then learn to replicate them with our own Fulminancy, which encourages your body to—”

  “I’d rather avoid it completely if at all possible,” Kess interrupted, finishing the water. She could hardly blame the woman for attempting to help her, but old habits died hard. The blond woman stared at her for a few minutes as if trying to discern something, then put a pleasant smile on her face.

  “Well, my apologies for saving your life,” she said, her voice clipped and tight. “Next time I’ll just leave you to bleed out.” She got to her feet, whirling towards the door, and slammed it behind her with enough force to make even Kess flinch.

  Kess closed her eyes, settling back against the pillows. There was little she could tell the woman without sounding insane. How did it make sense that healing left her jumpy and irritated for days on end? How could she explain that her hair would stand on end for days and her skin would crawl with the same distinct feeling as it did before a Lightstorm struck?

  And then there was the minor issue of the woman being Fulminant. Healer or not, she should be avoided at all costs. Kess would have to figure out a way to pay her debt to the woman, though; she hated owing anyone anything.

  The thought of debts made her reach instinctively to her shirt, searching for the bag of gold tucked away. But of course, her clothes were gone, likely ruined by her injuries. She wore a simple shirt and undergarments, but mercifully found her bag nearby. Her fresh clothes were there, along with a cloak, a few tiny personal effects from home, and somehow, the entire bag of gold coins from her fight. How any of them weren’t missing was beyond Kess. These people were fools to not take advantage of her.

  Still, as she weighed the bloody bag of coins in her hand, she knew that paying the woman wouldn’t be enough. This was a life debt, and it would be a long time before she would be free of something like that. She scowled, pulling a gold coin from the bag. If only paying everyone was as simple as paying Mattes.

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  She got to her feet, wincing as she inspected the fresh bandages. While Fulminant healing would leave her on edge for days, it at least gave her a head start on the blood loss. She slowly pulled on her clothing, gingerly over the wounds. Kess was used to bruises, but actual wounds were something else entirely. She scowled as her small movements produced a warm sensation and the bandage flowered with blood. Fulminant magic wasn’t a miracle, and this kind of injury wouldn’t be something she could shrug off.

  Still, maybe she could gather some information from these people and—

  She froze, staring at the walls. Something flickered in her vision ever so slightly, the stone walls obscured as if by smoke, with a slight tinge of blue light.

  The whole place was crawling with Fulminant spells.

  No, she wouldn’t be gathering information from these people. She would leave as fast as possible. Oliver would have other addresses to try in his home, surely.

  Her boots were on, clothes changed, and bag slung over her shoulders before she could spare another thought. She padded to the door in her well-worn pair of boots, stuffing the gold back inside her shirt for good measure. There was a slight limp to her gait, but she would have to tolerate it. Anything to get out of the cursed place.

  She opened the door, wincing at the creak. Voices and laughter hit her, but from further off in the building, and mercifully there were no guards on the door. Kess peered out of the crack, and mercifully, spotted a large staircase at the end of the hallway. That would likely be the way out, but these people would be fools not to have someone watch the front door. They were also fools not to take your gold, she reminded herself.

  Kess slipped out of the door. People were out and about in the manor, though most were busy with the daily tasks of living. The place would have shocked Kess in its size and and grandeur if she hadn’t spent a childhood surrounded by actual castles and keeps. Even so, the place was impressive— especially given its relatively unassuming outside appearance.

  She limped slightly as she crested the staircase, but years of living Downhill had taught her that confidence was key when moving through an area where you didn’t belong. She willed everyone to ignore her with a quick, confident stride, and was feeling rather pleased with herself until she ran straight into the man who’d first opened the door for her.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off without thinking, and immediately regretted it as pain lanced through her arm. Her manners and sense of decorum went with her composure.

  “Look, door boy, I thought someone here would have information, but I’m not about to be here when the Witchblades come asking for information about that disaster up the street. So if you’ll excuse me, I—“

  “You won’t find what you’re looking for out there,” the man said quietly, jerking his head towards the door. He held her gaze calmly, which was rather infuriating since Kess had intentionally been trying to provoke the man. “If a Marked girl goes to every tavern in town, asking questions about a missing man not long after half of Riverside was blown to pieces, who do you think the Blueblades will focus on?”

  “The information I’m looking for isn’t in a tavern anyway,” Kess started. “I—“

  “Do you have a place to stay for the night?”

  “Of course. I’m not homeless.”

  “For the sake of whoever you’re staying with, I hope they’re very well hidden.” He paused, then added, “You came from Riverside, didn’t you?”

  Kess avoided his eyes. His pointed comment about the safety of anyone she sought for help hit her like a blow. Perhaps she couldn’t go back to Draven, not with what she’d done. But to stay here…

  “Why are you so eager to house a liability yourself?” she snapped. “If you think I’m responsible for that mess in Riverside, then why would you subject everyone in this building to whoever caused it?”

  In her anger, a tiny trail of lightning snaked down Kess’s arm. She let out a little gasp and snapped her fist shut, snuffing it out. The dark haired man watched her intently, his eyes oddly hungry.

  “Because I believe we can help each other,” he said. He unfurled a familiar, bloody envelope from his pocket and smiled at her.

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