"Wait, I recognize you. You’re—"

  "My name is Anand, a senior assassin for the Harrowed Hand."

  The room went quiet. Beside him, Bricks blinked.

  "Anand? What are you talking about—?"

  "At the end of your time in the Second Circle, I was knocked out and brought in by a few kind people. In that time, I established a disguise, integrating with the locals."

  Nathan didn’t so much as blink. "I see."

  "I was originally planning to escape, but when I heard you were injured, I realized this would be the perfect opportunity to take care of you."

  Fuge’s eyes widened. She reached for her weapon. The other ministers backed away from Anand. Bricks looked at him in shock.

  Nathan held up his hand, stopping Fuge.

  "And why didn’t you kill me?"

  Anand bit his bottom lip. If he did this… there was no going back.

  "I changed my mind," he said. "I wish to offer my services to compensate this town for their hospitality."

  "What kind of services?"

  "I’m a senior assassin. I’ve trained several others of my kind. I’m a master of espionage, and I can teach what I’ve learned to your people. If need be, I’m willing to be an asset for you personally. Besides that, I have a vast amount of intel on the Harrowed Hand—their operations, their ideology, and anything else you need to know."

  Fuge growled. "I can’t believe you’re sitting there listening to this, Nathan.”

  Nathan tilted his head. "How do I know you’re not just a crazy person?"

  Fuge’s hand reached out toward Anand’s shoulder.

  Anand grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground. A knife appeared in his hand, and he held it to her throat.

  "Whoa, calm down!" someone shouted from the background.

  Anand stood, tucked away his weapon, and straightened his back. Fuge rose to her feet, drew her sword, and pointed it at his throat.

  He didn’t flinch.

  "Why did you change your mind, Anand?" Nathan asked.

  Anand paused. “I just… I can’t bring myself to do it."

  Nathan was silent for several seconds.

  "Well, Anand, I don’t think I can argue with that."

  Nathan stretched out his hand. Anand looked at it, paused…

  Then reached out and shook it.

  They spent several hours going over everything Anand knew—everything from the structure of the Harrowed Hand to their philosophy, methods, and everything in between.

  For Nathan, it was all a bit of a blur. He was still numb, exhausted, and nothing seemed to make much sense. Luckily, there were others in the room taking notes, so he could consult them later.

  The most important part—the one that stuck with him—was when Nathan told Anand about Silas and the offer he’d received.

  "It was probably a sincere offer… but it's also a poisoned one," Anand said.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean the Harrowed Hand isn’t a good organization," Anand replied, bowing his head. "I see that now. They… they warp you. They turn you into something you’re not. All in the name of order, of spreading peace. But if that peace is built on a pile of bodies—people who don’t deserve to die—is it even worth it anymore? Anyway, they would’ve used the rescue of your sister as leverage to persuade of this viewpoint.”

  Nathan frowned. "I see. And I almost fell for it.”

  They continued talking, and something important was passed to Nathan.

  "And Nathan, there’s one thing you need to understand about your current position with the Harrowed Hand," Anand said.

  Nathan stiffened. "What’s that?"

  “They’ve likely given up on diplomacy, because you figured out the trick to turn you against Bree,” Anand said. “And if you think the assassination attempts up to this point have been bad, what’s coming will be much worse. They’re going to throw everything they have at you. Especially since they know you can bleed now."

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  "They knew I was—"

  "The number one?" Anand said. “Of course they do. There’s only one Nathan Lee who can accomplish what you can do. Even so, I suspect they didn’t expect you to be as strong as you are.”

  "So, within the next few days, they’re going to make a move against me?"

  "They will. I don’t know exactly what it’ll look like. It could be as simple as throwing all their available resources at you. Or it could be something more sinister."

  Nathan nodded.

  "One final question," he said.

  "Of course. Whatever I can help with."

  "My sister. Sarah Lee. Have you ever heard that name before? Besides what I’ve told you in this conversation?"

  "I don’t know what you—"

  "Anand."

  There was a beat of silence.

  "I need to know."

  At this, Burrau, who had been quiet until now, perked up slightly. His pen stopped scribbling on the paper

  Anand hesitated, then looked around the room before sighing.

  "Before I say this, keep in mind there are thousands of Sarah Lees. There’s no guarantee—"

  "Anand."

  Anand paused. “They say… they say she was the Herald Hand’s wife before she passed away."

  Nathan felt his stomach drop. The world seemed to spin even as he remained still on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling.

  "I’m going to have to kill my sister’s fiancé."

  Anand left the room. Shortly thereafter, Gius shifted his weight onto his cane. It was a new one, one that Nathan hadn’t seen before. The old mushroom man had never used it until now.

  "Does this really change things?" Gius asked.

  Nathan chuckled dryly. "It changes everything." He shook his head. "First, it looks like all those hints of her being alive… were just a trick. Someone was either messing with me or simply in possession of her old things."

  Gius remained silent.

  "And now, not only that," Nathan continued, "but I find out that the man she loved most in the world—someone she was going to spend the rest of her life with—is a crazed maniac responsible for a massive amount of death and destruction."

  Nathan didn’t even bother to look at Gius, too wrapped up in his thoughts.

  "You know, I never actually met him,” Nathan said. "She wanted me to. Her two favorite people, that’s what she always called us. And she wanted us to get along. But I always had a convenient excuse. I was always sick, busy—busy with what, I couldn’t even tell you—but the ending was always the same. I never showed up."

  He leaned his head back against the pillow.

  "On the plus side, it probably would’ve been harder to put him down if I’d known him before he became… whatever he is now."

  "I’m sorry," Gius said.

  "Don’t be. It’s… it’s fine. I’ll deal with it. I always do."

  After a few minutes of silence, Burrau and Gius both stood up and stepped out of the room, leaving Nathan alone with his thoughts.

  "Wait," Nathan said.

  Gius paused. "Yes, Nathan?"

  "The woman who brought me in.” Bree. “Where did she go?"

  "Her? She was staying by the portal. She's been periodically coming in and checking on things. But… it's been a little while since she last came in."

  Nathan frowned. The whole conversation with Anand had unsettled him. What if they were going to target Bree now that she was alone?

  Nathan pushed himself out of bed with a grunt. Gius walked over.

  "My Lord—" he began.

  Nathan raised a hand. "I'm okay. You guys did a good job. I'll be fine."

  Gius stared at him for a moment before taking a single step back.

  "Of course, my Lord," he said.

  Nathan stood on the ground. His knees shook before he forced them to steady. He stepped forward, then again, and again, until he was back to his normal pace.

  The portal wasn't far—just a minute or so away.

  The closer he got to the portal, the more an uneasy feeling coiled in his stomach. To his side, Gius shambled along with his walking stick, content to accompany Nathan.

  "Gius?" Nathan said.

  "Yes, my Lord?"

  Nathan paused.

  "I want you to prepare for a sudden influx of visitors. Just in case. How much of the army is ready to go?"

  "They're ready to move at a word, my Lord."

  "Good. Keep them ready."

  "What's all this about, Nathan?"

  "I just… I can't shake this odd feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong."

  "Your instinct hasn't been wrong so far. You have a knack for this sort of thing. Would you like me to come with you when you exit the portal?"

  "No. In case it's nothing, I’d prefer you stay here, ready to marshal the troops." Nathan glanced back at Gius. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, of course. I would never want to put any of your people in danger. But if this is as bad as I think it is, I'll need all the help I can get."

  Gius laughed. Nathan was almost taken aback by the sudden noise.

  "Nathan," Gius said, "I know you well enough to say with absolute certainty that you wouldn't put any of our lives in danger unless it was absolutely necessary. We trust you."

  A small smile flickered on Nathan's face. He gave Gius a nod.

  They were at the portal.

  Nathan turned and gave Gius a sloppy salute.

  "Hopefully, this is just my paranoia," he said. "See you around, old friend."

  "Indeed."

  Nathan turned back around and stepped through the portal.

  When Nathan entered the portal, there was a part of him that fully expected to find nothing. The conversation with Anand had riled him up. He was paranoid. He'd been under so much stress—of course, he'd get unexplainable feelings of fear for no apparent reason.

  And, of course, nothing was what he saw when he exited the portal. He was at the bottom of the crater he had created using the basic maelstrom. And he was completely alone. No surprise ambush, no sudden attack. Nathan was almost surprised by it, frankly.

  Nathan snapped his fingers, and the portal slammed shut behind him. He crawled up the side of the crater until he reached the top. A forest stretched out in front of him, decrepit buildings to his side. He turned around.

  He squinted.

  In the center of the urban pocket was a massive tree that breached the clouds. Its trunk seemed to extend out for several city blocks, so huge and imposing that the colors started to wash out at the top.

  "That wasn't there before," he said.

  He heard the ground shake. He turned back toward the forest—it was moving. Creeping forward.

  The Tree Wrath.

  Familiar voices echoed in his ears.

  "I believe your kind call this a two-front attack," one of the voices whispered. "One from within, one from without. There is nowhere for you to run."

  The vines and roots of the forest stretched out. They were getting faster.

  Nathan whispered under his breath, “Mystery voice? I’m gonna need your help.

  She was quiet.

  “Hello?” he hissed.

  There's something—something trying to get in. The presence from before? The voice broke into a cry. It's taking everything I have to keep it out!

  Nathan paled. A moment later, his chest twisted, and pain shot through his entire body.

  Her voice faded away, and Nathan felt utterly, horribly alone.

  Nathan gulped. He was injured, exhausted, and his one ally was currently out of commission. The tree wrath was advancing, there was a giant tree in the middle of the urban pocket, and this was all after he'd learned that his sister was dead.

  Great. Just great.

  The forest roared, and hundreds of vines speared toward him—all at once.

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