Katayoun’s grip on Xerxes’ hand tightened, and‌ she pulled herself closer to him.

The movement didn’t go unnoticed by the intruder Rabbo.

“Calm down, little girl,” he said. “Sit still and nothing will happen to you. As for you, Navraj, I’ll—”

The man in the floppy hat stood. “I’m done with this shit,” he said.

All attention in the room swiveled to him. Xerxes had the feeling violence would soon erupt.

“Excuse me?” Rabbo said.

The floppy-hatted man put his hand on the back of the wooden chair he’d just been sitting in and pushed it aside, causing a grating sound to echo in the chamber. He stepped free of the rows of chairs.

“I’m leaving,” he said.

“I don’t think so,” Rabbo said.

The floppy-hatted man stopped. He was now standing close to the back doorway, which was blocked by the armored thugs. The man looked at Rabbo. “You can’t detain me. The city guard—”

“Will never know how you died,” Rabbo said. He smiled. “If you don’t calm down.”

The man’s hand dropped to a knife sheathed at his waist. “I’m very calm.”

“Rabbo, what are you doing?” Navraj said. “You can’t just—”

“I can do whatever I want!” Rabbo snapped.

The two began arguing.

Meanwhile, Katayoun leaned her head close to Xerxes. I think we should pick a side, she projected. Whoever we pick, we could win some points by helping.

You’re right, he replied. To be honest, this Rabbo character seems like an asshole.

I agree.

You think you can handle three thugs? Katayoun asked. As much as I want to land a killing blow with Slow Death, I’d rather save my melam for healing. Just in case.

They don’t look like hardcore martial artists. Just muscle. If I’m careful, I should be fine.

Seeing that both Rabbo and Navraj had their attention fixed on the floppy-hatted man, Xerxes slid his free hand toward his pocket and the pouch of crabnickel powder there. He slipped his fingers free of Katayoun’s.

The floppy-hatted man jumped into the argument between Rabbo and Navraj. The tone of the discussion grew heated as they argued back and forth.

Finally, the man pulled his floppy hat down further on his head and growled, “I didn’t sign up for this!”

Then he strode toward the door that led back to the bazaar.

“Stop him,” Rabbo said. In response, the armored men reached out to grab him.

The floppy-hatted man lurched back and unsheathed his knife. Pointing it at the nearest armored thug, he said, “Don’t. I won’t hesitate to cut you. Just let me pass.”

“Stop him,” Rabbo repeated. “He’s not to leave this room!”

One of the armored thugs took another step forward. In response, the floppy-hatted man swung his knife.

The blow wouldn’t have hit even if the thug stood still. The thug stepped to the side, then grabbed the man’s wrist with both hands. They started struggling. A yell rang out. The floppy hat fell to the ground, revealing slick black hair. The black-haired man kicked the thug. The thug kneed him.

Both combatants cursed. After a struggle, the thug wrenched the knife away. He slashed it toward the man’s throat. The man dodged. But then the follow-up blow came, and the knife connected.

Blood spilled out.

The man slumped to the ground atop his hat.

“Well fuck,” Rabbo said. “I didn’t say to kill him!”

The thug shrugged.

Xerxes, still seated, slid his hand out of his pocket and rested it in his lap. It was full of crabnickel powder. His eyes flickered to take in the position of the armored thugs. Then he glanced at Rabbo and Navraj.

He thought back to the desperate battle in that muddy street on Mannemid, in which Gem had lost his life. That day, he had learned the hard way that even combat veterans could die from an errant knife thrust, and mages weren’t invincible. But he would not make the same mistakes he had back then. And he wouldn’t hesitate to cast a spell. If this situation resulted in a fight, he would make sure Singular Lethality lived up to its name.

“I’m not giving up my congregation,” Navraj said, edging away from Rabbo.

Xerxes moved his index finger until it was just above his palm, and the collection of powder therein.

“You are,” Rabbo said. Gesturing his thugs, he said. “Grab the fucker. If he resists, kill him.”

“No,” Katayoun said, rising from her seat.

“What?” Rabbo said.

“Huh?” Navraj said at the same time.

The thugs remained motionless.

Katayoun’s hand slipped into her pocket, where Xerxes knew she had her own components. “I said no,” she continued. “We’re here because Navraj invited us. We don’t know who the hell you are, and frankly speaking, you seem like a real son of a bitch. So I’ll give you two choices. One: leave. Two: die. It’s up to you.”

Rabbo and Navraj looked at her in astonishment for a good two or three seconds. Then Rabbo burst into laughter.

Wiping a tear from his eye, he said, “I have some advice, little girl. Don’t take up gambling. You aren’t a good bluffer.”

Xerxes stood and started moving his finger through the crabnickel powder. He felt a tickle of fear in his mind.

One errant slash of a knife, he thought.

“You have no idea if I’m a good bluffer or not,” Katyoun said. “Because I’m not bluffing.”

Rabbo’s face turned stony. “Kill these idiots,” he said.

The two thugs who had been moving toward Navraj now stepped toward Xerxes.

He heard the swish of weapons being drawn, but was focused on the rune. As his finger traced the last stroke through the powder, melam surged within him, converging in his hand.

Brilliant light erupted, casting strange shadows in the room as he turned to the nearest thug.

“What the ‘ell?” the man said.

As Xerxes’ eyes shifted from the spot where he’d been tracing the rune to the incoming thugs, he realized the nearest of them had a cheap dagger in his hand, and it was pointing toward Katayoun.

He kicked aside the chair and stepped toward the thug. The surprised thug shifted, pointing the dagger at him instead of Katayoun. Xerxes grabbed it.

A hissing sound could be heard as his burning hand melted the metal. He kept his elbow up so it didn’t drip down onto his skin. Sizzling drops of molten metal smacked into the stone floor.

The thug released the weapon, then tried to throw a punch at Xerxes.

Xerxes dodged it, then smashed his hand into the man’s face.