When Fatih returned up the ladder several minutes later he left Cigdem and Arshay behind to clean up, moving to stand with Zoe. While Zoe talked, Fatih paid no attention to her words. What Zoe said faded into the background, frantically paced yet incomprehensible words blending together, as he strained to pick up on the conversation below.

“Due respect, this is all a diversion and it’s cost us too much already. Whatever they were doing here, we’ve disrupted it. There’s simply no point in our remaining here, not when the main objective is on the horizon, and I don’t understand why we’re still here at all.”

“You know, Scout, under normal circumstances I would have you disciplined for insubordination. But I can’t deny that you’re right – this is not our main objective, and we are dangerously off-track. However, the unit remains in Etyslund until we have defeated the Mirshal threat.”

“We have them routed, sir. Unless your goal is annihilation, we’ve already won.”

“That is the goal, Arshay, yes. The goal is annihilation.”

A pause. Fatih rolled his eyes, shifted his feet, and tried to look like he was paying attention to Zoe.

“ – could just take the unit and go. We could be out of here in ten minutes, with all our gear. Just take the vehicles and – “

“If you want to leave so badly, you can take whoever will go with you and go, but I’m assigning you new missions if that’s the case.”

“And if no one else is willing to leave?”

“You’re one of two scouts we still have on our side, and Bari is too vital to our current mission to let her go with you. You can make it to Kivv yourself, try to infiltrate the place, learn what you can ahead of our arrival and pass the information on to me once we’re in range.”

“…Right.”

Fatih allowed the voices below him to fade beneath the footfalls on the floorboards from the milling soldiers all around, and the sound of Zoe’s voice. “It seems like every time we change our strategy the situation just slips right back out of our fingers. I’m trying to do things your way, Fatih, but it just isn’t working.” Fatih drummed his fingers on the wall behind him. “Fatih, are you even listening to me?”

Fatih started and glanced over at Zoe. “Oh?” he started, feigning tired detachment. “Oh, of course. You’re trying to be more like little old me, a better soldier, but you’re worried you can’t measure up. It’s okay. I understand. Not everybody can be as good as me, after all.”

“That’s not what I –“

Zoe didn’t get the chance to finish. “But listen, you know Arshay right? He trusts you?”

Zoe’s eyes narrowed, and Fatih didn’t need to think to see how much trust he’d just squandered with Zoe. It didn’t matter, or it wouldn’t matter for much longer, so he pressed the issue, smiling. “Arshay is going to defect, I think. Going to run off to Kivv and join the Valers and hold hands and sing with them, right up until they stab him in the back and throw him on a fire. Or maybe they’ll make him into a weapon to use against us, send him right back to Carakhte with a bomb stuffed down his throat.

“And Captain Cigdem is going to let Arshay do it.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Zoe said. “Captain Cigdem cares about the mission above all else. Besides, what do you know about Arshay? He doesn’t even talk to you.”

“But he talks to you. Can you tell me I’m wrong?”

“Arshay has his… concerns with the way things have been going on this mission, yes. But I think you’re being unfair here. You’re assuming that he would betray the unit, simply because he’s under a lot of stress right now. We’re all under a lot of stress right now.”

“You’re being too kind to him,” Fatih said, pushing off the wall sighing. He started to walk past Zoe, towards the corner of the room, when Cigdem came up the ladder. Cigdem moved to just where Fatih had been standing a moment before. Crossing his arms while facing down Zoe, he said, “You may just be headed back to Carakhte as soon as we’re finished here, Zoe.”

“Carakhte? Why?”

Fatih glanced over at the two of them. They were facing one another, focused on their conversation, and they wouldn’t notice him moving about. He slipped past and down the ladder, as Cigdem said to Zoe, “it’s going to be necessary to rearrange this unit, and in that event you’re the first to be reassigned. That’s not my judgment, if it makes you feel any better: the order comes directly from the Emperor. I have no idea why He would care or even so much as know your name.”

“I know why He’d know my name,” Zoe grumbled, her voice fading as Fatih neared the floor.

In the gloom, lit only by a lone lantern held in the living soldier’s hands, Arshay sat, trembling like a leaf in a stiff wind. Fatih stalked over toward Arshay. The air was cold, but heavy with the scent of blood and fear – Arshay’s and that of the dead scouts, his former colleagues. Even as Fatih approached Arshay’s eyes remained fixed on one of the bodies, the one who had failed to remove the bolt from his chest. Tears leaked from the corners of Arshay’s eyes. Faith nearly gagged as he leaned forward – the smell of Invictan fear was so much sourer than any other fear.

He took Arshay by the shoulder, eliciting a sharp gasp. Fatih cut that off with a hand over Arshay’s mouth. “Quiet, idiot,” he said, lifting Arshay to his feet. “Listen to me. You are not going to abandon the unit. Understand? Because if you do…” He removed the hand from Arshay’s shoulder, slipped it behind his back, and drew his knife, pushing the clasp of the scabbard open with a click. The blade glinted in the light of the lantern. Arshay’s eyes darted to the ladder, but Fatih just laughed.

“The captain is otherwise occupied,” he said, holding the knife up to Arshay’s throat. “I can kill you now if I want and say you went crazy, you came at me. Who would believe you over me?”

“You’re… on thin ice already,” Arshay managed to get out the words despite Arshay’s hand on his mouth, muffled though the statement was.

“And so are you. I know what you’re planning. Think you can just run off to Kivv, shack up with the enemy, and live out a quiet life without having to worry about this whole ‘war’ business, is that it? Never mind that the war would find its way right to you if you did that. Or maybe you’re smarter than that. Maybe you’re planning to keep running east, see how far into the old taiga you can get before you freeze or starve.” None of Fatih’s usual cheer, palpable enough for even him to find notable, was in his voice. He was hushed and harsh and deadly as the knife in his hand trembled, its point dancing on the surface of Arshay’s skin.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Arshay said, but Fatih just chuckled and pushed him against the wall, then turned away. Arshay sputtered. “I’m not planning to run away, but you’re certainly making the idea seem more tempting.”

Fatih took a step toward the shaft leading back up. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Arshay. “Just know I’ve got my eye on you. You’d better prove me wrong if you want to live.”

He returned back up the ladder.

By the time he climbed up to the main floor of the gathering hall, Cigdem was finishing a series of instructions to Zoe while Zoe nodded along. “And you’ll receive further instructions on your arrival there. Of course you’ll be provided with a vehicle upon our departure so your journey should be brief.”

“Hey, Zoe, got a moment?” Fatih interrupted.

Cigdem, groaning, stepped back. “That’s all, Agent Bari. I’ll speak with you later.” He departed, to convene with another soldier perhaps.

“Ooh, Agent,” Fatih said with a smile, stepping forward until he was next to Zoe again. “That’s fancy. You got a promotion, did you?”

“Looks like I did,” Zoe said, staring into the middle distance.

“Well I, for one, congratulate you.” Fatih gave an exaggerated little bow. “And I offer you a warning. I just spoke with Arshay, and I’m afraid he’s lying to the both of us.”

Zoe blinked. “You mean you talked to him and concluded that your assumptions are correct.”

“Yes.”

She sighed and shook her head. So hesitant to believe the obvious truth in front of her! “Well, suppose you’re right. I guess we’ll just have to take the library and get moving quickly. But…” she glanced at the trapdoor, clearly uneasy. “There’s no reason to assume, Fatih. I think you’re just stressed out, like the rest of us.”

“Me, stressed out?” Fatih laughed at the thought and looked down at his hand. His uncut fingernails had specks of blood under them, mirrored by thin red crescent-marks in his palm.