Sharp sunlight burned into David’s eyes. He blinked the glare away, shading his face with his palm. He felt bile rush up his throat. The portal in Balek’s tower was different from Amareth’s. It left a fog in his head and made his eyes itch.

  Elisha stood still, like a mass of black mold. Chloe seemed untouched by the portal, but soon David saw the fading layer of essence covering her. She shrugged when she saw him staring. Zoey shivered and wrapped her arms around herself as though to ward off an invisible danger.

  The others suffered more. Gis retched violently, her body twitching as she heaved. Carlos folded into himself on the stone floor, his eyes closed tight. He murmured something David couldn’t understand.

  Their suffering lasted all the time it took for David to realize they were being watched.

  Marching footfalls speared through the murmurs of the small crowd that had gathered to watch them. Guards. They seeded through the people with practiced steps, leading with bare spearheads and drawn swords. Some of their shields carried the sigils of a lunging, terrifying beast.

  David pulled Carlos up. The man’s eyes turned saucers when he saw the guards. Gis had her daggers out, poised low for battle.

  Elisha and Zoey had recovered enough to glare at the soldiers. David gave Chloe what he hoped was a reassuring smile before walking forward to stand in front of his group. Traffic seemed to have slowed because of them. More people gathered. Vehicles that looked like carriages—but sleeker with polished wood, curved into artful structures, and pulled by different beasts--stopped behind the cluster of heads on both sides of the crowd.

  And the tower’s message finally appeared.

  Domain of the Ninth Watcher—Warden of the broken, Ishkar

  The Warden watches those in her domain!

  You have entered the stolen city of Balorn. Find your path out of the city. There are dangers, and those who want you dead are many.

  David scowled. There wasn’t much information. He’d expected Balek’s tower to be different, but this was getting tiresome. He raised his hands, watching the soldiers. They all wore kettle helms, which protected their heads but left their faces exposed. Their eyes stared past David, settling on Elisha with his mountain armor.

  Suddenly, the crowd parted, divided by the presence of a slim, sprightly woman. Her armor was of the same night black with gold trimmings. Her presence filled the street, flowing as she walked through the path of humans. Her eyes moved past David first, her cape brushing the ground behind her.

  When she stood at the front of the crowd and her soldiers, she looked back at David, eyes devoid of any warmth. She wasn’t threatening, but she seemed on the edge of it. Like a sword, still sheathed, but just as dangerous.

  She weighed David, then the rest of his group. Her eyes moved with cautious familiarity. As though this wasn’t the first time this had happened. “We will take you to Lord Riggins. You will face the Questioners. They will judge you. And if they find you wanting, you will be punished according to the Hand of Justice. Do you refuse?”

  Refuse and kill them all, Ignis suggested.

  “It will be wise to understand the land some more,” Aza said. “You have no idea what you are to do here. And if this is one of the stolen cities Dellon spoke about, they might be desperate to let you go.”

  “What is the Hand of Justice?” David asked. He could speculate what it was, but he wanted to know for sure before giving himself into her hands.

  The murmurs from the crowd intensified. David could see many of them scowling at him, frowning as if he were something rotten.

  “You are from far away, then,” The woman said. “You will learn it all in time. For now, follow.”

  She wheeled around, and the crowd split again. The soldiers surrounded them, weapons still drawn. A bald soldier cradled his helm under his left arm and gestured for them to move with his right.

  David hesitated. He couldn’t see much of the city through the crowd. Only the spires and smaller towers. In what looked like the center, he saw a high dome with a statue mounted on top.

  “Let’s go.”

  The walk was a long one. The woman led wordlessly atop a sleek beast. Its dense, brown fur seemed to shift as it moved its rippling muscles. It was as long as a horse, but where you’d find hoofs on a horse, this beast has paws. Its giant head swayed as it walked, bobbing the woman up and down.

  David took in the city as they walked.

  Balorn was a sprawl of wealth—the old and dying kind. The structures were magnificent. But their colors were waning, fading as if from age. The people were docile, excited only by the display of prisoners passing through. And even that didn’t seem to last.

  There was a weight on the city, flowing in the air.

  “What happened here?” David asked as they walked through a small bridge hanging over a slow-flowing stream. The water below was clear enough to see tiny, colorful marine life.

  “Silence,” the bald guard hissed, turning heavy eyes on David.

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  David nodded.

  They approached the domed structure. The statue at the top was a woman strangling a huge serpent with large hands. Her eyes were filled with rage. The soldiers whispered something as they passed what David guessed could only be a temple. The woman raised her left hand to air as if touching something with her middle finger, and placed it on her tongue.

  “Some kind of religious thing?” Carlos whispered. Gis shushed him before the bald man could.

  After the temple was another fenced structure. This one was not as tall, but a hive of buildings. All connected in a way David couldn’t understand. The buildings themselves were made from some kind of grey stone. The walls were smooth, curving, and seamless. Guards patrolled the grounds, most of them accompanied by beasts like the woman rode.

  She slid down off hers, kissed the side of its face, and tossed its reins to the bald man.

  “You are one of those forced to climb the tower?” She asked as she led them through a wide passage in one of the buildings. The interior was surprisingly spacious. “Forgive the rough treatment before. Many of your kind appear all over Balorn. We have started to hear people calling you messengers of Ishkar.”

  “Ishkar?” David asked, confused. “You worship Ishkar?”

  “Our Lady of Light, Ishkar,” The woman said, stopping to face David. The passage was empty except for them. Two guards stood behind them, sword sheathed. There was no hostility in them anymore, but David couldn’t relax. And with this new information, he was even more confused. Why would a Watcher act as a god?

  “You will learn more after you have met the Questioners.” She winced when she mentioned the name, trying not to look David in the eyes. “I warn you, do not try to hide your intentions. The Questioners will find your secrets. If you mean us no harm, then none shall find you. The Hand of Justice is heavy and cruel.”

  She spun on her heel and marched ahead. The passage curved into another wider administrative block. The silence here was oppressive, almost grave-like. The doors were plain brown, except for a circular marking that leaked something powerful but not carrying the same feel as essence.

  “What is that?” Elisha asked before David could.

  “Silence,” The woman whispered. David didn’t miss the tremble in her voice. He looked up, finding more markings above. She stopped in front of a large door and pushed the door apart. She gestured for them to go in.

  The first door led to a waiting area. A mustached guard stood in front of a small door. His kettle helm sat askew on his head as he dozed away. Above them, a strange lamp burned cold blue, giving the space a weird look. But David was focused on what he sensed on the other side of the door that the guard ought to be protecting.

  “Hadrien,” The woman called. Then she whacked the man in the head. Hadrien snapped into position, eyes still foggy. He blinked the sleep away to focus on the woman in front of him, then fresh dread washed over him.

  “Captain Iliana,” Hadrien began, but the woman stopped him before he could lie.

  “Are the Questioners available?” The Captain asked. Hadrien nodded, his eyes quietly pleading. Carlos chuckled behind and David heard Zoey whisper a warning.

  “Who?”

  “Fren, Polak, Cassin, and some of the Fifth Tier Questioners. None of the second and first are in.”

  “That is alright,” Iliana said, turning to face David. Her face was a mask of concern. Her eyes were intense, but it was the set of her lips that told David she was worried. “These are some of the youngest Questioners. They are intense, but you should be alright. I will wait here to take you. If you are found clean, you will meet Lord Riggins. If not, it will be another destination.”

  “What if we refuse?” David asked.

  Iliana’s frown deepened. “I hope you are wise enough not to,” she said, her gloved hands clasped in front of her. David nodded and saw the tension leave her face. “Hadrien will take you in.”

  The guard opened the door and stepped into the darkness on the other side.

  His eyes adjusted to the dim light. On the pillars flanking the middle path, David saw the marks. Here, they shone brighter. Clearer. A loop of concentric circles with lines branching out to form a veil over the face in the middle of it all. The face was abstract, made bold in the darkness. The silence was thick there, too. A sobbing pierced through it, but only briefly.

  “One of you go in here,” Hadrien said. No one moved. He was hard to see in the darkness, but David could tell he was annoyed. He walked forward, then took the path the man showed him. A door pulled open without a sound. David hesitated. The scent of deep incense was harsh. The dim interior was rife with white smoke. He looked back, but Hadrien was gone.

  Gis stood watching him.

  David took a deep breath and stepped through.

  It was a smaller room. He stood just past the door, staring into the deeper darkness. His sight was enhanced, but he could see nothing. Hand reached for him, holding him down before he could flinch. He heard no sound, not even his own.

  They led him forward, then left him. A sudden glare of blue light made him jump. It illuminated only him, blinding him even further.

  “They don’t use essence,” Vith said, amused. For the first time in so long, she sounded curious.

  “No,” Aza confirmed. “Perhaps that is because they are from a different realm?”

  “Who are you?” A voice cut through Vith’s response. The voice reached David from everywhere, as if the walls themselves were speaking.

  “David,” He said. My family and I are traveling through Balek’s tower.”

  “Who are you in service to?” The voice asked.

  “No one,” David said. Then he added, “My family.”

  “Who are you in service to?” The voice asked again.

  “No one.”

  “Who are you in service to?”

  The light flared, the colors changing from blue to moon-white. And with that change came the creeping sensation of ants walking beneath his skin.

  “Torture,” Aza said. His voice carried a cold horror in David’s head.

  “No one,” David growled. He thought about summoning his armor, but Ilinia’s worried voice echoed in his head.

  “Who do you serve?” The voice yelled.

  David groaned as the discomfort became a slow, building pain. He looked up at the light and flinched from it. The darkness became a thick fog. The itching became a burning. David stayed still, suffering silently.

  Kill them, Ignis growled.

  “I agree,” Vith said, but David heard the delight in her voice. She simply wanted to be entertained. He reined in his mounting rage.

  The fire spread all over him.