Seol-ah Moyong walked to the wall, sat down cross-legged with her katana across her knees, and closed her eyes.
That was all. She didn't threaten anyone. She didn't need to. She just sat there, in the gold light from the high windows, breathing slowly, like a cat sitting outside a mousehole.
I turned my back on her. It was the hardest thing I'd done all day.
"Well," I said. "Here we are."
The four of us stood in a rough square on the white floor, a dozen paces apart. Across the chamber, the boys had begun—I could hear it, the deep slam of Jack's fire, the high clean ring of Lucifer's blade, and under it, Arthur, laughing. Of course he was laughing.
"We should agree on something first," Rose said. She was standing very easily, hands loose, blue petals drifting round her ankles. "Before it starts."
"Agree on what?" said Rachel.
I knew what. I'd been thinking it since the observation deck last night, where the four of us had sat in a row and not quite said it.
