Carmen froze mid-step as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Her eyes went narrow. There was nothing awry in her domain. The tall, carefully kept hedges that rose around her in a maze that she’d wandered a thousand times didn’t seem to hold any more magic in them that was normal.

But a mage who relied entirely on their Domain was no better than a warrior who could not fight without a blade in their hands. Her head tilted to the side. Then she turned, looking straight into one of the walls of hedge.

“No,” Carmen said.

The hedge rustled. Aylin emerged from within it, leaves protruding from his hair and dirt smeared across his face like he’d taken a tumble down the side of a mountain. The thick layer of grime covering him was a terrifyingly effective camouflage. It may have looked entirely like he’d tripped, but there wasn’t a single coincidentally placed leaf upon him. Every single speck of dirt was intentional.

The plucked leaves were arranged in such a way that he’d blended nearly perfectly into the surrounding hedge — and his soul was shaped in such a way that even Carmen had completely missed its presence.

If it hadn’t been for the mark she’d placed upon every single one of the demons the day she’d brought them here, she might have actually missed him. Carmen bit back her surprise. For someone who hadn’t even known how to disguise himself just a few short weeks ago, this level of progress was borderline ridiculous. Carmen hadn’t even told Aylin a single thing beyond a few offhand pointers.

Just how quick of a study is he?

“Damn it,” Aylin said. “How did you sense me? I could have sworn I should have been functionally invisible. My soul was sealed. I wasn’t moving. I should have been perfectly still. So what gave me away?”

“You smell,” Carmen lied.

“No, I don’t,” Aylin replied. “Not of anything but earth, at least. I studied the scent of this shrub. I match it perfectly.”

Carmen wasn’t sure if she was more impressed or annoyed. These demon brats of Noah’s had proven to be far more of a challenge than she’d been expecting. She’d originally just planned to stick them into her estate and let them sit for a little while until Noah came back.

But that never happened.

She’d been under the impression that the man had been such a cockroach that no enemy would have been able to take him down, but it seemed that he’d actually met his match. It had been months.

Her and Alice’s plan was functionally ruined, now. There was only so long they could excuse their repeated absences to the Apostles. It was a matter of time before one of them started sniffing around too closely.

And when they did…

Carmen repressed a grimace. This was bad. It had been bad for weeks. The smart move would have been to do what Alice had. Set the kids free in the world, wipe her hands clean, and say she’d done her part.

And that wouldn’t have even been untrue. Babying fledgling mages did nothing but ruin their potential, and Carmen didn’t have the time to be a real teacher even if she wanted to. But letting these kids out now…

She just couldn’t do it. There were too many people hunting for them. Too many factions that wanted a piece of what had happened in Arbalest. And even if Noah was gone, even if the man had been a cockroach, he had been one hell of a warrior.

I can’t dishonor him like that. I will keep the children here. For as long as I can, I will protect them. I cannot lie to myself and say that I am doing it for any reason beyond my own selfish desires. But they are incapable of survival in the state they currently exist in.

They must be hardened.

“Come on,” Aylin said. He watched Carmen through narrowed eyes. “You’re hiding something. You said you’d let us free if we figured out how to hide from you, but you’ve got to be cheating somehow. I can’t think of a logical reason how you could have detected my presence.”

Carmen simply shrugged. “The only thing you can blame is your own inability. Perhaps your time would be better spent with Silvertide and Tyler. They have taken up residence in the center of the garden. And, I believe, they are drinking tea.”

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Aylin’s hands clenched at his sides. “You can’t keep us here forever. We’re going to find a way out. It’s been months! Don’t you realize what Noah is going to do once he realizes you’ve just been keeping us prisoner?”

He is not coming.

“Nothing,” Carmen replied. “Because you are incapable of defending yourself. You would get yourself killed. If you cannot even conceal yourself from me, a Rank 6, then how will you face the Rank 7s that exist in the factions that no doubt search for traces of Arbalest in hopes of squeezing some final scraps of power from it? Were Noah here, he would not wish you to go free either. Or would you prefer that Torrick and Edda die?”

“They would be better off here,” Aylin admitted reluctantly. “They’re too young. But—”

“You may leave when you are capable of doing so,” Carmen said. She shook her head. “I would have said you’re ten years from getting past my senses, but you’ve been improving at an incredible rate. You might actually prove that you’re strong enough to leave within a year.”

“A year… that’s too long.” Aylin shook his head. “It’s not happening. I’m leaving before then. We all are.”

Carmen blew out a sigh. “It isn’t happening. Do not push my generosity. You have no idea what is at stake, and least among it are your lives. Even if you were strong enough for me to feel that you can be released, I would split you into smaller groups. You could not travel as one for several more months. It would be too easy to locate you.”

“We could shape our souls.”

“You would be found. Nobody can keep their soul shaped forever, and it cannot be done while you sleep.” Carmen shook her head. “I will not waste all the time I invested into you. Into all of you. You’re smarter than this, Aylin. Now step aside. I matters I need to attend to.”

Carmen started to step past him, but she paused midway through the motion as a faint alarm bell rang in the back of her mind. Something was wrong.

Aylin was smiling.

That was odd. He never smiled. Not, at least, at her.

“Aylin?” Aylin asked. “Are you sure?”

Carmen’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, am I…”

And then she trailed off.

Aylin was melting. His skin warped and turned gray, sloughing away from his body in thick rivers.

“Technically speaking,” Aylin’s voice came from behind Carmen, “today is in the scope of a year. So you were right. I will, in fact, be leaving within a year.”

Carmen spun.

Standing behind her, cleanly bathed and without a single speck of dirt upon him, was Aylin. His lips were curled into a sly smile — and Carmen couldn’t sense him in the slightest. His soul was shaped so her domain passed right over it. His breathing was perfectly measured… and the mark that she’d placed upon him was gone.

Disbelief exploded within Carmen. Her head snapped back to the Aylin she’d been speaking with a moment before.

In his place stood Sticky. Her long hair hung nearly all the way down to the ground beside her and an eager, sheepish grin was plastered across her features as she waved shyly to Carmen.

Carmen’s eyes went wide.

There were two marks on Sticky. The one that she’d placed on the demon herself… and Aylin’s mark.

Impossible. He transferred the mark to her? How? That would have required him to not just understand my magic, but also have a method to completely recreate it!

“Did I do it?” Sticky asked. “Did you think I was Aylin? You thought I was Aylin!”

“She most certainly did,” Aylin said, adjusting the suit he wore. Carmen had clothes made for all of the demons so they wouldn’t be running around in rags after the many sparring matches they’d held — but now, given the expression on Aylin’s face, she was slightly regretting her decisions.

It was so much easier to look smug when one was wearing a fancy suit.

“How?” Carmen asked. Her mouth felt dry. This was impossible. She could accept Noah pulling a trick over her. But these were children. Literal children.

How could they have possibly managed to transfer my mark? And what in the world was that magic Sticky used? Was it the same one Noah uses to create his clones? It was uncanny.

“Well, I acted really hard,” Sticky said, scratching her chin. “We did lots of practice! Then I wove myself into an Aylin. I realized, if I sound really confident about what I’m talking about, everyone thinks it’s true! Bullshit baffling!”

Carmen stared at her.

“I heard Noah say it once,” Aylin said. “If you can’t stun someone with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullshit. Not exactly applicable to this situation, but we’ll get there. Now… I do believe you completely missed my presence. Sticky’s too. Or am I wrong?”

“I… no. You aren’t,” Carmen muttered. She swallowed. “How did you do that?”

“Don’t think that was part of the deal,” Aylin said with a wicked grin. “You’ve been an enormous help, Carmen. We appreciate all you’ve done for us. Truly. But I follow Spider. There’s only so long I can sit around and remain stagnant.”

“Stagnant?” Carmen exclaimed. “You call this stagnant?”

“Only in death is power forged,” Aylin said. Then he scratched the side of his neck. “Or something like that. I need to make it sound cooler. I’m working on a catchphrase. Either way, we can’t stay here forever.”

Carmen stared at them for a long second. There were a lot of possibilities that she’d considered. This hadn’t been one of them. No part of her had ever actually expected Aylin and Sticky would have actually been able to trick her. The challenge had been rigged.

But Carmen did not go back on her word.

“I will hold my promise. If you wish to leave… you can leave. But you will be separated from the others. Are you certain of this?”

“Yes,” Aylin said. “Besides, half of them are already gone.”

“Very well. I — wait.” Carmen froze on the spot. “What did you just say?”