Around midnight, Gavriel carried a very drunk Malou on his back to her mother’s flat while she ranted about her older cousin and Vice-Premier Casals. He wondered how much she’d rant about him if she knew she was the only one really drinking in that pub tonight. Though honestly, not one of them would’ve known she wasn’t one of them in her all-black outfit.

Almost everyone there was a Libertine so they could cover each other if anyone’s absence was noticed in the dormitories past curfew. Ace was having everyone meet for training daily—half of the members in the morning, half at night—because, she’d said, we absolutely must be more careful than ever before.

Not only did meeting more often seem like being less careful to him, but the cover story wouldn’t hold up to questioning. And it wouldn’t work with Malou when she already knew he’d left tonight free for their study group. Not that he’d forced her to get drunk and not that he couldn’t blame her for wanting to get wasted after having to deal with the Valois family.

Using that to tuck her away safely for the night not knowing he would sneak off to attend a Libertines meeting was still an asshole move though, even if he’d only had about thirty minutes to think of something.

“Can you grab your silver?” he asked Malou as he approached the door to her flat.

From his back, she grumbled, “Laure, give Gavriel access to the flat.”

Convenient, that secretary her father had programmed with her. Malou had never given him outright access when helping her home before, but maybe she was drunker than he thought.

When he got to her door, he balanced her weight forward so he could reach for his own pocketed silver, then unlocked the door and carried her to her room. He put his back to the bed, then lowered until she was sitting on it. A trick he’d learned the first time she got drunk.

“Why’d you let me drink so much?” she said with a groan, clumsily removing her greatcoat like a petulant kid. “I’ve never felt this fucked up before. Like it’s real bad right now.”

Definitely drunker than he’d thought. She hardly swore.

“You’re the one who kept winning more drinks,” he said, trying not to laugh as he kneeled in front of her. He did feel a bit guilty for not stopping her, but he’d make it up to her somehow for the hangover at least. Cake wouldn’t be enough though.

“Senna kept cheating…”

He chuckled this time and tugged off her boots one at a time. “Didn’t your father teach us to have patience?”

Finally, with her arms out of her greatcoat, she flopped onto her back. “I’m tired of having patience,” she said, running her hands over her face. “Had patience with my mother and now she’s left for another region without me.”

Another region? When Ace announced Leonore had resigned from her position on campus, he hadn’t realized that meant she was leaving campus as well until Malou had told him. He wasn’t surprised by any of it.

“You could’ve gone with her,” he said, sitting beside her. Maybe Malou would’ve been safer with Leonore, especially with the attack they were planning for when the Gendarmerie showed up here to search for them. But going with her mother was probably never an option in Malou’s mind. She was too stubborn, for starters.

She shook her head. “Only if you were coming with us. And she didn’t seem inclined to include you. Of course, I couldn’t go with her.”

“Do you think I need her permission?” he asked. Leonore knew as well as Zeynel what he’d promised Lavrras in accepting his sponsorship all those years ago. There was no need to include him in her plan. He’d go where Malou was going. No questions asked. “I would’ve just followed you anyway. Unless you didn’t want me to.”

“Why wouldn’t I want you to? Don’t be stupid.” She sighed to the ceiling, her eyes watery though Gavriel didn’t know why. “Could you stay with me for the week? Just until I’m assigned a room somewhere. I don’t want to be here alone anymore if I don’t have to be.”

She would’ve never said that sober. No—she would’ve waved him off like everything was fine and he would’ve accepted the distance because it made keeping his secrets from her easier. Staying here with her would make it more difficult to sneak around, but it was impossible to say no to her with that look on her face. He’d make it work somehow.

He moved to his feet and pulled open the covers at the head of her bed. “Yeah, I’ll stay. Come get in bed.”

“Promise?” she asked, taking his offered hand to help herself up only to plop down again near her pillow then lay down.

“Promise.” All these promises he kept making all while knowing he’d break them.

As he pulled the covers over her and took his seat again on her bedside, she curled onto her side and watched his face closely.

Quietly, she said, “Thank you.”

Now he didn’t have the heart to head to the meeting as he should. So instead, he stayed beside her until she drifted to sleep. Then he stayed a little longer to grab her a glass of water and a snack, some anti-inflammatory pills for the oncoming headache. The last thing he did before leaving was sliding a spare hair tie from his wrist and onto hers in case she needed to relieve the contents of her stomach later. Hopefully, he’d make it back before that happened.

After that, Gavriel left Lussier Hall the way he came, navigating back to Alloula College even though he preferred to stay with Malou. Honestly, holding back her hair sounded better than yet another Libertines meeting.

He missed the time before Ace joined three years ago and decided it was her responsibility to launch an investigation into every absence as though she’d ever find a traitor that way. Before, he’d just kept the same routine as Lavrras. He showed up often enough that he wasn’t forgotten and stayed just long enough to find out what he’d missed.

Lavrras barely had participated in any Libertines activities once he’d sponsored Gavriel. Every so often, he’d send Gavriel to deliver notes to different members. Less frequently, Lavrras would visit when a new group began martial arts training to supervise. He cared for the work far less than Leonore did. Gavriel probably cared for it even less.

Yet here he was, back in the library and heading straight for the pub even though he’d rather watch his best friend empty the contents of her stomach into a porcelain bowl. Then he passed right by its pretend drunken commotion and walked into the damp musk of Tousieux’s cold underground tunnel system with a rodona light in hand even though he wanted to just turn around.

Unfortunately, Viggo was waiting for him at the near edge of the yawning darkness.

“Took you long fucking enough,” Viggo said, his smiling face a show of angled shadows as he reached for the extra mask tied to one of his breech’s belt loops. His black cat mask was pulled to the side of his face. “Senna went ahead to let Ace know we’d be a little late. Figured if it was him covering for us, Syn wouldn’t let her try anything.”

Gavriel caught the mask when Viggo tossed it over. A fox mask, similar to his usual. He pulled it over his face, pocketed his rodona, and gestured to Viggo to lead the way through the tunnels. “Let’s go then.”

Maybe if he was lucky, he could pop in for five or ten minutes. Then he could grab an overnight bag and pretend that was all he’d left the flat to do. That wouldn’t be breaking his promise, right?

“You sure look a little pissed off.” Viggo chuckled. “She that bad? Maybe the hashish was too much? Just figured that if my grandpa died, I’d want a night to forget about the world. I can take the blame for that.”

Gavriel sighed off another wave of guilt. “She’ll be fine.”

“Did she say anything about her mom leaving?”

“Not really,” Gavriel said. If anyone else was asking, he wouldn’t have shared a single thing about Malou. “Just that her mom wanted her to leave, too.”

“I guess she said no?”

That didn’t mean he wouldn’t choose a little deflection, though. “What would you have said?”

“If I knew what I do, I’d have stayed to fight still,” Viggo said. This was what made him different than the other Libertines. He knew what he was getting himself into because he’d been fighting on the streets up until he got here. “But she doesn’t know anything, so what reason would she have to stay?”

“The Teir,” Gavriel said.

Viggo snorted. “You two and that mythical device.”

Before Gavriel could correct him, they met the first watcher. The set-up wasn’t bad—just not sustainable given their numbers on campus. A system of check-ins to make sure no one who wasn’t supposed to be there showed up. Kids wearing various animal masks to hide their identity waited in the shadowed dark of every third corner.

“Name?” the watchers all asked.

“Ender,” Viggo answered.

“Suisang,” Gavriel provided. “Yours?”

They all gave their Libertine names in return. The first watcher had only just joined. The second was more dedicated than him. The third was way too cheerful for what was going to happen in a few days. None of them probably really knew what would happen. Probably never seen a dead body. Probably never killed before. They were just kids who needed a place to fit in.

They traveled further and further beneath Tousieux until they reached a metal door to another bunker guarded by a masked Libertine. They gave a knock after exchanging names, and the door opened on rusty hinges from the other side.

Inside, all the more junior members were in pairs facing each other and armed. Some with what looked like Rielhan daggers, probably smuggled over by Syn and Ace, while others had Bieledener automatic bows and arrows thanks to a generous donation by Cassian and the family business. The rest had an assortment of rapiers that looked Caseillais and clubs that were probably from Drondaal—probably all stolen.

At the front, Ace watched over their clumsy movements with a cold gaze in her half-mask of a rabbit. Next to her, Syn and Senna in their bird masks were having a quiet conversation, their backs to Ace as they exchanged whispers. That was until Syn noticed Gavriel and Viggo enter. He gestured them to the front.

Gavriel never could just show face and leave, could he? He didn’t even see himself as a Libertine. Or at least he knew he wasn’t a Libertine like the rest of them. He hadn’t joined for the cause. He’d just chosen the wrong day to follow his older brother down the sketchiest backstreets of Meininsing and got roped into joining with him. They were looking for kids their age—clever kids with street smarts and a chip on their shoulders.

While Cassian was set to expand their family business with the help of the Libertines, Gavriel was approached with a different type of opportunity. One that meant becoming duty-bound to Lavrras Lamaire, one of their leaders. Lavrras offered a sponsorship in exchange for befriending and protecting his daughter. Gave Gavriel room and board. Sent him to the best schools in Nuyere. Trained him alongside her in everything he knew.

When Lavrras died, Gavriel figured that it was over, he wasn’t a Libertine anymore, he’d return home and use what he’d learned to help the business with Cassian. Then Zeynel conned him into staying, being his spy.

“Glad you could make it,” Ace said as they approached. Her tone communicated something more like disdain, though. The feeling was mutual.

“I’m sure they’re relieved to hear that,” Syn said. “We can’t agree on a strategy. You two have some experience, right? Don’t you think surprise will be on our side, here?”

“They already know we’re here,” Ace said, keeping her focus on the junior members. “What surprise? The only surprise we could give them is if we weren’t here at all, which is why all we need to do is stay here. Let them search. If they find us, then we’ll defend ourselves. If they don’t find us, then we’ve given ourselves cover here for even longer.”

“How does that even make sense?” Syn asked. “If they find us here, we have no way of escaping. It’d be better for us to make the first move. If it goes bad, we scatter. We know this campus better than anyone else. That’ll keep more of us out of the hands of the Gendarmerie and on campus to continue our work here.”

“Maybe. But it’ll also give them an opportunity to say we attacked Tousieux.”

“Who cares? Let them think we did it.”

“So you two will be here?” Gavriel asked. The likelihood either would be here when the Gendarmerie came was low. There was no us or we or our that included them. That was the real reason they’d asked Gavriel and Viggo to join their little debate.

“I’ll be here,” Syn said, an edge to his voice that made it sound like that was the obvious answer. Then he gestured with way too much flourish to Ace. “Our little leader here won’t be, though.”

“I’ve been called to do other work,” she said. She hadn’t looked in their direction once. “Don’t make it sound like I had a choice.”

Syn chuckled dryly. “Wow, I said three words and you get all defensive. So sorry. Please forgive me. I must’ve caused you great harm. Still doesn’t mean trapping ourselves in a bunker is an actual strategy. We have a reputation to uphold, after all. We don’t get caught.”

Ace didn’t respond, putting her hands on her hips as her gaze studied the juniors. “What about Muse? Leo told us to make sure she was out of harm’s way. Attacking the Gendarmerie will only escalate the violence and put her in danger.”

Muse was Malou’s codename in the Libertines. Her father had chosen it. Viggo and Syn both glanced at Gavriel. Viggo because he knew that Gavriel considered his entire job as a Libertine to be ensuring her safety. Syn probably because he knew about the sponsorship given his seeming position of authority.

“It’s not like we know when they’ll attack,” Ace continued, then sighed. Leonore must not have told Ace then, which meant she wasn’t as trusted as she thought. “Since you’re all so much better at strategizing than me, why don’t you figure out how we’re supposed to keep her safe?”

“Consider it done,” Gavriel said. Maybe this was his way out of these meetings. “You’re right that the Gendarmerie could attack any time so that just means I’ll have to follow her around everywhere. I can even leave now.”

“What makes you qualified?” Ace asked. How many times he’d asked that question to himself about Ace. “And what makes you qualified to do it alone?”

“He’s plenty qualified,” Viggo said with a chuckle. “He’s Lae’s brother. They’ll be fine.”

“And Muse can defend herself,” Syn said, and if he knew that, Ace should as well. Did Leonore not tell Ace anything or did she just not listen if it wasn’t relevant to her?

Ace finally looked over her shoulder at them. “Can she?”

“Can you?” Gavriel asked. Maybe she’d kick him out of the meeting. Even better if he was booted from the Libertines altogether.

Her fingers on her hips were stiff, almost clawed. Then she raised them to cup her mouth and shouted to the junior members, “Take a break. Grab some water. While you rest up, I’ll give you a little demonstration of what to do if a Gendarme tries to cuff you.”

“So we’ll go with my strategy,” Syn said quietly while the juniors shuffled around following Ace’s instructions. “We can lend the daggers out, hide the rest of the weapons in the tunnels. When the Gendarmerie arrives, we’ll be ready for them wherever we are. Suisang will keep Muse clear the fuck away from it all. Got it? Pass the word.”

They nodded.

“This manoeuvre is simple,” Ace started. The juniors were just finished gathering, sitting in a half-circle in front of her, and she seemed to liven under the attention. “The point is to use their body against them, so you destabilize them first and then throw them to the ground. I need a volunteer.”

Plenty of hands raised. Some even looked eager. Instead, Ace turned to point at Gavriel.

“Since Suisang was the last to join us,” she said, “why don’t you help me out?”

“I’d been called to other work,” he repeated her words, taking off his greatcoat for greater mobility. Viggo took it from him. Now to decide whether to humor her. Wasn’t he being nice enough?

“You finished it quickly then,” Ace said, voice tight. She probably hated not knowing what he’d been doing—or if he was even lying about it.

He stopped ten paces from her. Malou was on the taller side, but Ace was a full hand shorter than her and all awkward, stilted movements. From what he’d been able to observe over the last three years, Ace tended to rush into things when she should observe first. That probably was true of her fighting as well.

“I didn’t get to finish,” he said. “Where would you like me?”

“There is just fine. You’ll be the Gendarme. All I need you to do is try to arrest me. I’m sure you know what that looks like?” She turned away from Gavriel to talk to the junior members. Maybe she did know he was Cassian’s brother. “I’m not going to use a weapon because you don’t need one to do this. Watch what I do.”

When Ace faced him again, she shifted into a fighting stance that looked Drondaalian or Norvallan—northern in general. Given her hint, she was probably hoping to pull a wrestling move on him. A standard heel-hook. She’d try to grab him, then trip and throw him as he fell.

Ace continued talking to the juniors although she was facing Gavriel now, “Remember, to arrest you, they have to cuff you. The cuffs are designed to attach to your brain stem and control you completely. You never want to let them see your back. Better to see theirs while they’re groaning on the floor.”

When she gestured that she was ready for him, Gavriel approached her with the measured, confident gait of a seasoned Gendarme since there was no way they were sending rookies to fight against the Libertines. “So I’m arresting you?” he clarified. “Are we pretending I have cuffs?”

“Yes,” she said, taking a step back, “but I won’t let you arrest me.”

Except the Gendarmerie incapacitated people first and restrained them second—especially if they were known for violence like the Libertines. She probably expected him to just go along with her instructions. All this because she must've wanted to just see him on the floor. Where was the fun in that?

The moment he was an arms-length away, her hands dove for his belt. He’d only have to grab her hand before she got his belt, but he didn’t. Someone had to demonstrate the move properly, so he swung himself out of the heel-hook and used one on her. He caught her by the ankle with his foot from behind and swept it backward, and if she were half as good as she thought, she'd have caught herself before falling. Instead, her forward momentum allowed him to throw her aside as if she were nothing.

She almost landed face-first into the dusty floor but managed to catch herself with her hands and knees.

“The Gendarmerie will never just arrest you,” Gavriel said, addressing the juniors because they needed to hear the truth. “Especially not if you’re wearing one of these masks. They'll fight back until you're bleeding at their feet before they cuff you. They might even try to kill you in fear for their own lives. That’s why you have to fight harder for yours.”

Once Ace was on her feet, she growled, “Demonstration is over.”

Groans accompanied the low shush of whispering as the junior members got up. They probably had no idea what she wanted them to practice. These little details were what made her seem suspicious to him. These last three years, rather than proving her worth, she had only sought to see how far she could crawl up Leonore’s ass. Between the two of them, she was the one more likely to be a spy.

“And you,” Ace said, voice low. Gavriel didn’t need to see her face to know what her expression looked like as she addressed him, “You’re dismissed.”

The only words he’d ever wanted to hear from her. He grabbed his coat from Viggo and left to pack a bag.