Page 81 of City of Stone and Silence

Spread across the dusty, cobwebbed floor are a few hundred people, everyone who’d escaped from the hospital and the mage-blood sanctuary. There are no sleeping mats, so they’ve just stretched out on the ground, or spread out their coats if they’re lucky enough to have them. It’s mostly dark, with a couple of lamps burning on a table at one end of the room, and a pair of hospital assistants carrying lanterns as they work.

At the table Hasaka and Jakibsa are sitting, listening intently to a young woman. It takes me a moment to recognize Giniva, the girl who’d I judged worthy of entering the sanctuary the day I met Garo, what feels like a hundred years ago. Garo, seeing her, quickens his steps, and I follow.

“—tried to make a stand at the main intersections,” she’s saying. “But they got pushed back pretty quickly. A few guardhouses might still be holding, but other than that they’ve fallen back to the walls.”

“Blessed help us,” Hasaka says, shaking his head. His burly frame is hunched over the table, tattooed arms crossed

“Blessed help them,” Jakibsa says, his eyes alight in the scarred ruin of his face.

“Tori’s awake,” Garo says. He holds out his hand to help me to the table. I settle on a spare cushion, and he sits beside me. “Good to see you made it back all right, Giniva.”

The girl gives him a quick, awkward nod. Her eyes are on me, and I have trouble meeting them. I feel guilty—for denying her sister a place, and for ignoring her afterward. Helping her settle in the sanctuary was a part of my duties, which I’d brushed off in favor of pursuing … whatever it is I have with Garo. She would have every right to hate me. But there’s no hate in her gaze, just wariness, as though she’s worried that I might kick her out even now.

“Giniva volunteered to go out and see what was happening,” Jakibsa explains.

“I’ve only been at the sanctuary a little while,” she says, looking down at the table. “If they had lists of people they’re looking for, I thought I might not be on them. And I … I wanted to be useful.”

“It was very brave,” Garo says. “Sorry to be late. Can you summarize?”

“It’s—”

“It’s chaos,” Hasaka cuts in. “Riots.”

“Only where the Ward Guard tried to make a stand,” Jakibsa says. “Right, Giniva?”

Giniva gives another jerky nod. “There were lots of people on the streets, but most of them were peaceful. The Ward Guard tried to disperse the crowd, but from what I heard the fighting ended pretty quickly. Someone said they have orders to fall back.”

“It’s standard procedure,” Hasaka says bitterly. “Kahnzoka was designed to prevent this kind of rising. That’s why we have the ward walls. All the guards have to do is close the gates and wait for things to burn themselves out.”

“Slow down,” I say. “What exactly is going on? Why are people fighting?”

Everyone looks at me, and Hasaka scratches his stubbled cheek.

“Sorry,” he says. “I forgot you’ve been out.”

“It’s Grandma,” Jakibsa says. “She had—has—a lot of friends.”

“And people in the Eleventh are angry about the draft,” Garo says. “It all seems to have boiled over.”

“And the Ward Guard have pulled out!” Jakibsa bangs his maimed hand on the table.

“For now,” Hasaka says. “Mark my words, they’re just waiting for daylight. If there’s still a mob abroad by then, it’ll be blood.”

“You seem very certain of that,” Garo comments.

“Used to be a guard,” Hasaka mutters. “Ten years. Until … well.” He glances at Jakibsa. “Grandma gave me a way out. But I’ve seen my share of ward risings, and it never ends well.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Garo says.

“Hide,” Hasaka says promptly. “Thanks to all this chaos, we have a window, but it won’t last. We can get in touch with Grandma’s friends, see who’s willing to take in some of our people. Split up, hunker down, and stay out of sight. Once the lockdown is lifted, maybe try to get out of the ward.”

“Finding space for everyone is going to be a tall order,” I say.

“I know,” Hasaka says. “But we have to try. The children, at least.”

“What about Grandma?” Jakibsa says. “And Kosura and the others?”

“You think I—” He cuts off, shaking his head. “There’s nothing we can do.”