So this is about her lackluster attitude!Nazirah makes another mental note to find a garden snake and put itin Bairs’s desk later tonight. “I never asked to be here, Niko!”she complains. “I don’t want any of this.”

Nikolaus circles his chair and stands beforeNazirah, leaning back on the desk. Up close, Nazirah can seeexactly how tired and strained he looks. When he speaks, theannoyance is gone, replaced by exhaustion.

“And what exactlydo you want,Irri?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” sheasks. “I want us to leave here, get away from all of this war andviolence! I want us to be a family again! You do have a sister who still lives, incase you’ve forgotten.”

Nikolaus’s face hardens, eyes darkening. IfNazirah wanted sympathy from him, she won’t get it now. “Of courseI haven’t forgotten!” he spits, slamming his fist on the desk.“Don’t be such a martyr! I’m doing all of this so that we will havea place to go home to! So that we will always have the sameopportunities as everyone else, will always have enough to eat! Soour children and our children’s children can finally be safe! AndI’m not just doing it for us. I’m doing it for every intermix, forevery territory-born in Renatus. And you want to – what? – run awayand let someone else fight your battles? Let someone else die foryou? Do you not understand what we’re trying to accomplishhere?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

That’s exactly what she meant. She’s ashamedto admit it to him and especially ashamed to admit it toherself.

“You need to start pulling your weight,”Nikolaus continues, on a roll. “I’ve had it up to here with yourmoping, piss-poor, woe-is-me attitude. Everyone in this damn placeis either an intermix or a refugee. You think you’re the onlyperson with problems? The only person who has suffered?

“You will start going to classes, every damnone! I don’t care how much you hate them! You will show an activeinterest in the rebellion and everything we aim to achieve, becauseyou are my sister. You’re a role model.”

Nazirah winces; he sounds exactly like Rivaand Kasimir. She is so tired of being everybody else’sdisappointment. “I’m terribly sorry if my mourning the death of ourfamily is belittling to your authority, Commander,” she says. “Youknow what? Screw your authority! Our parents wouldn’t have wantedthis!” Nazirah waves her arms at the room. “Our parents were alltalk, books, and ideas, and look where it got them! Dead … fuckingdead. And here we are, orphaned, practically sprinting into theexact same trap.”

“Nazirah, you’re wrong.”

“No, Niko!” she shouts. “We’re turning intoexactly what Riva and Kasimir never wanted us to become! They wouldroll over in their graves if they could see us now!”

“They weren’t buried –”

“It’s an expression, you ass!” she yells.“If they were here, they would tell us to get as far away from thiswar as possible! You know I want to avenge them as much as you do”– Niko’s eye twitches – “but our parents were fools to think theycould change anything in this world! And since we can’t, they wouldwant us to be safe!”

Nikolaus is quiet for a moment. And thengently, so incredibly gently she isn’t expecting it, he takes hershaking hands into his own. “Irri, look around,” he says. “There isno ‘safe’ anymore. Not for people like us. There never was, really.That’s why we need to keep fighting –that’s exactly what we’refighting for. Riva and Kasimir would be proud of us.” He continuesholding her hands, like he’s afraid she’s going to break. “Wecannot go back, Nazirah, do you understand? We can only goforward.”

Nazirah doesn’t want to believe him but, inher heart, she knows he’s right. Probably knew it all along. Shenods sadly, wanting to leave and crawl under her covers and staythere for good. She takes a small step towards the door, but Niko’sgrip on her tightens, preventing her from leaving.

“What is it?”

“I’m sorry to burden you with all this, butthere is still more that we need to discuss.”

His tone is different now, cautious andunsure. Nazirah looks at him warily because, of the many thingsNiko is, he is never hesitant. “Okay.…”

“I know our opinions often differ, and thatyou are not happy here or with my choice of what to do to protectthe remains of our family,” he says. “You have been through so muchin the past few months that I don’t want to trouble you withanything else, but I need you to do a favor for me.”

A favor?

“I can try and go to class more,” she says,hoping this is what he’s getting at. “But I’m not promisinganything long term.”

“It’s not that,” Nikolaus says, “but I wouldappreciate the effort.” His eyes dart towards the door, making sureit’s completely closed.

“Niko, you’re freaking me out.”

“Do you trust me?”

What kind of a question is that? He’s herbrother! She may not always agree with him, she may not even likehim half the time, but of course she trusts him.

“You know I do.”

“I can’t tell you much,” Nikolaus says.“We’ve had a request for an amnesty agreement and I need you to goto the Deathland prison to close the deal.”

Now Nazirah is really confused. Amnestyrequests are nothing new. In the four months she’s lived at thecompound, Nazirah has heard of several, although she doesn’t knowthe details of any of them. Amnesty agreements are official pardonsgranted by the rebels to various Renatus lowlifes and criminals, inexchange for crucial information about the government. Between itsstrongholds, the rebellion has illicit connections with severalprisons around the country, so it’s able to make these negotiationsunder the Medi radar. Many prisoners request amnesty, but most arerejected because their information is not valuable enough to meritit.

Amnesty pacts are highly classified. Theconditions of negotiation and information provided are known onlyto the commanders. Sending a mere recruit like Nazirah to go andconfirm the pact is unheard of. And in the Red West, no less! IsNiko giving her some sort of test?

“I don’t understand.”

“Look, Nazirah,” Niko says. “I know you’venever done anything like this before, and I know it’s a lot to ask,but I need you to do it for me. It’s an extremely important,time-sensitive matter. We’ve already negotiated the prisoner’sterms, and he’s agreed to ours. You don’t have to talk to him ifyou don’t want to. You don’t even have to look at him. All you haveto do is give him this.” Niko reaches into his pocket and holds upa small pendant. Nazirah recognizes it as the necklace every persongranted amnesty must wear. “Oh, and get him to sign his name,” Nikoadds as an afterthought. “That’s it, I promise.”

A million questions race through Nazirah’smind. Amnesty pacts are sacred to the rebels, and are not somethingentered into lightly. “Why me, Niko?” she asks. “Why can’t you go,or another Commander – or even Aldrik?”

“Because they don’t know about it,” Nikosays. “I haven’t told anyone else yet. Not until after the pact isofficially made. And I can’t go. Everyone knows who I am, andeveryone knows I’m a commander. I’m too noticeable, Irri. Peoplemay know your face because you are my sister and because of whathappened to our parents, but they won’t recognize you as easily.You’re small, smart, and can think on your feet.

“Listen to me carefully: this amnesty pactis what we need to tip the scales in our favor. What the prisoneris offering is invaluable. I need you to do this for me. You’re theonly one I trust to get it done.”

Nazirah remains skeptical, but Niko has apoint. And if this is what the rebels need to help them win thewar, and get Nazirah home faster, then so be it.

“Of course I’ll do it, Niko,” Nazirah says.“I still don’t understand, but I’ll do it if you really want meto.”

“Thank you.”

“Who’s it for?” she asks.

Nikolaus is silent then. He searches herface, eyes asking something she does not comprehend. Nazirah hasthe sinking feeling that something is about to happen, somethingimportant. Something, something, something … but she cannot beginto imagine what it is.