Chapter Eighteen

Bastian catches Lore and Gabriel near the vaults before Lore can invent an excuse. Gabriel instinctively puts a dagger to Bastian's throat, but Bastian remains calm, reveals he personally followed them, and implies he has already removed the nearby guard as an obstacle. Instead of turning them in, Bastian offers to get them into the vaults after a detour, making clear he knows they are spying for August and Anton.

Lore and Gabriel follow because refusing would likely expose them. Bastian leads them out through the Citadel gardens and toward a hidden culvert in the wall, promising access to the vaults in exchange for learning what August wants. Gabriel mistrusts Bastian's motives, while Lore weighs the danger of delay against the greater risk of asking Anton for help and revealing that something may have gone wrong with the reanimated child.

The three crawl through a wet storm drain and emerge near the docks, in a street Lore recognizes from her days running poison. Bastian gives Lore and Gabriel masks and wraps his own hands, revealing that his detour is an illegal fighting ring. Lore realizes Bastian may know more about her past than he should, and she worries someone from her old life will recognize her despite the mask and fine clothing.

At the masked dockside ring, Bastian enters as a fighter. Lore and Gabriel try to stay unnoticed, but Lore sees Bastian's opponent is Michal, a man from her past who knows her as the girl from the market square and the necromancer who raised Horse. Lore hides her reaction too late: Bastian watches her closely and recognizes that Michal matters to her.

Bastian fights Michal with practiced ease, then deliberately looks back at Lore and mouths that he has caught her before allowing Michal's punch to knock him down. Michal recognizes Lore and calls her name in shock. As the crowd surges around Michal, Bastian reappears beside Lore, bleeding but satisfied, calls Michal an old friend, and drags Lore away into the dark while Gabriel is trapped behind the crowd.