Chapter Nineteen

After Michal recognizes Lore at the fighting ring, Bastian drags Lore into an alley and demands answers. Lore tries to reach for Mortem as her only defense, but Bastian's grip seems to repel it; Lore senses a hot spark colliding with the familiar cold of death, and suddenly Lore cannot channel or see Mortem at all.

Bastian corners Lore and reveals that he already knows Lore was the poison runner who raised the dead horse. Lore admits August brought Lore to court to spy on Bastian because August suspects Bastian of working with Kirythea. Bastian also forces Lore to explain the larger mission: August and Anton want Lore to raise the dead villagers and discover who destroyed the Mortem-blighted villages.

Bastian explains that he uses the underground fights to listen and learn what the Citadel hides from him, including rumors about the villages, taxation, and Lore. Before Bastian can force Lore to reveal the source of her Mortem power, two men arrive to collect his unpaid betting losses. Bastian initially tries to talk his way out and steps between the men and Lore, but a fight breaks out.

During the struggle, Lore thinks she sees a faint gold shimmer around Bastian's hands, though she is not sure whether fear distorts her vision. Milo, the larger enforcer, knocks Lore down and holds a knife to Lore's neck. Bastian chooses to save Lore instead of letting the attack solve his problem, revealing his signet and declaring himself the Sun Prince of Auverraine to force the men to release Lore.

After threatening the men into silence, Bastian helps Lore stand and returns to the unanswered question: how Lore became so powerful with Mortem. Because Bastian has saved Lore and because Lore senses he will know if Lore lies, Lore finally tells the truth. Lore says she was born in the catacombs to one of the Night Sisters, in what remains of the Buried Watch.