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“It’s not necessary.”

She nodded stiffly. “I see.” Was she unhappy
with my answer? I thought she was, but she wasn’t easy to read.
“There are toilet facilities through there, if you need them,” she
said. “Other than that, you’ll not be permitted to leave this room
until I say. Understood?”

“Yes.”

“Only a few more hours, and you’ll never have
to deal with us again.”

It sounded too good to be true. I imagined us
on the yacht, sailing home, with half the sea between us and Adele.
I prayed she wasn’t setting me up for disappointment.

“And Misha? About the suicide
block…”

“What about it?”

“Units like Ayo are prone to
self-destruction.”

It was confirmation of my worst fears, and
yet, what else could I do? “I told him he could choose.”

“There are other options.”

“Like what?”

“The current block is…clumsy. You might say
it’s like swatting at a fly with a cannon. Given the circumstances,
and his fondness for you, it could be altered.”

“Altered how?”

“We can soften it. Make it more subtle.
Chances are, he wouldn’t even realize it was there unless he
actually attempted to end his own life. Even then, it’d have to be
a serious effort. But simple contemplation will only cause him to
become distracted.” She shrugged. The gesture seemed oddly
contrived on her. “It will allow him to feel we’ve given him what
he wanted, while still granting you peace of mind.”

Ayo wouldn’t actually be able to kill himself.
The knowledge was a tremendous relief, but it was tainted by a
twinge of guilt. Already, I was betraying his trust, not only lying
to him, but depending on the very chip I’d sworn to hate. Did the
fact that it would keep him alive justify it? It was a point Gideon
would have undoubtedly have enjoyed debating. I was glad he wasn’t
there to rub my face in my sudden lack of conviction.

“Yes,” I said to Adele. “Thank
you.”

She turned to go, and as she did, a new
question bubbled to the top of the turmoil in my brain. “Will he
still know how to swim?”

She stopped in the doorway and turned to to me
with obvious surprise. “Of course. That’s not part of the implant.
But why would that matter?”

I couldn’t give her an answer. I couldn’t
explain why, in my mind at least, it was the most important thing
of all.

Waiting was torture. The food they brought was
good — practically a feast — but nerves had turned my stomach to
knots, and I was barely able to swallow. There was wine too, but I
resisted the urge to drink it. I paced until I could stand it no
more. After that, I sat on the couch with my eyes closed, listening
to the rain patter on the roof, hoping desperately that after
today, I’d never have to set foot in this city again.

Eventually, Adele returned. I came instantly
to my feet.

Her smile seemed genuine, and yet it did
little to ease my distrust of her. It was the same smile Benedict
had worn when he’d jailed a dozen whores in order to sell them as
slaves. “Everything went perfectly.”

The relief was almost overwhelming. My knees
felt weak. “How is he?”

“He’s fine. Don’t be alarmed by his
appearance, and don’t be surprised if he sleeps for ten or twelve
hours. It’s a grueling procedure, and the sedatives take a while to
wear off. And you’ll want this.” She handed me folded piece of
paper. “It’s the paperwork proving that you’re his rightful owner.
I realize you don’t think of him that way, but anything stating
he’s been freed would undoubtedly be considered a forgery. This
will look more legitimate if you’re ever questioned.”

I took the paper. Touching it at all made me
feel dirty, but there was no point in arguing with her. “We can
leave now?”

“As promised.”

I was given a small jar of salve and told to
apply it twice a day until the wound on his head had healed, in
order to prevent it from becoming infected. Then I was taken to the
carriage. Ayo was already there, waiting for me, although he wasn’t
conscious. One of the goons was there too. “You’re not to look
out,” he told me.

As if I cared about the view through the
window at this point.

I went to Ayo and pulled him into my arms, as
the carriage began to move, pushing his unruly curls away from his
face. He was limp as a rag doll. His pale skin was ashen, so much
so that his normally soft lips seemed shrunken and gray. I might
have thought he was dead if I hadn’t been able to feel him
breathing.

The rain was still falling, rattling against
the roof of the carriage. The wheels splashed through puddles, and
the water rushing through the unseen gutters sounded like a small
river. It was so dark inside the carriage, I could barely see Ayo’s
pale face.

“Ayo?” I asked softly, touching his cheek. His
skin was cool to the touch, although sweat beaded his brow. I
swallowed, trying not to be alarmed. Trying to keep Adele’s
reassurances in my head. But holding him now, it was easy to
believe he was dying.

His eyelids quivered, his long lashes
fluttering wildly as he struggled to open his eyes.
“Misha?”

“I’m here,” I told him, holding him tighter
and kissing his forehead. “We’re going home now.”

He glanced around in alarm. His body strained
as he tried to sit up, but it was more than he could handle in his
weakened state. After only a moment, he gave up. He lay trembling
in my arms. “Is this real?”

“Yes. I promise.”

He sighed. His eyes closed, seemingly against
his will. He struggled to open them again, like a candle burning
out in its own pool of wax, flickering and sputtering to stay
alight. “I’m so tired.”

“Just rest.”

“You won’t leave me?”

“Not ever,” I said, kissing his brow. “I won’t
let you go.”

The flooding streets made for slow progress
back to my inn, but I was glad for it. I was glad he had time to
sleep, and I had time to brace for what was to come.

Part of me wanted to take him directly to the
yacht and leave tonight despite Adele’s warning, but he was too
weak. I’d never be able to get him up the Miredhel’s ladder. Not
only that, but I’ve have to reveal to the Dollhouse goon where we
were docked, and that bothered me. We’d return to the inn for one
more night, as Adele had advised. I intended to take Jenko’s advice
and leave in the middle of the night so as to avoid the worst of
the boat traffic, which meant we’d have a day to prepare for our
journey.

It would have been wonderful to believe we
were free, but I didn’t trust the Dollhouse. Adele had claimed
she’d gleaned all the info from us she could, and was therefore
willing to let Ayo go. While I had no doubt she’d found a buyer for
the information Ayo and I had unwillingly divulged, I was also
confident Adele had another agenda. She’d been far too interested
in whether or not we were returning to Davlova. She may have
thought she was being subtle, but she’d tipped her hand too much by
offering to arrange passage across the sea.

Whatever her game was, me taking Ayo to
Davlova was the first step. I hated to play along, but I had no
other options. I had no place else to go. Even if I’d known anybody
in any other city in the world, I had no way to get there. Jenko
had given me a brief navigational lesson on how to get from
Deliphine to Davlova. Faced with the wide open sea, it hardly
seemed enough to get us home. It certainly didn’t include detours
to any other cities. I could sail north or south along the coast,
searching for a port that seemed safe, but I knew nothing of life
on this continent. I barely knew enough to get by in Deliphine.
Once I left the city, I’d have no idea which way to go, which
currencies would be used, or which languages spoken.

Could I risk going to somebody for help? Not
counting Adele and the landlord at my inn, I only knew two people
in all of Deliphine. I discounted Gideon because of his ties to the
Dollhouse. That left Mama B.

I hoped trusting her wouldn’t be a
mistake.

We finally arrived at my inn. There was no way
Ayo could climb the stairs. The Dollhouse’s thug offered to help,
but I declined. The sooner he was gone, the better.

“What happened?” the innkeeper asked as I
carried Ayo through her door. “Should I call for a
doctor?”

“He’s just come from one,” I told her as I
headed for the stairs that led to my room. “He needs to sleep.
That’s all.”

She didn’t look reassured, and I couldn’t
blame her. Ayo appeared as good as dead.

Once inside my small room, I felt better. I’d
only been here a week, but it still felt like a haven compared to
the rest of Deliphine. I settled Ayo on the bed and tucked the
blankets around him. His eyes fluttered open, although he didn’t
seem to have the strength to keep them that way.

“Misha?”

“Yes?”

“I’m scared.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of.” It might
have been a lie, but it was what he needed to hear. I took his
hand, and he held onto me with a surprising amount of strength. He
struggled again to open his eyes. “Just rest.”

“He’s going to be so angry.”

“Who will?”

“Donato.”

I kissed his cheek and smoothed his forehead.
“Don’t worry about him.”

“If he finds us… He’ll kill us
both.”

“He’s gone. He’ll never hurt you
again.”

“I’m so afraid he’ll take you
away.”

“He won’t. I promise. It’s just you and me
now. Forever.”

He sighed, his pale brow furrowed, but it
seemed he was out of strength. He drifted back to sleep and I lay
there, holding him. I wanted to be happy. I wanted to feel
relieved. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until we were safely away
from Deliphine’s stinking ports.

Eventually, I slept as well.

***

When I woke the next morning, he was still
sound asleep. I sat at the wobbly table in my room with a piece of
paper and a nub of pencil and wrote down everything I could
remember about my ride to the Dollhouse. Still, Ayo slumbered on.
It wasn’t until I brought a tray of food in for him that he roused.
Even then, it seemed he could barely manage to open his eyes, but
he looked healthier already. His cheeks and lips had returned to
their natural color.

“Are you hungry?” I asked.

He sighed, and I thought he was asleep again,
but then he mumbled, “Tired.” His voice was thick with sleep and
muffled by the blankets.

“I have to go out for a bit. Will you be all
right?”

“A bit?” he murmured without moving. “Coming
back?”

“Of course.”

“S’all right.”

He was snoring softly again by the time I’d
gathered my cash and left the room.

I headed out into the plaza, searching for one
of Mama B’s boys in order to request an audience with her. I’d
debated long and hard about whether or not I could trust her before
coming to the conclusion that it didn’t matter. Either she knew
nothing of Ayo, in which case she might be willing to help me, or
she was in league with the Dollhouse. But even if she was, it meant
I was in no danger from her. Whatever game we were pawns in began
with us returning to Davlova. Even if Mama B were behind it all,
her first priority would be to see Ayo and me leave
Deliphine.

Half an hour later, I was escorted into her
palatial office.

“Misha,” Mama B said from her seat behind the
desk. “I didn’t expect you to be back here so soon.”

“Neither did I,” I confessed. “But it seems
the situation with my friend is about to resolved.”

“So, you’re heading back to
Davlova?”

“That’s my plan.”

“I see.” She leaned back in her seat, clearly
puzzled. “And what do you need from me?”

“For one thing, half the money I’ve acquired
is the wrong currency. I hoped you’d trade me for the coin we use
in Davlova.”

She nodded. “For a small fee.”

“Of course. I’ll have to trust that your
exchange rate is fair.”

“Fairer than you’ll get from anybody else in
the city. What else do you need?”

“I’d like to talk privately, if we
can.”

She watched me over the rim of her glasses,
debating for a moment. Then she nodded. “Have a seat,” she said to
me.

“Thank you.”

She waved her hand at the men standing on the
sides of the room, dismissing them. I waited until they were gone
before diving in.

“Did you hire the Dollhouse?” I’d already
decided that it probably didn’t matter one way or the other, but I
still wanted to know.

She was taken aback by my question. “The
Dollhouse? What in the world are you talking about?”

“Did you pay Adele for information? Or for a
new program for Ayo?”

She shook her head as surprise gave way to
annoyance. “You’re talking gibberish, kid. And if you’re accusing
me of something—”