---
"John must arrive alive. Break his arms if needed, but do not damage his mind. I want the weapon designs before he dies."
The butler lowered his voice.
"And Ned White?"
Fartray smiled.
"He will watch."
The butler's expression showed that he did not trust Ned.
Fartray noticed.
"Do not worry. He hates John more than we do."
The butler did not say what he was thinking.
People who shared an enemy did not always become friends.
Sometimes they only waited for each other to bleed first.
Fartray leaned over the map.
"Prepare everything. We move when the false message is ready."
Far away, inside the White guest residence, Ned stood alone before a mirror.
The bruise on his jaw was fading, but he could still feel John's fist.
He remembered the courtyard. He remembered the laughter. He remembered John pressing his face into the ground.
Ned placed one hand against the mirror.
White light spread beneath his fingers.
The glass cracked.
