Cazadia meandered forward, hands clasped behind her dark blue silk uniform, the split hem of which floating with every step.

"Are you going to talk now? Or shall we wait until Soleus is done with that other Karman to – ooh, he's done already."

Seiren's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't move her head. If she strained, she could possibly trick herself her toes curled, just a little. Desperate eyes darted up at Ravin, who smiled apologetically at her.

"I couldn't figure out how you got over Saraphes's venom so easily, but she has multiple sacs, so... you'll be fully paralysed until I give you anti-venom—"

"Stop spilling your secret to everyone, you mouthy cretin!" Cazadia snapped, swiping at his shoulder. Ravin almost fell forward from the impact. Rubbing his arm, he shot her a grudging look and averted his eyes when she glared back. "Go get the other Karman."

"Where's Soleus?"

Cazadia jerked her head. Seiren strained her neck, forcing the sluggish, half-paralysed muscles to comply. She couldn't see Soleus, but his chunky daemon lumbered into the distance. Furious hisses and the sounds of heavy rampaging monsters striking stone echoed all around, reminding Seiren of the battle of the beasts when Acrise was last breached by sky and land demons. The silent statues watched with judgement. Magus must be engaged in battle with Fautos – and Fautos was about to get reinforcement.

Ravin dragged Madeleine back with great difficulty. Seiren didn't have the strength to turn her head back to see her sister, but the sound of Madeleine gurgling and grunting in pain broke her heart. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes. Magus had warned them; the Daemonium were in a league of their own. Seiren strained against her own unresponsive body. Ravin's venom worked well into her bones; even her eyelids opened and closed at the speed of cold sap trickling down a tree.

"Burns through your veins, doesn't it?" Cazadia said to Madeleine with an infuriating giggle. "Maroni's venom is second to none. You'll be wishing you were dead by the end of this, Karman."

With the tip of her shoe, Cazadia turned Seiren with a not-too-gentle nudge of Seiren's cheek. Seiren stopped breathing.

Madeleine's cheeks and lips were swollen, her neck puffy, her skin scarlet. Tears streaked down her face, mixing with snot and saliva, pooling where her head met the ground. One of her plaits had been ripped off; the other lay curled above her, the ties coming undone. The plain robe she'd worn was ripped, showing lacerated skin that oozed with a clear liquid. Her muscles clenched and unclenched, making her arch her back and then curl up at irregular intervals, accompanied by strained cries squeezed through a narrowed airway. Her legs kicked out, her calves spasming with every movement.

"Madeleine," Seiren whispered hoarsely.

"Your friend looks pretty done for, doesn't she?"

"Twins," said Ravin in a small voice.

"What? Stop mumbling, pipsqueak."

"They're twins."

Cazadia whirled around, eyes bright. Leaning down, she studied Seiren's face; even her breath smelt of cinnamon. Seiren wished her mouth obeyed her to spit in Cazadia's face, but all she could do was drool out of the corner of her lips.

"They look nothing alike." Cazadia sounded disappointed, squinting at Madeleine.

"That's because of Maroni's venom. I've seen them twice now – they definitely are identical."

"Twins are bad luck in Hanna, you know that?" Cazadia's lips curled. "I had a twin. I killed her when we were five years old. Nature's aberration – we don't need two copies of the same individual. The fittest survive. I survived."

"We don't need to kill our own," spat Seiren, baring her teeth. Sensation returned somewhat to her face, although her words still slurred. "We look after our own."

"I guess you Karmans have a comfortable enough life to afford that," Cazadia replied with disdain. "Up here, with harsh winters and summer droughts, nobody has more children than they can afford to rear. Cripples and extras are thrown out – and good riddance, too. The Holy Country of Hanna doesn't need weaklings. This is why we'll crush Karma and live our lives forever free in the holy lands beyond."

She's crazy. Seiren breathed heavily through her nostrils. Her limbs still lay limp on the ground but sensation began to trickle back. Her fingers and toes burnt. She kept perfectly still, glaring up at the two Daemonium members.

"Well, let's make this interesting, shall we?"

Seiren's chest tightened. Cazadia's jovial tone reminded her of Tahir Portendorfer shortly before he displayed flash magic

"Your sister has Maroni's venom in her body. No Karman or Hannan concoction can cure her – it's killed every single person Maroni has ever struck. But..." In one fluid movement, Cazadia drew out a knife that was sheathed at her waist and spun it in one hand. She tossed it at Seiren. With a clatter, it landed at her side. It was an intricate creation, with a deep purple hilt and a snake carved at the point where the blade joined the handle. The blade glinted, polished and deadly. "You can put her out of her misery early. I'll grant you that – the survival law has already decided on a verdict. If you kill her, we'll let you go. If you don't, both of you will die here."

"But she's still paralysed," Ravin said, looking pale.

"You can get rid of it – if she promises to kill her."

Seiren's throat tightened to the point where she could barely breathe. Her eyes darted to Cazadia, gleeful and eagerly anticipatory, to Ravin, pallid and horrified, and then to Madeleine, who gazed at her steadily. Madeleine couldn't speak, but Seiren knew what she wanted to convey through her eyes.

I'll always look after you. Madeleine would want Seiren to kill her if it guaranteed Seiren's freedom. Seiren's heart palpitated. Cazadia seemed to relish in her torment. There was no guarantee Cazadia would let her go – Seiren had no means of trusting them, especially after all they had done. There was a distant boom, followed by the shouting of male voices. There was Magus, too, who had trusted them and fought alongside them for the same cause. Could Seiren betray him as well? And Eleia?

But they're Hannans, said a small, grudging voice in the back of her mind. Hannans – the same kind who teamed with Kristen in getting runes, who breached the walls at Acrise and killed numerous good men. You don't owe them anything. The same Hannans who wreaked havoc in Karman cities with their uncontrolled beasts. The same Hannans who wanted to put down Seiren and Madeleine simply for being Karmans.

But there were good people, too. Martel Solidor had taken them in and given them confidential information despite the potential repercussions. Eleia had been true to her word when guiding her and Madeleine out of the maze beneath the palace at Falnash. Magus had also been true to his word, taking them safely through this ancient tomb.

And Seiren's escape would mean Kristen would still succeed – and Karma would be as good as gone. The sacrifices of Maura, Loren, Tesla, and countless others would have bought them less than a year's worth of peace.

Seiren swallowed and met Madeleine's fierce gaze again. Seiren would never forgive herself if she abandoned their quest now – and neither would Madeleine, not when so many people depended on them, not after they had lost so much as well. Seiren's nose burnt and the realisation of what she must do closed her throat. After all they'd gone through for the past six years, it had come to this. She tried and failed to blink back the hot, fat tears that scorched her cheeks as they trickled to the floor. She sniffled, biting her lips so hard she drew blood. Madeleine smiled with her eyes, encouraging her.

"Well?"

"I'll do it," Seiren rasped. Cazadia grinned, pearly teeth white as bone against scarlet lips. Ravin pressed his lips together so tightly they disappeared. His eyes were sad, as though he sympathised with Seiren's situation. She glared back at him. They were murderers. All the blood spilt so far – including Kaim's assassin, whom they left on the sandseas – was solely their fault.

Cazadia squatted as Ravin worked on Seiren's right arm. Cazadia was clearly enjoying Seiren's snivelling.

"Aww, don't be look tragic," she said with mock sympathy, tucking a few stray hairs from Seiren's face behind her ear. "She's going to die anyway. You're doing her a favour. And you get to go back to that hellhole you came from. Isn't that a win on all accounts?"

Ravin helped Seiren sit up. Seiren took in a shuddering breath, thoughts flying incomprehensibly through her head. The knife almost slipped out of her sweaty, trembling hand. Cazadia helpfully slotted it back in her grip again.

"Here," she said with glee, hauling up Seiren and her numb lower body until she sat at Madeleine's side. Seiren's lower lip trembled, staring at the battered, swollen mess that was her sister, for whom she'd sacrificed so much to bring back. Madeleine gazed at her steadily beneath swollen eyelids, her breathing shallow and hitching with every spasm of her body. The muscles seizing came with increasing frequency, leaving her gasping every time. She gritted her teeth, her breath whistling through. She must be in agony; Seiren's heart broke knowing there was nothing else she could do.

"Maddy..." Seiren's throat was raw. She snivelled, eyes ablaze with hot tears. "Maddy, I'm so sorry..."

Madeleine's eyes twinkled at her. There was no blame, no anger, no resentment. Madeleine always knew what must be done, and she would protect Seiren as much as she could until that point. Seiren's mind lingered on the rune she'd used to tether Madeleine's soul when they were twelve years old. But there was no life or death to catalyse the organic magic rune Kristen created, unlike their father's demise last time. Madeleine's soul would be gone forever.

"Well, get on with it!" Cazadia barked, impatient, arms crossed. She gave Seiren's lower back a nudge with the tip of her shoe. "You can go for the neck, but that's messy. Heart or stomach's a good spot."

Madeleine forced herself into a sitting position. Each breath shuddered through the shredded robe on her body. Her single remaining plait fell forward, limp. Her body jerked with every seize of the muscles, but she kept a fixed gaze on Seiren, urging her on.

"Maddy," Seiren whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I can't..."

She forced her hand to move, but the muscles had frozen. She couldn't. Not her own sister. Even with the unshed tears in Madeleine's eyes, burning with her last command, Seiren couldn't bring herself to do it.

Her eyes leapt to Cazadia, standing so close to her, so eager to bear witness to the sororicide. Her grip tightened. It would take just one slash of the woman's throat. Seiren took in a breath and steeled her nerves. Ravin caught her intent. His hand flew to his side.

Before Seiren could lash out, Madeleine threw herself forward, crashing into Seiren. They landed backwards in a tumble of limbs and gasping bodies. The back of Seiren's head collided with the ground, making her see stars. To her horror, hot, sticky blood coursed down her hand, staining her abdomen. The metallic stench filled her nostrils and rushed down her throat. Madeleine gurgled and rolled off her, motionless, the handle of the dagger sticking out of her abdomen.

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