Fighting wasn’t going to get us out of this. His jaw clenched as he looked away, jerking his shoulder out of the grip of the taller uniformed officer. He moved forward, though, as the uniformed man directed. The crowd parted in front of the officers like a stream around a boulder. People ran to avoid even brushing their sleeves against theirs. I shivered. It was my fault Oren was in this position. And in it for the second time in as many days. I should have gotten him to the surface before turning back for Tansy—why break him out of our cell only to lead him straight into the arms of our captors? Why free him in the Iron Wood, if only to live a life as a monster? Nix flew in close, pressing itself against my neck as the two officers escorted us out of the stall and made their way toward the huge, crescent-shaped building at the far end of the courtyard. My first thought was that it was frightened, but the ever-present calm in its voice when it spoke reminded me that it was a machine.
