Saana gestures vaguely, as if trying to shape the thought in the air between them.
“When Maireth created the testing grounds for Skyfire—her explosive weapons—in the eastern quadrant of the Outside, the people fled. They had to. They moved to the other side of the boundary, we took them in, treated them for exposure to whatever alchemy Maireth uses in those things,” Saana says, ideas forming as she speaks.
Dread pools in Rubi’s gut.
Skyfire.
So that’s what Marin was talking about.The weapons.
Gods. One problem at a fucking time would be nice.
“What exactly are you saying?” Rubi presses, shaking her head as if she can dislodge the thoughts of Skyfire.
“Two things. One: people don’t stay separate when they’re afraid,” she says. “They gather. They move together. Two: when we treated them for exposure to alchemy, we set up steam rooms—hot water, respiratory-supporting herbs they could breathe in to clear their lungs. We didn’t treat them one by one. We treated the air they were breathing.”
Rubi frowns. “What does that have to do with?—”
Footsteps echo through the cavern, cutting her off.
Elyssara’s voice carries before she even comes into view.
“The people of Virellin will gather, just as you say. We’re clearing the streets. Everyone goes to The Underbelly.
The words land. Rubi stills. Completely.
Vren pushes off the stone. “You’re going to hide the very people that could help us win this fucking war? They can fight!”
Elyssara doesn’t rise to the bait.
“They’re untrained, starving, and terrified, Vren. They’re not soldiers, they’re victims. It’s the only way to keep them out of the line of fire,” Elyssara continues, stepping into the lanternlight, the rest of her Fallen fanning out behind her. “Revryn will move them through the tunnels. We’ll keep them there until this is over.”
Saana’s gaze flicks to Rubi. And something shifts. Rubi’s mind catches up in real time, pieces clicking into place with terrifying clarity.
“Not food,” Rubi murmurs, a finger rising into the air in realization.
Saana nods.
Vren frowns. “What?”
“Not water.” Rubi says, clarity landing. Her eyes lift, sharp now. Focused. “Air.”
Silence.
But Vren’s brows pull together. “You’re saying we gas them?”
Saana doesn’t flinch. “I’m saying we disperse it,” she corrects. “Confined space. Limited exits. Shared airflow. If they’re all in The Underbelly…” Her voice gains momentum, certainty replacing frustration. “We don’t need to dose them individually. We saturate the space.”
Rubi moves slowly, nodding as she follows the logic through. “It would reach everyone. Or at least, very large groups,” she says. “At the same time.”
“But it has to be controlled,” Saana adds quickly, looking back to Rubi. “Too much and you’ll overwhelm them. Too little and it won’t counter the threvenar.”
Rubi’s lips part slightly. Then she smiles. Not relief. Recognition.
“I can control that,” she says. “I can build it to disperse in stages. Slow release. Enough to neutralize without harming.”
Vren drags a hand down his face. “You’re still talking about flooding a tunnel system with something we barely understand.”
Rubi turns to him fully now.
