Chapter 25 · The Ash Ledger - Chapter 25: Kill Order on Every Wall

The posters went up while they were still climbing down from the tower wreckage.

Rowan saw the first one nailed to a grain warehouse two blocks from the rubble field. Black ink. His face. The word BEARER in caps above it, and below: KILL ON SIGHT. BOUNTY PAYABLE IN GRAIN AND COIN.

Mara grabbed his sleeve and pulled him into an alley before he could get a good look at the rest.

"Don't stop," she said. "They're everywhere."

He yanked free and looked back. Three more posters on the opposite wall. Different faces. Kids, most of them. The mark around his wrist buzzed hot.

"They're going after everyone who leveled," Rowan said.

"Yeah." Mara checked the mouth of the alley. "Tower sent the kill order before it dropped. Every militia captain in the city got it."

"How many marked?"

"Twenty-three last I heard. Couple of gate guards, some refugees from the lower wards, a smith's apprentice. You."

Rowan pressed his thumb into the mark. It didn't hurt anymore. Just pulsed. "They think we're the enemy now."

"They always did," Mara said. "Now they've got permission."

She moved fast, keeping to the service lanes behind the markets. Rowan followed.