“Trust me, kid. You have no idea who I am.”

“Only because you won’t tell me!”

I fixed him with a steady gaze. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. And if you did, you’d kill me anyhow.”

That gave him pause. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

I scooted forward and inscribed the last rune. “It means exactly what I said.” I wasn’t speaking facetiously – it was about as straightforward as I got these days. Yes, I was helping Daniel’s people against their enemy, but their priests still hunted people like me. Nothing I could do would absolve me in their eyes.

I brushed the shavings away from the runes and looked at him, distracting him from the dim pulse crawling along the circle. “You would do anything to save them, right?” There was weight in my voice, but he answered the same as always. The pulse completed its first circuit and brightened.

“No…” There was knowledge in his eyes at last. He nodded and lifted his chin. My knife flashed and blood splash from him as he stepped into the circle.