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circling on the spot as his eyes search desperately between people. A moment later, Asim appears beside me, stumbling forward a few steps before coming to a halt, as though he was running when he vanished.
    He pulls his son into a hug while asking me if I’m okay.
    When I touch my neck, my fingers come away red. “I’ll be fine. The wound doesn’t feel that deep.” I take a closer look at him. “But what about you? There’s a long cut across your forehead.”
    “Also not deep. It’ll be fine.”
    Jamon’s mother rushes over to her husband and son. “What happened?”
    “Draven’s faeries arrived,” Asim says. “A whole lot of them. I don’t know if they found our entrance leading from above ground or if they simply opened faerie paths into our tunnels.”
    “Who did we lose?”
    “One guard. Maybe more.” He looks around. “I can’t tell yet.” He moves away, walking sideways through the crowd, his eyes searching over people’s heads.
    Jamon runs a hand through his hair, then lets out a long breath. “That was close. At least there weren’t many of us left there.”
    “And we managed to get everyone’s belongings moved before the faeries arrived,” I add.
    “Well, aside from the transporters, but that’s hardly important.”
    “Hardly important?” A guy nearby grabs Jalen’s arm. “Do you have any idea how expensive transporters are? I saved for three years before I could buy mine. It was the latest model! If you don’t get it back, there are going to be some serious consequences for—”
    “Hey, will you get over it?” I pull the man away from Jamon. “Just be thankful you’re alive.”
    He turns on me. “You’re the one who should be getting it back for me. This whole faerie paths thing was your brilliant idea. I should’ve just driven my transporter through the forest.”
    “So why didn’t you? I certainly wasn’t forcing you to put your stupid egg-shaped machine on a cart so that I would have even more work to do.” I push him away from me. “If you want your transporter back, go get it yourself. Do your vanishing thing. I’m sure Draven’s faeries will be more than happy to finish you off when you show up in the middle of their forces.”
    “Don’t you dare tell me what to—”
    “Enough!” Asim’s voice rings above the clamor, commanding immediate silence. “We barely escaped with our lives, and you’re fighting over transporters ? It’s not as though you’d even use them here. You no longer have endless tunnels to race along.” He looks out over the crowd of people squashed into the room. “Your homes here will be tiny and cramped. Tempers will be short. You’ll long for your old lives Underground. But this is a war . Sacrifices must be made. Be grateful you got out with your lives and get on with it.”
    I hear some grumbling, but people start moving toward the various doorways that lead off this room and down tunnels that are much narrower than the ones they’re used to.
    “Do you need my help with anything?” I ask Asim.
    “No, no, you’ve done more than enough today, Violet. We’re incredibly grateful. You can go and get yourself settled. Jamon—” he turns to his son “—we need to find out what’s happening with the group traveling on foot. They should be arriving later tonight.”
    They disappear into the throng of people while I try to figure out which doorway I’m supposed to go through. The tunnel behind me leads outside the mountain, so I can rule that one out, but that still leaves me with five to choose from. I see a leader with a list in her hand, pointing people in various directions. I join the queue to ask her where Farah’s new house is.
    Farah will need help moving and unpacking her stuff, so it’s a good thing I don’t have many of my own belongings. Just a few clothes that Farah got hold of for me and—I pat my pocket and feel the paper there—the note from the guy I don’t remember.
    A gasp breaks through the chatter,