A body slammed into the cobblestones at Leo's feet.
The impact echoed over the low hum of the merchant plaza. Leo took a single step backward and lowered his golden ledger. He looked down at the boy curled into a tight ball on the ground.
Bowen gasped for air and clutched the lapels of Leo's jacket. The boy's face was pale and smeared with a thin layer of gray dust. He trembled violently.
"Please," Bowen choked out. He refused to let go of the jacket. "You have to help me. He is going to kill us all."
Leo recognized him immediately. Bowen had sat two rows behind Trent on the bus. He was one of the sycophants who always laughed the loudest at Trent's cruel jokes. Now he knelt in the neutral hub of the City of Gods and begged for salvation.
"Stand up," Leo said. He kept his voice even a
