JONATH

“All right, tell me everything you know,” Logan said tightly.

They were in the castle. Jonath was seated on a fall of snowpillows, sipping green seawine which Dia had brought him. She and her sister hovered near Logan, who was never entirely still. He paced constantly as he listened to Jonath, questioned him on details.

“An ex-Sandman named Evans brought me the news,” said the Wilderness man. “He told me—”

“Evans 9?”

“Yes,” said Jonath.

“I’ve known him since childhood. We worked the Angeles Complex together.”

Jonath nodded. “He said he was your friend—that he’d become a runner because of you.”

“Evans…running?”

“You made it to Sanctuary and so he decided to try for it—but he couldn’t connect with Ballard’s people. Evans was hiding out when they penetrated the Line at Steinbeck.”

“Why would he tie in with Gant?”

“After the Thinker died he told me he just naturally gravitated back with other ex-Sandmen. When Gant took command of their group Evans followed along.”

A flash of instant mental communication between Logan and the sisters: Who is Gant?

A monster. The worst of the Sandmen. He hates me.

Why?

He was in charge of Angeles Complex when I became a runner. My escape to Sanctuary was a personal embarrassment to him, a black mark on his record. I was the only Sandman to ever reach Sanctuary, and he hates me for it.

“Evans and Gant argued,” said Jonath. “Gant tried to have him killed. He got away, came to us, looking for you. He wanted you to know that Gant bought Jessica on the Market.”

“That Borgia bitch lied to me,” said Logan. “She had me convinced that Jess was dead.”

“To protect herself, obviously,” said Jonath. “By shifting the blame to Prince, she thought you’d let her go.”

“But I didn’t,” said Logan flatly.

Dia looked agonized. You’re leaving us! Your thoughts say it.

I’m going after Jess.

But Gant—he’ll never let you have her.

I’ll take her.

He’ll kill you, Logan!

He’ll probably try.

The Sandmen are with him. You’ll never—

“Where is she?” Logan asked Jonath. A muscle danced in his cheek. “Where does Gant have her?”

Jonath told him.