I sigh. “I don’t know. Something feels off.”
“It’s just nerves,” Lola chirps.
“No, it’s more. It’s—I feel like I’ve done something wrong. Something is—I don’t know yet.”
“Lola is probably right,” Thompson says. “You’re close. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s okay. We just have to wait and see.”
Manuela doesn’t comment, but her eyes are narrowed in on me.
I frown but nod, trying my best to believe Thompson. I’m just panicking. This is the prey instinct driving me crazy because I know if I make one wrong move, this goes badly.
“As you’re all aware, our initial plans have backfired in several major ways,” Vincent says. “This is normal in war. Moves and countermoves. Our opponents have been more skilled than we anticipated, but these are setbacks, not failures, and we are prepared for our next countermove. Now that Jarron has presented the older sister as his chosen, he has given us a new target. She is young. Weak. Vulnerable.”
“She’s also stubborn and revenge-thirsty,” Bea mutters.
Emily, the psychic, chuckles. “True. Maybe we can use it against her.” She winks at Bea.
Again, my stomach sinks, uncertainty clouding my mind.
“She’s kept under tight watch in the academy,” Vincent continues. “But we all know how easy it is to infiltrate. Even Elite Hall has its chinks. We are going to send the jinn after the girl one more time. She will retrieve her sister and bring her to the arena for our entertainment.”
“The girl refuses to sign the contract, even if it means her own death. How do you—”
“Oh, she will not be playing in the games,” Vincent says. “No, that honor will no longer be afforded to her. After our jinn turned against us weeks ago, giving information and aid to the enemy, we now have two girls to punish. So, Candice will be fighting a battle she cannot win. Against her own sister.”
The room stills, and then all at once, the entire council grins.
“Genius,” someone mutters.
My blood runs cold.
“We tried to warn you, little slave,” Vincent says to Liz. “We tried to warn you that youwantto be our ally, our friend. We could have done so much together, you and me. We could have been great. But you had to betray me. Now, you will pay for it. One order, that’s all it will take to make you kill your sister in any way we please. Slowly. We can make you torture her. Peel her nails off. Pluck her eyes out. Eat her flesh. What would you prefer most?”
I turn away from the looking-glass, willing my stomach not to up heave up my lunch. Janet places her hand on my knee and squeezes tightly, almost to the point of pain. “They won’t get the chance. Remember that.”
I nod, ignoring the tears in my eyes.
He’s going to die.
He’s going to pay for what he’s done to us.
“What of the prince?” the dragon asks.
“If the prince manages to survive the night, we’ll simply plan another attack as a distraction.”
Pain rushes in from far, far away. Tears well in my eyes.Jarron?
He still doesn’t answer. I don’t know what to do. If something is wrong with Jarron, I can’t even help. I’m trapped. Helpless.
The snarky witch narrows her eyes at Mr. Vandozer. “You seem confident in your ability to kill him when previously you could not.”
“Ahh! Such a fun topic of conversation.” Mr. Vandozer spreads his arms wide. “The royal family are quite powerful, as you all know. It’s very difficult to kill them. But we’ve learned the secret to making it oh so easy. We don’t need to risk our lives battling him hand to hand or in magic. You see, we learned the secret to killing him from the very girl he’s now falsely claiming as his chosen.”
I suck in a breath, nausea again carving its way through my body. I bite my fist to stop the anger and pain and fear from taking control.
They will not win. They will not win.
Daamador, the little witch, stiffens.
