Page 35

Mind reeling and my body oddly cold, I grabbed my sister’s hand, obeying my mother’s final wish. “Hurry, Raelynn. We must go,” I said, forcing words past the fist of anguish that squeezed my throat.

“You go,” my sister said through her tears, jerking her hand free.

Panicked, I grabbed it once more, holding tight to her sweaty palm. This was not the time for my defiant sibling to be difficult. “You heard Momma. We must go.”

“I heard her,” Raelynn choked out. “I’ve done nothing but listen. When is someone going to listen to me? Ask what I want?”

The whirling portal sparked and wavered. We were running out of time.

“Raelynn,” I barked, annoyed with her theatrics. “Stop being a priss and come with me.”

“I’m done listening to Momma,” my sister said with a sneer. “And I’m definitely not listening to you. Go through the portal and continue to run and hide. I’m taking fate into my own hands. Choosing what is best for me.”

“You can’t do that. Momma said—”

“Momma said. Momma said,” she mocked. “Tell you what. You keep doing what Momma said. See where that gets you.”

Raelynn tugged back on her arm, and anticipating her resistance, I held tight, planting one foot inside the portal. Prickles of fire nipped at my toes, scratching at my ankle and tugging my leg.

“Raelynn, come on!” I barked, pulling harder. “Don’t do this. We’re supposed to stay together.” Stupid girl never did anything she was told.

“Better hurry,” Raelynn taunted as the gleaming mirror shrank around me, her fingers slipping through my grasp. I never could best her when we fought.

Fiery bites nipped at my flesh. The portal pulled me deeper, and the mirror continued to shrink. Stubborn wretch.

“Bye, Runa.” She fluttered a mocking wave.

I gnashed my teeth. I sure as heck wasn’t losing a limb to her foolishness. With one last glance at my sister…

I let go.

Looking back, I could have done more. A lot more. If only I’d held onto her tighter instead of giving in, demanded she enter the portal with me and dragged her by her hair, kicking and screaming if needed. Instead, I’d let her slip away, allowing her to run straight into Idris’s eager arms.

With my failure, I practically set the false king on the throne myself, plumped his cushions for his royal buttocks, sat him down, and served him the kingdom on a platter.

Without Raelynn’s portal magic, Idris could never have siphoned so much power from Carcerem. I told my brothers that my sister died in the attack because, in my mind, she had. Raelynn was as dead to me as I was to her.

Today, in the throne room, it was clear that she’d wanted me gone—to rid the world of the reminder that she, too, had oncebeen a commoner. Now I was in the Fallen Trials, there was an excellent chance she’d get that wish.

I huffed a deep sigh. This line of thinking would see me blurry-eyed and exhausted come morning. At the moment, the only thing I could do about my situation was rest. Tomorrow, I’d come up with a plan. A plan that would free both myself and my brothers so we could get back to White Bridge, the only home I had left—before the collectors.

I squeezed my eyes closed, attempting to relax my knotted muscles.

A scuff echoed, making my ears twitch. I tensed. “Custodis, is that—”

Brutal hands clamped down on my limbs. One slapped against my mouth, smothering my scream. Panic exploded across my nerve endings.

The fingers on my mouth stank of grease and filth. The sting of his salty skin raised my gag reflex. It would serve them right to have me retch all over them.

Unseen attackers groped my body, tearing at my clothing. Fabric rent, frigid air kissing my bare flesh. Muted screams fell on callous ears. Outrage made my temples pound.

Gamma cell was full of bottom dwellers. The worst of the worst. The kind of criminals who couldn’t win an honorable fight, so they slunk about in shadows. There would be no mercy for me from this bunch.

Claws raked my stomach, shredding my leggings. A painful grip clamped around my ankles.

How many were there? Two? Three? Spineless monsters seldom committed their crimes alone.

Sadly, this wasn’t my first experience with this particular brand of assault. Except in the past, I’d had my illusions to send my attackers screaming, so shaken they’d think twice before laying their hands on another unwilling victim. Also, my brothers were usually in earshot. My last attacker never walkedwithout a limp again. Nor was he left with the equipment necessary to commit a similar crime. Kronk made sure of it.