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My thoughts wandered to my father somewhere, unable to help as the Silver Wings were taken from our family. They were meant to belong to the Montclair’s forever. We didn’t build this empire to lose it.

Were the Silver Wings nearby, waiting to see who emerged as their new captain? Would they hate it as much as I did, that their next captain was chosen by a labyrinth instead of among their own ranks. Father kept me hidden from the world, but surely someone aboard knew of me and of his intentions.

Wait.

The idea came quickly. Quickly was all I had. I couldn’t move my legs or my hands. I had to choose now.

“I have a better idea. Everyone else is in here, but the Silver Wings are out there. Can you send me directly to them?”

Thief tilted his head, his grin sharp and fox-like, his bright eyes glinting as though this were turning out better than he’d hoped. “Yes,” he said slowly, savoring the word. “But to push you out of the labyrinth like that would be difficult. I’ll need payment.”

My gaze dropped to my chest, to the delicate chain that rested against my collarbone.

“How about my mother’s necklace?” My voice broke just slightly.

His eyes lit up, greed flaring in them like the glow of firelight on polished gold. The hunger in his expression sent a shiver through me. I knew, at that moment, I’d won him over.

“I give you my mother’s necklace,” I continued, swallowing hard, “and you put me with the Silver Wings.Andyou watch over Clark while I’m gone.”

Thief opened his mouth, likely to argue, but I cut him off with a sharp glare. “And no, that part isn’t negotiable. Clark staysalive, or you never get my necklace. He is the most important part of this.”

His smile faltered, just for a moment, replaced by a flicker of something darker. He twiddled his fingers, tapping them against his knee as though weighing my demands in his mind. The hesitation made my stomach churn. The way he debated, the way his gaze darted away for the briefest moment—it confirmed what I had feared since I’d spoken with August.

Clark was fated to die here.

The potion’s grip on my body was tightening. My arms felt heavy, leaden, and the effort it took to speak was becoming monumental. My lips moved slowly, my words slurring. “What’s the matter, Thief?” I rasped, my frustration and fear bleeding into my tone. “Not strong enough to keep one boy alive?”

He glanced at me, his grin returning, but it was thinner now, more strained. Finally, he said, “Deal.”

I felt a flicker of hope, but I wasn’t about to trust him blindly. “Clark stays alive?” I needed him to say it.

“Clark stays alive,” he repeated, the words smooth as silk but sharp as daggers. With those words, tension uncoiled within me. Then, Thief’s grin turned sly again, and he added, “Though to leave without setting Delilah free…she won’t be pleased with you.”

The mention of Delilah sent a jolt of fear through me, a cold spike that shot straight down my spine. My breath caught, and I stared at him, my mind racing. “What can she do about it?”

“Once you’re gone?” Thief shrugged, as if this were all trivial to him. “Absolutely nothing. She’s powerless outside thelabyrinth.” He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, like he was savoring the moment. “But she’s coming now. Is this your choice?”

I hesitated, my heart thundering in my chest. The weight of the decision pressed down on me, suffocating and inescapable. But there was no other way. I had to get to the Silver Wings.

“Yes,” I said, the word barely audible, but it carried the force of finality.

Thief’s grin widened, sharp and satisfied. He reached for the chain around my neck, his fingers quick and nimble as they unclasped the necklace. I felt the brush of his hand against my skin, and it sent a wave of something cold and hollow through me.

I forced myself to watch as he slipped the golden chain into his sleeve, the delicate links disappearing from sight. It felt like a piece of myself had been stripped away, leaving an ache in its place.

“Now for you,” Thief said, straightening and cracking his knuckles with an audible pop. “Heading to theSea Serpent.”

“Not that ship,” I corrected. “TheSea Serpentdoesn’t lead them. Whoever is in charge, they’ll be aboard the small ship calledNorth Star.”

From Thief’s smile, he knew that.

“The potion’s effects are nullified once you leave the island,” Thief said, his voice carrying an air of finality. “Now, take out your white stone.”

I tried, truly, but my fingers wouldn’t obey. My body was a dead weight, a vessel that refused to bend to my will. Thief sighed,his impatience palpable, and crouched beside me. His small hands rummaged through my pack.

When he found it, he placed the white stone into my fingers, arranging them as though I were a doll. The cool surface of the stone pressed against my skin. My chest tightened as I stared at it.

I’d sworn never to use this stone. Not unless there was no other choice.