Page 51 of To Cage a Wild Bird (Divided Fates #1)

After breakfast, the guards herded us back to our cellblock, and I couldn’t help but remember how I’d been willing to leave

without these people a few short weeks ago. The Council had wronged them as much as they had my family. They all had people

they loved and were willing to risk themselves for and not just blood relatives. They were willing to risk it all for one another , their chosen family, and I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted Jed to have that.

My thoughts scattered when Larch slammed through the barrier door, snarling at us to move faster, to get back into our cells

and prepare for the hunt selection. He seemed more irritable than usual, shoving inmates impatiently and snapping at others.

After our last hunt, my rank had increased to a nine. The number glowed proudly from the digital display above my cell. Not

as intimidating as August’s solid ten, but higher than many of the inmates in the cellblock—and hopefully, that meant that

hunters would choose me over Jed.

Kit and Yara were ranked at eight and nine, respectively.

Momo’s rank had sat at an eight since I’d been at Endlock. Only the cruelest hunters selected children as their targets.

The guards ushered a group of hunters into the cellblock, and my heart plummeted when I recognized a familiar face—Councilor Elder.

She wore a scarlet pantsuit with the sleeves rolled up to reveal a tattoo on her forearm—three interlocking circles inked in black to represent the three sectors.

All the Councilors and their families bore the marking.

She walked on a set of heels so thin and sharp that they were practically weapons.

The shoes added to her generous height, and she towered over Larch.

The outfit was finished off with a crimson ribbon, decorating her neck like blood flowing from a slit throat, and a gold chain weighed down by a single polished molar.

Arrogance rolled off her in waves, her head swiveling back and forth as she peered through the bars of our cells, her lips

twisting in disappointment.

I understood Larch’s mood now. He didn’t want to look bad in front of the Councilor. Couldn’t disappoint her.

Not again.

“That’s the one I told you about, Caltriona,” Larch said, shocking me by casually addressing the Councilor by her first name

and directing her attention toward my cell. “The bounty hunter.”

She strode to my cell.

“Nice necklace,” I said dryly.

“Shut your mouth,” Larch growled, his hand going to his baton.

“It’s fine, Roth,” Councilor Elder said, placing a hand on his chest. “We’re just having a conversation.”

She turned back to me. “It was my husband’s.” She stroked the tooth lovingly, and I blanched. Normally, citizens only took

teeth from those they’d killed in a hunt—wearing the tooth of her husband who’d recently died in a fire... it was an interesting

choice. “Raven Thorne, is it?”

“The one and only.”

She nodded. “Only a formidable opponent could’ve evaded us like you did during the last hunt. Unsurprising for the daughter

of Melody and Keaton Thorne, I suppose.”

Don’t talk about them.

I swallowed the words, my teeth clenching from the effort of keeping them inside.

“They raised me well,” I said instead.

Councilor Elder nodded, studying me. “It was brave of you to take a strike for your brother the night Melody and Keaton were

arrested. Not many citizens your age would’ve done so.”

My eyes widened, but I didn’t let my surprise show anywhere else on my face. She knew my parents’ names and something I’d done for Jed seven years ago . I knew some hunters got off on researching their targets ahead of time, finding out as much as they could about them to

make for a more satisfying hunt, but I hadn’t expected that from a councilor.

“You almost turned it around,” Elder continued, shaking her head. “Becoming a bounty hunter, one of the top bounty hunters

in the city at that. It’s an admirable job, especially for someone with a strike record. But it’s not surprising that you

wound up here in the end. It’s why we maintain such a heavy guard presence in the Lower Sector. Criminals raise criminals.”

Or is it because you intentionally starve them?

I clenched my fists at my sides, taking a deep breath. With what I now knew about the artificial food shortages, the biggest

criminals of all were those involved in the inner workings of Endlock. But I couldn’t reveal what I knew—if she knew I knew , she’d have me killed on the spot.

Information gave me more power than anything else could.

And for the second time in just one day, I was able to think of something outside of making sure Jed survived.

I wanted to play a part in destroying Endlock.

And at that moment, it was like my parents were standing by my side, each of them holding one of my hands, urging me.

Don’t let her see your rage.

I wouldn’t. Not yet.

“My parents would be proud,” I said instead, feeling the truth of the words deep in my gut.

Elder studied me for a moment, surprise flashing in her eyes and one corner of her lips twitching up to the side. She nodded.

“I suspect you’re right. Just as I am proud, as a councilor, to have a son who has dedicated his life to Endlock’s mission.

Children tend to follow in their parents’ footsteps.”

I took in a sharp breath. “You have a son who works here?” The question was out before I could stop it. All the Councilors had children, but I’d imagined them all in the vein of Roald—spoiled and sheltered and content to never leave the Upper Sector unless it was to visit Endlock for a hunt.

Elder smiled, seeming pleased that I’d asked. “I do. He’s very dedicated. Even when his father died, he only came home for

a few days. Couldn’t stand to be away from work.”

She continued speaking, but her voice grew muffled and far away as I zeroed in on five words.

Even when his father died.

My head spun, and suddenly I was back at the Lower Sector jail, delivering Torin to Captain Flint and overhearing the news

stream from his tablet.

“...the Council has reported findings that Eris Cybin, known terrorist and leader of the rebel organization called the

Collective, is the culprit behind a fire that destroyed a large portion of the city’s coming harvest and resulted in the death

of several field workers, as well as the death of SilasV. Elder, the husband of Councilor Caltriona Elder.”

My heart beat like a drum against my chest, and I sifted through memories, faster and faster, until I landed out on the hunting

grounds. Seeing the tunnels for the first time. Hearing Vale confess he was going to help us. Hearing Vale explain what he’d

been doing in the Lower Sector the night we met.

He killed my father. Eris Cybin.

It couldn’t be. I tried to ignore the puzzle pieces fitting themselves together.

Silas V. Elder.

Silas Valorian Elder.

Vale was Councilor Elder’s son.

Valorian Elder.

And I couldn’t breathe, because of course he was. It explained everything. How he’d managed to get dirt on Coates. His authority

over the other guards. The way he addressed the warden. His invitations to Endlock board meetings.

And I was a fool.

Councilor Elder was still talking. “Nevertheless, I’m here to perform my duty as a citizen and councilor to the great city of Dividium. We cannot let crime run amuck, lest we repeat the mistakes of our ancestors. Criminals must be extinguished.”

She stared at me for a few moments, pointedly, before I gathered myself enough to respond. “You’re selecting me as your target,

then?” I asked, weakly.

“I am.”

“Then I’ll see you out there.” I was so numb that the prospect of being hunted couldn’t even summon fear.

Councilor Elder frowned, walking away without another word.

I watched, as if from far away, as August was selected, along with a few other prisoners I vaguely recognized, trying to force

the unwanted truth of Vale out of my mind so I could focus on surviving.

And suddenly, I knew what Aggie meant when she said having friends would make me weak.