Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114925 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“That’s a lie!” Winslet gasped. “You asked me what I thought of all the glowers dying, and I said—”
Boom! Dollop pulled the trigger, a bullet flying. Winslet jerked, a ragged groan escaping. Her eyes rounded, and she dropped her dagger. Looking down, she pressed her hands over a blood-soaked shirt hole near her belly.
Shock blasted me. Shock blasted us all.
“You said it was a shame,” Dollop stated, as cold as ice. “Now be a good little Soalian and die.”
Winslet’s mouth opened and closed, crimson leaking from the corners of her lips. When her knees buckled, she fell, crashing into the floor. It happened so fast there wasn’t time to react or offer aid.
“Put her on the rack,” Dollop commanded.
In between pained, gasping breaths, Winslet attempted to crawl away. Two trainees advanced. “I said . . . it was . . . a shame because . . . they weren’t dying . . . faster.”
“Stop!” I shouted, moving to block them. “This isn’t right.”
They shoved me aside, clasped Winslet by her arms, and dragged her bleeding body to the rack, where they bound her wrists and ankles despite the severity of her injury. Weak as she was, she couldn’t fight her way free.
Right now, Winslet’s affiliation meant nothing to me. Rushing over, I sheathed the netter and removed my shirt. Cool air kissed newly exposed skin. Bra on display, I pressed the material against the other woman’s wound.
“You’re gonna be okay,” I muttered. “You’re gonna be okay.”
Dollop scowled at me and raised her gun, aiming at my heart. “Don’t worry, Roosa. You’re next.”
“Actually, you are.” The retort came from Roman, who punched her in the head. Her knees buckled, and she fell, slamming into cold stone. The weapon skidded from her grip.
She moaned and curled into herself as he collected the harbinger and aimed.
“You should have listened to me.” He fired, shooting her in the temple, ending her life.
Hot blood and brain matter splattered across the room, raining over my face, and I sucked air between my teeth. Get it off, get it off, get it off.
A dark shadow rose from her dead body, and my frenzied wiping ceased. The being zipped around the room, going faster and faster until I couldn’t keep track. But I felt the moment it rammed itself into me. Cold froze my veins, and fear gobbled me whole. I stood panting, my thoughts whirling as fast as the shadow. I’m soon to be unmasked. Killed. A failure to Cyrus and to Soalians worldswide. To Dom and to Ember, especially, who put their own lives on the line to save mine. My mother will mourn and grieve my loss, inconsolable. I’m going to die. The mantra played on repeat inside my mind, growing louder. Louder still.
“Obviously,” Roman stated matter-of-factly as I spiraled, “Lady Dollop blamed someone else to hide her own guilt. Otherwise, she would’ve taken the time to be certain.” He sheathed the extra weapon in the waist of his pants, but that didn’t make it—or him—any less of a hazard.
Anchor, Arden!
I frowned, looked around. Domino?
Going to die.
Anchor!
The two voices collided, and realization came. The fear. It was fueled by the shadow.
I held tightly to my bond with the librarian, fury rising and drowning out the fear. The mantra quieted, and out came the gloom, shooting from me as if I’d shoved it.
I ground my teeth. Tricky Astan. His essence had brought those awful feelings.
Roman worked to free Winslet, and no one dared stop him. As he eased the wounded woman to the floor, I followed her down, keeping the pressure on the wound. Her fallen dagger. It was right there, beside her arm.
Hiding my actions, I collected the weapon, preventing anyone else from using it.
“There’s a Soalian in this room, and it’s not Winslet,” Roman announced with confidence as he straightened. He took aim with Dollop’s gun. “It’s Miller.”
Miller jostled and stumbled backward, shaking his head. “Why would you say that?”
Nearly everyone else aimed at him too. I floundered for something, anything that removed suspicion from the soldier.
“You attempted to recruit me.” Roman lifted his nose in the air. “Always asking me questions and dissecting my responses to find cracks in my allegiance to CURED. I turned you in, and Archduke Heta instructed me to keep tabs on you, which I did. I followed you in Bala City and caught you looking at the Rock.” He motioned to two soldiers. “Put him on the rack. Let’s find out who’s working with him.”
The pair converged on Miller, who fought to maintain his freedom, throwing punches while avoiding theirs.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. I couldn’t let them interrogate Miller. Not because he might implicate me, though he might. He could be the one Domino had prompted me to find.
“Do you hear yourself?” I shouted at Roman, doing my best not to jostle Winslet. The room went still. Roman had aided me only moments ago. Now, I returned the favor with honesty. “Nothing you’ve said makes him a traitor. Roman, listen to me. Please. You’re making the same mistake as before, only worse.”