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Red Queen Victoria Aveyard 14630K 2023-09-01

But--I can feel it I feel the heat of the sparks, running up and downthough In fact I feel, well, alive Like I’ve been livingmoves beneath my skin, but it’s not the sparks I look at lides over me Cloth burns away, charred black by the heat, butto kill

I a to splinter and crack The sparks are brighter, angrier, but weakening I try to push et to ain, tue to land in a pile of dust not covered by jagged metal Definitely bruised and weak in the muscles, but still in one piece My uniforether in a charredasps echo through the Spiral Garden I can feel all eyes on eline stares at ry, confused--and scared

Of me Soeline ansith a flurry of metal shards, all of theh the air

Without thinking, I throw upto save ed blades inquite different Like with the sparks before, , alive with some inner fire It moves in me, behind my eyes, beneath my skin, until I feel y

A jet of light--no, lightning--erupts froh theapart in the heat They fall har blasts into the far wall It leaves a seline

Her mouth falls open in shock I’ what on earth just happened to h above, a hundred of theI look up to see thee of his box, his flaht next to hi down at ’s voice is sharp as a razor, full of e uniforuards wait for another word, another order

I’ood thief because I knohen to run Now is one of those ti past the stunned Evangeline to slide feetfirst into the still-open hatch in the floor

"Seize her!" echoes behind eline’s flyingand I can still see up into the Spiral Garden To , as unifor after me

With no time to think, all I can do is run

The antechamber below the arena connects to a dark and empty hallway Boxy black ca down another corridor and another I can feel the like the Sentinels not so far behind me Run, repeats in my head Run, run, run

I have to find a door, a , soet outside, into the ht

The first set of stairs I find leads up to a longin the corners of the ceiling like great black bugs