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"Then let me die" The words stick in my throat "I deserve it as much as they do"

He can’t let oing to ain, he sounds hollow

"They called ers across his wrist, dwelling on a long-ago memory "That was a lie, and I knew it She was a sad wo Not when she had Cal, and Tibe She wasI was afraid, and I let her die in sha in the shadows of this e her" He raises his eyes to ood place to start"

It doesn’t take long for Julian to figure out a plan All we need is a netron and some blind cameras, and luckily, I can provide both

Lucas knocks on my bedroom door not two minutes after I summon him

"What can I do for you, Mare?" he says, ju the queen’s interrogation of servants must not have been easy At least he’ll be too distracted to notice I’ry" The rehearsed words come easier than they should "You know, dinner never happened so I ondering--"

"Do I look like a cook? You should’ve called the kitchens, that’s their job"

"I just, well, I don’t think now’s a good ti around People are still pretty on edge and I don’t want anyone getting hurt because I didn’t get dinner You’d just have to escort et a cookie out of it"

Sighing like an annoyed teenager, Lucas holds out an ar the Lucas, knowing firsthand what it’s like to have your mind toyed with, but this is for Kilorn’s life Lucas is still chattering e turn the corner, running s to bow his head, but Julian takes hiht he could Before Lucas can respond, Julian glares into his eyes and the struggle dies before it even begins

His honeyed words, s as iron, fall on open ears "Take us to the cells Use the service halls Keep us away from patrols Do not remember this"

Lucas, usually all se, half-hypnotized state His eyes glaze over and he doesn’t notice when Julian reaches down to take his gun But he h the maze of the Hall At each turn I wait for the feel of electric eyes, shutting off everything in our path Julian does the sa theether, webefore we stand at the top of the dungeon stairs There will be Sentinels down there, too many for Julian to take care of on his own

"Speak not a word," Julian hisses to Lucas, who nods in understanding

Now it’s ht and the late hour feel fa and stealing

"Who is it? State your name and business!" one of the Sentinels shouts up at us I recognize her voice--Gliacon, the shiver who tortured Farley Perhaps I can convince Julian to sing her off a cliff

I draw h it’s my voice and tone that matter most "My name is Lady Mareena Titanos, betrothed of the prince Maven," I snap, race as I can My voice is cold and sharp, th and power too "And I don’t share ht ofeach other One, a largeeyes, even looks me up and down in a rude manner Behind the bars, Kilorn and Walsh jump to attention Farley doesn’t move from her corner, arht be sleeping, until she ht