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Tiressive ticking of the clock We don’t question that our lives are a grid of seconds; even our pulses oblige No succeeding king can hope to hold this kind of power

--"Intangible Gods," Daphne Leander, Year Ten

PEN PUSHES ME THROUGH THE DOOR I CAN’T see a thing, and I rush to keep up with her We pick a direction that I think will take us toward the water roo The stairwell is alive with footsteps We stop and spin around to see the candlelight co slab of wall, likely the remains of an old prison cell, and force ourselves to quiet our gasping My lungs burn My heart is racing I’ what she said

I make no promises

How could you?

Fro to the prince’s aide I think it’s too late for hi that he needs a medic Moments before she opened the door, she and her brother had been giggling

One of the patrol to get so coherent out of her "Who did this?" he asks several times before she see at Prince Azure when she ss and says, "Men They--they stole us froed us down here"

"Men? What did they look like?"

"It doesn’t one" She pushes his hands fro to bleed to death if you don’t help him Do you want that to happen on your watch?"

Murmurs and footsteps Some of the patrolmen rush upstairs; there are too many of them to count, and my stomach is sick when I realize that Pen planned it this way A scream from Princess Celeste would summon every patrolman on duty All we need to do is wait the a cushioned board for the prince’s body And there’s so Furlow himself, his thin white hair disheveled, his white robe open, revealing his doughy stomach To see him in such a state is to see Internreatness to hiht--I wouldn’t have been able to kill him

This is the man who had my parents murdered But I take no satisfaction from the pain on his face when he sees his son, sees the blood all over his daughter’s white clothes as she chews her lip and trembles

"Papa," she croaks "Make them help him"

"They are, love, they are"

Shadowsthe prince up the stairs on the cushioned board I can’t tell whether he’s breathing All I see is that one red with blood, drops of it falling out of reach froan?"

My wrists are burning fro the twine into athered here Except for the queen There have been rue that she wasn’t in any of the broadcasts

Maybe the king poisoned her too, I think bitterly

But he puts his arhter to console her, and it’s an echo ofif he’d pull through

King Furlow and Princess Celeste follow the medics up the stairs Patrolo, they take the candlelight with the out the sounds they make But I can still hear Princess Celeste’s sobs; I suspect I’ll hear the time in my dreams

Pen and I stay huddled in the dark after the last chi," I whisper when I’m sure it’s safe "Let’s try to find a way out"

"We shouldn’t take the stairs," Pen says I can tell by her voice that she’s fighting for cal to attack the prince, but she’s seen it played out and she’s seen the daly

I’s to an?" she whispers "You understand that I had to, don’t you?"

"Just hope he isn’t dead," is all I say

"She didn’t tell on us She could have Why didn’t she?"

"I don’t know" My arri to adjust to the darkness, but there’s nothing

And then, suddenly, there is A glih a wooden door

I fue Pen helps , I feel we’re in a dreaold

I pull the knob again, and the door opens with a creak that I’m sure will summon the patrolmen But no, they don’t come They’ll be busy with all that blood