what the veil was trying to show her until everything faded except for Da’ru, and in the distance Kate saw the silver current of death slowly closing in.
“What is it?” demanded Da’ru, breaking Kate’s concentration and making the vision fall away. “Silas? Explain this. Did you see the girl’s eyes? What just happened here?”
“The experiment has exhausted her,” Silas said quickly. “I will take her to her cell myself.”
“Speak, girl! Tell me what you saw.”
“It was the Night of Souls,” said Kate. “Everyone was afraid.”
“Delusions,” said Silas, pulling her away. “Your fantasies are of no interest to the councilwoman. Save them for your cell. You will have plenty of time to indulge them there.”
“Wait,” said Da’ru, forcing Silas to stop. “The Night of Souls is still two days from now. What else did you see?”
Silas shot Kate a warning look as she tried to remember.
“There was a ceremony,” she said. “You were wearing a locket. A glass one, I think. It looked like it had blood on it.”
“The locket?” Da’ru glared at her suspiciously. “What do you know about that?”
Kate looked straight into the councilwoman’s green eyes and saw uncertainty in them for the first time. She knew then what the vision had been showing her, and the thought of it made her smile. She slid her arm out of Silas’s grasp and faced Da’ru without fear.
“At that ceremony,” she said. “You are going to die.”
Chapter 12
Trapped
“In.” Silas held a door open for Kate, ordering her into a room lit by glowing firelight. For a cell, it was not what she was expecting. It was bright and warm, and the sight of a soft bed was enough to make her realize how tired she was.
For Kate, entering that cozy room was like walking out into the summer sun. The cold that had sunk so deeply into her bones began to retreat against the woody air of a welcome fire, and she felt the numbness fade from her skin as the water that clung to it evaporated. She knelt in front of the fire at once, letting its flames warm her face until her cheeks turned red.
“This room will be your cell tonight,” said Silas. “Da’ru has ordered that you be treated well, despite your defiance toward her. Appreciate these comforts while you can. They are not offered to everyone.”
There was only one window in the room: a wide arch of clear glass looking out over the buildings that made up what Kate supposed were the High Council’s chambers. Silas walked over to it, signaling for the two wardens to go outside, and waited until they had closed the door.
“Da’ru is keen to gain your trust, especially after your interesting revelation back there,” he said. “The next time you see something that you cannot explain, I expect you to keep it to yourself. The more you give Da’ru, the more she will take from you. That would be costly for both of us.”
“I gave her what she wanted,” said Kate. “Whatever happens, it will be no more than she deserves.”
“You saw something that was not meant for you,” said Silas. “Da’ru will not let this ‘foresight’ of yours pass easily. She has devoted her life to manipulating the veil and yet you have just shown more of a connection to it in one night than she has been able to develop across many years. She must decide if you are an asset or a threat. If she cannot control you, she will kill you, so you must stay here and you will be quiet. You have already drawn too much attention to yourself. As far as those guards out there are concerned, you will be as silent as the dead. Do you understand?” He waited for her to answer.
Kate nodded that she did.
“You are fortunate I was the one to escort you here,” said Silas. “Anyone else might have seen talk of the councilwoman’s death as treason and have taken action against you. People have been executed for far less in this place.”
Silas stood there for a moment, then he walked out of the cell and locked the door behind him without another word. Kate heard him giving orders to the wardens outside and she ran to the door, peering out through an eyehole set into the wood. Silas glanced at the eyehole from the other side, as if he knew she was standing there, then he turned and walked silently down a long empty corridor, leaving the two wardens to