the walls, circling the room until I find the source of the merriment. At last, Killian and Sloan are dragged to the “stage,” the plateau at the top of the marble steps in front of the spa.
I’m expecting them, but the sight still horrifies me. I take a moment to study the scene.
The gold collar is still wrapped around Killian’s neck, trapping his spirit inside the Shell. A Shell that is now utterly flayed, flaps of skin hanging by threads. He is a beautiful but morbid sight, covered in so much Lifeblood he looks as if he’s bathed in glitter. His tongue...his tongue has been cut out—I know because it’s pinned to his shirt. His wrists are shackled to fetters even now being anchored to the columns beside him, his ankles bound to fetters on the ground.
His body forms an X. The Roman numeral for ten.
X marks the spot.
One of Sloan’s eyes is swollen shut. There’s blood matted in her hair and caked around her nose and mouth. She cried so much and so hard, her face is swollen, tear tracks having left welts on her cheeks. She, too, is shackled with fetters to form an X.
A third person is dragged onto the plateau, and I gasp. My father’s head is down and though he’s uninjured, his arms are fettered behind his back. His dark hair is rumpled, and tears stain his cheeks.
He’s placed a few feet away from Pearl, who looks like an angel. She’s wearing a ceremonial robe like the Troikans’, though hers is as white as snow, her pale hair falling to her waist in perfect waves.
Just then I’m struck by a truth so real it might as well be a bolt of lightning: there is no greater evil than the one that cloaks itself in virtue.
Pearl doesn’t waste any time. She lifts a gun, aims and squeezes the trigger. The loud boom causes the crowd to go quiet. My dad’s body jerks, and he collapses. “This man attempted to cheat his contract, and such behavior will never be tolerated.”
Another gasp escapes me, and my hands fly up to cover my mouth. My dad lands on the ground and stays down, his eyes open but unfocused, a quarter-size hole leaking blood between his eyes. Nausea churns in my belly, and my knees begin to knock. He’s dead. My father is dead. Just. Like. That.
Tears begin to pour down my cheeks. I might not have liked the man, and he might have tried to kill me—this might be what he deserves—but the little girl I used to be still loved him. That little girl will always love him.
“I’m so sorry, Ten.” Deacon gives my shoulder an awkward pat, as if he doesn’t know how to offer comfort. “I had no idea she had your father.”
My hands fall to my sides and fist. Meanwhile, the crowd cheers as if she’s said something amazing.
Pearl peers into the camera and smiles. “If you sign with Troika, they die.”
She’s speaking directly to me. She knew I’d be watching, because she’d taken great pains to spread the word this morning.
The cheers from the crowd grow louder. I think I hear a few shouts of protest.
Oh, yes. I do. Multiple people are holding HART signs that read What If You’re Next? Stop the Madness!
Pearl holds up her hand in a bid for silence and finally addresses the masses. “I come to you with a heavy heart.” Her voice—now soothing—drifts through the living room. “Myriad’s love for you is boundless and as always we want only the best for you. Yet here I stand, admitting we failed you. The two traitors beside me were welcomed into our fold only to betray us—betray you—to Troika, the enemy intent on our destruction.”
A chorus of “boo” erupts.
She places her hand over her heart. “These two tried to hurt you, my people, my family, and that will never be tolerated. I will always fight for you—fight for what’s right for you, what’s best. Today, the traitors will face my wrath. Their attempts to harm those under my protection will end.”
Cheers again.
Fools! How can they not see the villain she is?
Who am I kidding? I missed it for years.
She looks straight into the camera, as if she’s peering straight into my soul. “We will proceed...unless anyone wishes to raise an objection?”
“We go now,” I tell Deacon. “We can’t wait for Archer any longer.”
He doesn’t protest, and I’m grateful. “All you have to do is survive, Ten. She won’t hurt them