The Hunt - Megan Shepherd Page 0,42
was heavy and wooden. A throne. Cells made of stone and wooden beams, as in a medieval castle.
“What is this place?”
“An abandoned menagerie. The Council sometimes uses it for private interrogations, as its observation panels have been turned off. Fortunately, the Council specifically requested you be interrogated without anyone’s knowledge. They do not know I am speaking with you right now.”
“Interrogated for what?”
“A few days ago, I formally initiated the application process to sponsor a human participant in the Gauntlet. It caused a stir, as I had anticipated.” He paced the length of the room. “There are six other candidates who have submitted applications. Two Scoates. Three Conmarines. One Temporal.”
He glanced toward the doorway, as though he feared being overheard. “The Council made it known they would prefer no human participants this time, but they cannot legally prevent it. They demanded to know the name of the human competitor I was sponsoring. I refused to tell them. Now they are systematically interrogating some of the more problematic humans. Arrowal is leading the effort. He is the Kindred’s chief delegate, which means he will also be the Kindred’s Chief Assessor for the Gauntlet. Fortunately, Fian is his second in command.”
He nodded to Fian, who turned to Cora. “Arrowal wishes to locate this individual before the testing begins, when it will be too late to stop that person’s participation. Your name, among others, was mentioned as that of a potential agitator.”
“Why?” Cora asked. “I’ve done everything they’ve asked. I’ve sung on cue and haven’t broken any rules.”
Cassian exchanged a long look with Fian. “They found out the truth about your previous enclosure. That it failed because of your escape attempt.”
“How?” she breathed. “I thought you hid that information.”
“Somehow, someone found out.”
Cora swallowed. “One of their spies.”
Cassian nodded slowly. “I warned you the Council could have watchers stationed anywhere. It seems my fears were correct. They have narrowed down the list of potential agitators to six, which means they will be watching you even more closely. Mali is on the list as well, and Anya, and Rolf—”
Cora jumped on the name. “Rolf?” Among all of them in the cage, he had been the least troublesome to the Kindred. “Why, what has he done?”
Cassian folded his hands. “Your concern right now is not to give the Council any further cause to distrust you. Dane submits regular reports about all of your behavior to the hostess. Tessela can filter them, but only so much. Now that you and Mali are on the list, they will be watching the Hunt even more carefully.”
Cora was silent. She pinched herself harder.
Cassian frowned. “You are in pain.”
She folded her arms to hide how she was pinching herself. “Just a headache.”
“Headaches can be serious, when you’re dealing with perceptive abilities.”
She swallowed harder, thinking of how blood had flowed from her nose when she’d broken out of her cell. “Is that what happened to Anya? Her mind ruptured?”
“We did not realize we were doing any damage. We thought the nosebleeds and the headaches were minor side effects, not lasting—that is why we have been so careful not to push you during trainings. With Anya, it got much worse. She started to hear voices.”
“Voices?” Maybe that voiceless whisper last night really was in her head—the first symptom of a brain rupture.
“Fian will return you to the Hunt,” Cassian said. “Be cautious; do not give Arrowal a reason to suspect you any further.”
He turned to go.
“Wait,” she blurted out. “I need to ask you about something. Lucky found a code one of the other boys left behind. POD30.1.”
A ripple of confusion passed over Cassian’s face. He glanced back at Fian. “That is impossible.”
“It means there’s just a thirty point one percent chance Earth is gone, doesn’t it? Not ninety-eight point six?”
“The information must be incorrect,” he said, but there was a waver in his voice.
“Did you actually see the algorithm readout that said ninety-eight point six percent? If the Council is so dead set on us never gaining freedom, couldn’t someone have tampered with it to make it seem like Earth was gone?”
Again, he looked hesitant.
“Look into it,” she said. “Please.”
He gave a slight nod, then said a few words to Fian in their language. “Fian will return you now. But, Cora, one last thing. I’ve read some of Dane’s reports myself. He says you and Lucky are still very close.” No emotion crossed his face, and yet slowly, his right hand curled. “I cannot tell you what to do, but I would