the mixture of anger and fear. This man was absolutely terrifying. Under all my warring emotions, though, was a bit of relief. This was how things were supposed to play out. At least I had the small reassurance that things were falling into place as they should.
I focused on the anger boiling inside me, and I dug my fingernails into my palms. “My sister. Where is she?” I held his gaze without flinching, gritting my teeth so hard that pain shot up my jaw.
“Not one for small talk, eh?” Reaching for me with his massive hand, he dug his fingers into my shoulder and yanked me into the house. I stumbled inside a cavernous foyer, torches hanging from the walls of polished stone, and it took a few seconds before my eyes adjusted to the light.
“My sister,” I repeated, turning around to face him. I might have played straight into his hands, but there was a silver lining here—he was playing right into mine, and at least I’d have my answers sooner rather than later.
“I have a surprise for you.” Still grinning, Praznoor spun around and walked the length of the foyer. He didn’t indicate that I was supposed to follow him, but I did so anyway, venturing into a tunnel-like corridor. At the end of it was a locked door. With a quick gesture, Praznoor tapped the end of his scepter against the lock, and the latch clicked. “Go on, Maya. Isn’t this why you came here?”
Hesitantly, I walked past him. A lone torch illuminated the bed that occupied most of the room, and at its feet was a sturdy wooden chest. To the side, a tiny desk had been pushed against the wall, underneath a tiny window of stained glass.
“Maya?” The weak voice came from the shadows, and my heart almost jumped out of my chest. “Is that really you?”
“June?” I stepped forward to see my sister emerge at the far end of the room, a loose robe covering her spindly figure. Her disheveled hair had been cropped short, its ends barely touching her shoulders, and there were bags under her eyes. She had lost weight and everything about her screamed exhaustion. She had aged a full decade since I had last seen her. Still, a flicker of light flashed across her green eyes when she saw me.
“What are you doing here, Maya?”
“You’re alive!” I didn’t bother with answering her. I just rushed into her arms, hugging her so tightly that her ribs pressed against my forearms. A violent sob shook my whole body, and this time I didn’t fight back the tears. I just let them run freely.
“I...I don’t understand.” Pulling back from me, she rubbed the tears off of her face. “You shouldn’t be here, Maya.”
“Seems like one of you is surprised,” Praznoor said, his laughter filling the room as forcefully as the crack of a whip. “Aren’t you happy to see your sister, June?”
“What have you done?” June muttered, turning her attention to Praznoor. Her already pale complexion turned a ghostly white, and her voice became even weaker as she looked at him. “What is Maya doing here?”
“She didn’t believe you were dead,” Praznoor replied, and there was amusement in his tone. “That’s why I had to bring her here. Don’t look at me like that, June... After all, who’s to blame here? Had you not decided to answer the Holopad, your sister would have been none the wiser. But you did answer it, didn’t you?”
“Please...just let her go,” June pleaded, but that just made Praznoor’s smile widen wickedly.
“I don’t think so.” He took a deep breath, and then turned his gaze toward me. Again, I felt that cold shiver run up my spine. “See, Maya here is too smart for her own good. I can’t have her walking around spreading rumors. Don’t worry, though. I’m going to take good care of your sister, June. I’m going to make sure she’s as well trained as you are.”
With that, Praznoor turned on his heel, the hem of his dark robe whipping around his ankles. With a slight wave of his scepter, he made the door swing on its hinges, slamming itself against the doorframe with a bang.
“You shouldn’t have come,” June muttered again, her lips trembling as she embraced me. “I didn’t want you to get trapped here.”
“Don’t worry,” I whispered, “everything will be fine. I promise.” And there it was—another promise I wasn’t sure I could keep—but god, how I hoped it would all work