But she’s not done. “You both need to come with us for sequestering.”
“Sequestering?” Lucan straightens, hands still on my hips. The way he holds me feels protective, and I lean into him slightly.
“Indeed. This way.” She half turns, waiting for us to follow.
For a second, neither of us do. We share an uncertain look, as if searching for a way out of this…but there isn’t one.
Cheeks burning, I release him, ball my hands into fists, and lead the way. Lucan is close behind; he’s the only thing that lends me strength as we descend through the monastery.
We enter the large basement that I suspect is the same one Saipha and I were trapped in on the second night. Except this time, it doesn’t have the unnatural aroma of green dragon vapor. And, this time, it’s lit.
It’s empty, save for three cages.
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The cages, perfect cubes that are Lucan’s height and a half, almost look small in the center of this vast room. The floor is bare rock and compacted soil. The walls are stone and completely devoid of embellishments in the harsh, too-bright lamplight. The entrances to the three cages make a triangle shape, but the corners don’t touch.
“In.” The prelate opens one of the cages and gestures. We share a look, then both move. “Only one person per cage.”
I go first. Lucan is put into the cage to my right. I don’t miss how she almost seems to hesitate for a moment, as if reconsidering what she’s about to do.I hope she feels guilty. Lucan gives her a glare, sharing my hatred for her.
She locks his door and then comes to mine.
“You’re very good at locking me behind iron doors,” I say under my breath, staring up at her.
The prelate ignores my remark.
“Isola?” Saipha’s voice echoes in the room. “Lucan? What’s happening?” Two inquisitors escort her over, each with a hand on her elbow.
“Into the cage with you.” The prelate gestures to the final cage.
“What?” Saipha takes a step backward. “Why?”
“The three of you are under suspicion of being dragon cursed. You will be kept sequestered until the next challenge.”
“Until the next challenge?” I step forward, gripping the bars. “That’s days from now.”
“We are aware of the length of the Tribunal.” The prelate casts me a withering stare over her shoulder, tipping her head up enough that I can see under her hood. This time, one of her eyes is golden. Did I see incorrectly down in the Undercrust? A trickof the light? I certainly wasn’t in my right mind…
“Will you feed us? How will we go to the bathroom?” Saipha asks.
“You will be taken out as needed to attend to such matters. Supervised, of course,” the prelate says.
“As needed” may not be often if they’re not giving us very much food or water. My grip on the bars tightens. “Let my friends go. We both know I’m the one you’re suspicious of.” I wish I knew what I did to make her hate me so much, but I suspect she’s probably just like Cindel and believes I’m not really Valor Reborn.
“No.” She smirks slightly.
During our exchange, Saipha is locked in the third and final cage.
“Those keeping watch, stay. The rest of you to your posts,” the prelate commands. She follows a group out of the room and up the stairs the way we came, rather than through the secret door Saipha and I found.
Five other inquisitors remain and assume positions along the outer edge of the wall. Their cloaked forms are stark silhouettes against the pale walls turned almost white in the harsh lamplight.
“They can’t— You can’t really leave us in these cages.” Saipha is trembling like a leaf.How I wish I was able to get her some food. She goes to the back of her cage, closest to the wall, trying to get an inquisitor’s attention. “This is just some kind of test, right? Isola’s right: we’re not cursed!”
“Saipha,” I say firmly.
She ignores me, voice pitching higher. “If we were cursed, you would’ve seen it by now. Between the challenges and what we’ve been through here…” She moves from bar to bar, as if testing to see that each one is sturdy, her movements becoming frantic. I’ve never seen my usually steady friend look so terrified.
