“I bet Lucan saw what I did, and last night after I was taken away, he smudged them so I couldn’t get any more advantages.” My fists shake with barely contained rage.
“Given how hard you said it was to get one, I’m not sure he could’ve.”
“He’s perfectly capable, I assure you,” I say, thinking of how easily he moved to dodge the dragon attacks.
“Spoken like someone who’s been carefully watching the way he moves.” Saipha calls me out.
“Only so I know the sort of person we’re up against.” My tone is way more defensive than I’d like.
Saipha scans the room to hide a smirk. “Well, whatever happened…it seems safe here, for now.”
Clearly, nights are the inquisitors’ hours. This is when they’re going to push us in whatever ways intrigue them. And here we are, exposed. I’ve no delusion that they’ll spare me if they come upon us, even having tested me last night. The Tribunal isn’t about one test—it’s about pushing us until we break. They say it’s the only way to ensure the safety of our city, but I can still feel that inquisitor’s baton under my chin. The way it was so, so obvious she wanted to hit me with it. I can’t help the thought that sheenjoyedwatching me suffer…
“Why don’t we check the other automatons, just to be sure?” Saipha says. “And then, if not—”
“If not, you go back to your room,” I say firmly, not wanting my friend to endure what I suffered last night.
“I’m not leaving you out here alone again.” Saipha folds her arms. “And the more you argue with me, the more time you’re going to waste.”
“Fine.” I move to another dragon.
One by one, we check the remaining dragons. Saipha helps memaneuver the panels off. I know, though, even before I look, all the sigils are gone based on the automatons not trying to tear our heads off.
“At least we have each other,” Saipha says in an attempt at optimism. I do appreciate her for it. “Let’s go to the greenhouse. The shed where you hid last night sounded defensible.”
I agree, and we make our way for the side door that I slipped through after learning the sigil last night. The stairway is quiet.
“Stay on your guard,” I whisper.
“Don’t have to tell me twice.” She sounds confident, despite being frustratingly unarmed.
One floor up, we find a dead end. I pause, blinking like my eyes can’t quite focus on what’s in front of me. I don’t remember this from last night, or when I was searching yesterday for a key. Eyes adjusting, I notice a door the same shade as the stone that surrounds it. I shake my head and push the door open, and I am met with a long, dark passage.
“Is this right?” Saipha steals my thoughts, sounding just as hesitant.
“I thought so…” I shake my head. “Let’s go back. We must’ve made a wrong turn.”
“Things can look different in the dark.” She gives me an encouraging smile, but it doesn’t spread across her face like normal. She’s doubting herself, too.
We turn around to retrace our path but only make it a short way before my heart begins to stutter and my steps falter. The flat hallway now feels as if there is a slope to it…a slight angle that wasn’t there before. I try to ignore the creeping sensation of dread and convince myself I must be mistaken. But I’m not. I know it.
Saipha sighs with relief when the door we entered through comes into view, but I’m still fighting to keep my breathing even and my fear in check, hopeful the changing slope was only myimagination. Back in the stairwell, we wind down and down. Hope is short-lived. My heartbeat picks up again.
“Was the central atrium this far down?” Saipha’s voice is strained.
“No… Something’s not right.”
We move faster. The walls of the stairwell begin to blur, lines warping. They seem to oscillate as if the monastery is a living, breathing thing, and we are being pulled to its core.
A flicker of light catches in the corner of my eye. I turn, but there’s nothing there. The air has gone cold, and it creeps down my spine, forcing me to fight shivers and chattering teeth.
“Where…are we?” Saipha presses even closer to me, and I immediately appreciate the warmth and security.
“I don’t know.”
The stairwell opens into a vast chamber. But it is certainlynotthe central atrium. The air is thick here, with the peaty smell of damp earth and…something else. Something sharp. Almost stomach-churning. It’s a strangely familiar aroma, but try as I might, I can’t seem to place it…
“We should go back.” Saipha staggers backward and out of view. It’s as if the shadows themselves have come to life, consuming her in one bite.
