Then Holloway’s voice cuts through again. “Now that you’ve all found your footing, we’ll put it into practice. Please turn to your neighbour, we’re going to test your ability to speak truth. Remember, Truth Strings cannot be forced. This is not an interrogation. Begin with a statement. When both partners are comfortable, then try a longer conversation.”
I turn. Beth’s already facing me. Eyes narrow, her stare slices through me like she already knows exactly what I’m thinking and she’s just waiting for me to crack. Because she saw what I did yesterday, she knows I tried to run.
A violent snap under my skin as my Threads shift, spreading wider, higher, now, looking for space to fill. I swallow hard and force them down as she opens her mouth, already grinning.
“I’m sad the dragon didn’t kill you yesterday.” She mocks as a thin, perfectly shaped Thread slips from her lips, glowing, weightless, beautiful in a way that doesn’t match the venom in her voice.
It twists through the air, crossing the short gap between us, landing on my chest, slipping through my shirt and into my skin. It’s warm, too warm, like a memory I didn’t ask for.
At first nothing, but then something pulls low in my gut.Solid. And I know it’s true. Not that I needed a Truth String to tell me. But still, fuck. It's real. It’s strong. I've never felt anything like it?—
“But...” Beth continues. “I’m more disappointed it didn’t kill Ryven.”
Another casual flick of her mouth, another String. Okay, wasn't expecting that. She tilts her head, noticing my surprise.
“I saw you with Ezzy. Figured you were just another one of her desperate pet project. But when you took down Ryven during that demo? That was something. Ballsy. I respect that. You’ve got nerve to speak out, it’s a rare thing around here.” Another String, spun lazy as smoke, floats between us and sinks into my skin as she leans back, crossing her arms. “Okay. Now your turn.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Magic rushes up my spine, flaring like they want to answer for me, but I shift in my seat, fingers digging into my thighs, grounding myself, keeping them locked down just a bit longer till I can find Finn.
Because, shit, I know she means it. Every word. Every String. The one about wanting me dead? True. The one about Ryven? Also true.
But that last one...
Respect.
She means it. And that’s a problem.
Up until five minutes ago, I had Beth boxed up and labelled: Innerlander brat with a vendetta, probably because of something Talen told her, definitely looked like she wanted to throat-punch me every time we crossed paths.
I don’t know what her angle is. Maybe this is just who she is, too blunt to fake it. I could shut her out, stay quiet, keep pretending the safest move is distance...
But she seems close to Talen, I’m sure she knows things I don’t. And I need answers. Answers I’m not going to get by being on the outside of every conversation.
Doesn’t mean I like her, doesn’t mean I trust her. But I need leverage, information, allies, even unlikely ones. So I test her.
“I think you have a resting bitch face,” I say as a string slides off my tongue. Rougher than hers. A little crooked. But still true. She grins when it hits so I follow it up with another. “But I won’t tell anyone I saw you take a shortcut through the tunnels, that you skipped interrogation.” Another string.
She arches a brow, but doesn’t deny it.
“I think you still smell like the Outerlands.” Her nose wrinkles, then she grins. “But I won’t tell anyone I saw you run.”String.
This time I smile. “I don't think I dislike you,” I reply.String.
Beth’s grin widens, slow and sly, like we’re playing a game no one else understands.
We keep talking for the rest of class. She’s still sharp-edged and sarcastic, but she doesn’t hold back. Doesn’t pretend.
She tells me her mother died when she was a kid. Raised by a stepmother who, by the sounds of it, makes Beth look like the nice one. Didn't think that was possible, but the Truth String held.
I don’t get it. Not really. She doesn’t seem like the type to share anything with anyone. I’ll take it though, if it means I get answers. I just have to keep her talking, to manipulate her so I can get what I want.
But the guilt crawls in. Sour and harsh at the back of my mouth, my Threads rise with it, magic hot and restless. I exhale through my nose, grounding again, trying to stay calm but it’s Ezzy all over again, pretending to connect while quietly digging for leverage.
But this isn't Ezzy, it's Beth. I can use her, right? Although compared to Ezzy, if Beth ever found out, I have no doubt she’d gut me then and there. I haven’t even seen her Threads yet, but something in the way she holds herself tells me I don’t want to.
And still, the other option is to keep my walls up and lose a potential resource?
