Vera nods. “Two are broken as far as I can tell. We’ll bandage him up, and if he rests well it should heal without causing internal damage.”
Tanaka is cleaning up his face and neck with a washcloth and some sort of tincture. I watch their every move as they work. Hojo finishes patching me up quickly and goes over to help with Jax. Noire stands farther away from us in the corner, silent.
Vera’s struggling, I can tell. Just like I have grown to like Jax, to consider him part of our group, she did too. The betrayal hurts much more for her than it does for me.
She may have agreed to help him now, but I don’t think we’ll be able to recover from this. Not when the death penalty hangs above Jax’s head for the assassination.
I’m so lost in grieving our friendship that only recently started to bloom that I almost miss it.
Tanaka slips a small vial from the hidden pocket inside her dress into her palm, and swaps it with one from Vera’s stash. She brings the vial to Jax’s lips.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I get on my feet. Everyone stops what they’re doing, looking at me. Tanaka bats her eyelashes at me innocently as she lowers the hand that holds the mysterious vial. “What’s that in your hand? You didn’t take it from Vera’s medicine box.”
Tanaka’s perfect plump lips part. She looks completely lost as she glances between me and Vera. The perfect picture of innocence.
“Tanaka.” Vera’s voice is cold. “Explain. Now.”
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
PHOENIX
“It’s just a healing potion,” Tanaka says. Her voice quivers, eyes wide with worry. As a Caetra apprentice, she’s not good at lying. “I—I had it in my pocket because I put it there when we got here.”
“Don’t bullshit me,” I say. “I saw you swap the vial with the one from Vera’s medicine box.”
Tanaka ignores me and looks at Vera for support.
Vera stares at Tanaka. “What’s in the vial?”
“I told you?—”
Vera cuts her off. “Cut the damn bullshit and tell me what’s in the damn vial!”
Noire slowly approaches our group until he stands right behind Vera’s back, protectively.
Tanaka doesn’t answer.
Vera reaches an open palm towards her. “Give it to me.”
Horror flashes across Tanaka’s face. Her eyes dart between me and Vera as if she’s a scared little doe. She doesn’t give the vial to Vera.
“Give it to me.Now,” Vera repeats, her voice full of barely controlled anger.
Tanaka blinks and her eyes fill with tears. My heart sinks in that moment. Tanaka’s chin wobbles as tears roll down her beautiful doll-like face. Even when crying, she looks beautiful. Noire puts his hand on Vera’s shoulder and Vera shakes her head.
A realization dawns on me then.
“You,” I say to Tanaka. “You’re his agent, aren’t you?”
Tanaka doesn’t protest.
“You’re his spy in Vera’s house,” I say, furious. “His eyes and ears. All this time? Did Daegel ordered you to poison Jax?”
Tanaka’s lips part, but words get stuck in her throat.
“What’s in that bottle, Tanaka?” Vera’s voice is dangerously calm.
“I—I didn’t have a choice, Vera,” Tanaka says to Vera. “He was going to break my legs if I refused to work for him. I—I didn’t have a choice. I swear I didn’t want to?—”
