My feet won’t move.
I glance down, heart banging as I see the shimmer of the tiles beneath me. Invisible snakes grip my legs, locking me in place. I yank one leg, then the next, but they’re stuck. Frozen.
“Let me go!” I scream, the words echoing back to me.
Sabine’s laughter is soft. “Always so dramatic,” she muses, waving a hand. “Malcolm will be here and you’ll be free to resume my game soon enough. But first, a surprise.”
A deafening ticking sound fills the air, rhythmic, jarring, and continuous. My head snaps toward the far wall. A towering grandfather clock looms. That wasn’t there before. The dark wood is carved with glowing runes that pulse like a heartbeat. Sabine claps, and the serpentine clock hands spin backward, faster and faster. The ticking gets louder, sharper, until it’s pounding in my ears like a battle drum.
The clock face splits open with a rumbling crack, quaking the room. Blinding white light floods the space, illuminating the spinning gears inside and the twisted paintings and statues in the room with a harsh glow.
Then the blood comes.
It gushes from the clock, thick and bright, splattering the tiles with a repulsing metallic scent. My stomach knots violently. God, no. Please don’t let that be Malcolm’s blood.
The liquid rises, spinning upward in a grotesque dance before solidifying. My breath catches as the gory figure takes shape—golden hair shining like molten sunlight, spun into a flawless braid threaded with ribbons of gold.
“Ariella.” Her name comes out in a trembling whisper.
She smiles, her chin pointing in my direction like a polished blade. “Did you miss me, Emma?”
The gold brocade of her gown clings to her tiny waist, cascading in a waterfall toward a hem stitched with crimson threads and rubies that shimmer like blood. Chains of gold line her shoulders, and the high collar clutches her neck like a jeweled noose.
“You…” My voice shakes with rage as I stumble over my words, glaring at Sabine before my eyes shift back to Ariella. “Why are you helping her? How could you?”
Her laugh is sharp, musical, and cuts through me like glass. “Oh, Emma. I would do anything for family.” She steps closer, the blood-soaked trim of her gown trailing behind her. The blood streaming from within the clock retreats, rolling back into the clock as she twirls the ribbon in her hair. “Did I break your precious little heart?”
“You’re just as twisted as Sabine!” I yell.
“Thank you. I’ve always wanted to make Mommy proud,” she says sweetly, her tone like sugar and poison.
My chest clenches. “That can’t be.” I think of what I read online. “Sabine didn’t have any daughters.”
She grins. “None that I allowed people to know about. I kept my daughter tucked away, hidden in time and out of reach from my enemies. But she insisted on greeting you face-to-face.”
Betrayal burns hotter than any punishment Sabine could dream up, slicing through me with a pain sharper than any dagger. Ariella—my best friend. Sabine’s daughter. The girl who held me when I cried, who promised we’d stick together, swore we’d stand side by side no matter what.
Now, she’s standing with my enemy. “You spied on me,” I whisper, my voice breaking like my heart. “For her?”
She shrugs, tilting her head slightly. “It was fun. I deserve an award for that performance.”
“You’re a coward!” I say, my fists clenched so tightly my nails dig into my palms. “Hiding behind that witch like a lapdog.”
Sabine chuckles, pointing to my Tether. “And yet, you’re the one being dragged along on my leash.”
Ariella laughs, leaning closer. “Oh, Emma. Did you really think someonelike you mattered? You were a tool. A distraction. A job.” Her smile widens, her voice becomes dreamy. “But Malcolm? If you die, I’ll be the one to comfort him. Don’t you think he’d look better by my side anyway?” She giggles. “I’m already planning our ‘accidental’ introduction.”
Rage boils over, white-hot and overwhelming. My legs won’t move, so I grab the closest object—a golden picture frame. With a cry, I toss it at her.
The frame freezes in midair, floating an inch from her face. Ariella giggles, snapping her fingers. It disintegrates into ash, which spins in a tornado before swirling into a swarm of mosquitoes. They dart at me, biting, stinging, until she snaps her fingers again, and they disappear.
“Pathetic,” she hisses, spinning on her heel. “You always have been.” Her gown flares like molten gold as she strides away, her voice swollen with mock pity. “Silly Emma, you should’ve known—friendship is just a stepping stone.” She sighs, almost wistful, then adds, “Ashes to ashes, dust to… well, you.” She gives me mocking syrupy smile. “Good luck with the Tether. You’ll need it.”
With a snap of her fingers, she disappears in a swirl of golden light.
Sabine’s slow clap rings in my ears as I glance at my family. I was so focused on my rage for Ariella that I couldn’t see my mother’s tears as she sat bound and gagged. She loved Ariella too. This was a blow to my entire family.
“Bravo, Emma,” Sabine cheers. “That fiery spirit is why I chose you… But darling, I fear my dear Ariella might be right. You’re naïve, and hopelessly out of your league. Maybe my Tether will do you a favor and put you out of your misery.”
