Ignoring him, I slice the letter opener I unearthed in one of the drawers through the last of my bedsheets. That makes twenty-seven strips between them and the curtains I wrestled from the rods, plus the towels I gathered from the closet. I glance up at Jude. “Your room is next.” Then I go back to tying two ragged pieces together, silk fraying in my hands.
JUDE: “You areremarkablydestructive for someone with the frame of an injured hummingbird.” He stalks after me but startles several steps back when I swing my letter opener at him.
RIVEN: “This little bird is on her wayout.” Fluttering my fingers at him in a wave, I throw the room’s glass doors open and skitter out onto the balcony I discovered beyond them.
JUDE: “Gods,stop. They’ll see you—”
Outside is a city that isnotthe District. Not that I can glean much of it in the dark—only mountains in the distance and the crash of nearby waves.
And hundreds of faces smothering the glowing Playhouse gates below.
They shriek a greeting at the sight of Jude chasing me onto the balcony, but the screams quiet into confused whispers when I loop the end of a silk sheet over the marble railing and start tying what used to be towels around my torso. I’m ready to launch myself over the ledge when a strong hand grips my makeshift halter and throws me back onto steady ground.
“You will be apile of bonesif you try that.”
I swear and catch my balance on the railing, pondering how hard it might be to push Jude over it.
JUDE: “I sincerely thought keeping you alive would be a matter of protecting you from the other Players, but clearly we have to addyouto the list.” He turns to the crowds.“Leave.”
His voice travels with the warmth of the wind. A glassiness drapes over the faces below and, without another word, they disperse.
We’ve most certainly moved deep into South Theatron, then. No one is marked to resist his Compulsion. Those below belong to the cult that worships these monsters.
“Where are we?” I demand, certain I don’t want the answer.
“Koilon. The coast.”
My heart sinks. We’re hundreds of miles from the District. A marked is less likely to get executed here and more liable to be hunted for sport until they find their way to the unfortunate place of a Dionysian altar.
“But…” I shake my head. “Buthow?” I wave my arms at the crowd as they dazedly scatter, wondering if any of them have a clear thought in their heads. “How can a buildingmove?”
“The Playhouse is not a building,” Jude protests, like this is common knowledge.“It’s aset piece. And the world, our stage. Set pieces can be moved wherever I wish to perform.” He shrugs. “The Playhouse is more illusion than material. The ‘moving’of it all is mostly just for spectacle.”
I glare at him, still confused.
Jude gestures to the doors. “Why don’t we talk about this inside?”
“I’d like to see you tr—Hey!” I shout as Jude plucks my makeshift rope off the floor like a leash and prowls inside, dragging me with him.
Below, the ground shakes with the gong of an old clock striking midnight. I picture the one I spotted in the Playhouse foyer, encased in white marble.
Overhead, the lights dim. Jude throws a nervous glance at the candles as they flicker. “We don’t have much time, so I’ll make this quick. First, you’re meant to sign that.” He points to a slip of parchment on the vanity, and my eyes widen.
IknowI shredded that contract into tiny pieces fifteen minutes ago.
I pause to look around. The remnants of bedsheets I destroyed no longer clutter the floor. The curtains are fastened cleanly back in place over the window. “No,” I breathe, running to the closet and throwing it open.
There, folded and stacked neatly where I’d found them, are the towels. A frustrated, strangled sound escapes my throat as I rush back into the room, only to find my makeshift rope has disappeared, too.
Jude shrugs. “The set doesn’t like being messed with.”
A strange, soft murmuring emanates from the vanity mirror behind Jude. I jump, pointing an accusing finger at the glass. “And what is that? Why is it making that noise?”
JUDE: “Prayers. Not everyone is as unwelcoming as you vile creatures beyond the Cut.”
I stare at Jude, then the glass, unsure which I trust less. I shouldn’t be surprised by this, but it’s horrifying to see in action. “You…you can actually hear those? Through mirrors?”
Haris will be thrilled.
