"That's her!"
The voice cuts through the roar like an arrow. Ronnie. I hold my breath, praying I misheard. But his voice comes again. My sigil flares. I turn and find him a few rows up, pointing at me with pure triumph on his face.
"That's the healer! Jordan's sister!"
My ears ring. I whirl and come face-to-face with two guards. I snatch their amulets. Toss them aside. One guard's eyes widen. He falls. I force myself to move, but hands grab me from behind before I can take a step.
I kick. Thrash. The guard's grip doesn't loosen. He drags me toward the platform.
"She's one of them!" Ronnie screams.
My sigil flares at the sound of his voice and accusation. My feet pedal against the ground, kicking sprays of sand as I try to get out of the guard's grip and turn toward the agitator at the same time.
"One of whom, Ronald?" I shriek. "The children the Sages raised? How would you know that? Want to tell everyone where you grew up? Which room you slept in at the estate?"
He pales.
Sara would call this unbecoming of an empath. Cruel, even. I don't care. I'm dragged to the front of the platform, forced to my knees. A blade presses to my throat. I stop breathing. I don't dare look up toward the Sages. Can't risk drawing attention to Malachi and Kage.
Constantine's lips curve. "You are Ada, then. Jordan's sister. A healer, if that man is to be believed." His smile sharpens. "I'm sorry there's no room for you on the stage with your friends.Yet."
My eyes narrow, then fly to my friends. Naima and Cas are livid. Margot is panicked, staring at someone near the stage. I follow her gaze to Bastian, who’s standing there, shoulders back, expression drawn.
My sigil burns again. He doesn't look happy. But his eyes aren't empty like Arlo's. And he's not doing anything to stop this.
"The next traitor pains me, truly." Constantine's pout is theatrical. Disgusting. "This one has a gift he tried to bury. Every touch reveals recent memories. Every intimate touch..." He pauses for the crowd's murmur. "Reveals everything. Fortunately, Nicolas has a similar gift. And has been very thorough in his service to the Council."
My stomach drops. Nicolas. The Council member Bas was in love with. Bas, who has always had a poker face that could fool anyone, looks like he's fighting tears.
Guards close in. People he probably knows. People he called friends. All of this is sickening.
"I thought gifts didn't exist!" The words tear from my throat. "I thought the Council was against them! Why is Nicolas allowed to use his?"
The crowd stirs. Agitated. It doesn't matter whose side they're on. Noise is good. Distraction. Time. Anything that will help us.
Constantine's eyes narrow. "Silence!" He gestures to the guards. "Bring him up."
"Nicolas!" Bas breaks free, makes it halfway across before they catch him again. They cuff his wrist with ivory. He keeps fighting.
I reach for the bond, grasping for anything that'll keep me grounded. I let out a breath when I find it and feel the warmth. Then I hear gasps. Even Bas stops fighting and looks to the left. I turn and frown when I see a man in dark green and gold, like a Council member, walking over.
Constantine's strangled gasp beckons my attention. There's a look of awe on his face when he whispers, "Everlasting?"
My stomach lurches so hard, I double over. I hiss at the bite of the blade slicing into my neck. My hands land on the sand before my face hits.
I turn to look at this Everlasting. I don't know what I expected evil to look like. Not this. Not a regular man. There's nothing remarkable about him. And yet I can't look away.
"Why don't you tell him how you're his true heir?" someone shouts.
"Isn't that what you've been claiming?" yells another.
Constantine blanches. "No, no. I said I wished I were his heir!" His laugh is shaky. Desperate.
I look at Cato again. Watch the bottom of his cloak slowly fade. A mirage. Malachi's mirage. I bite back a laugh and push gratitude through the bond.
"Who did this?" Constantine roars, pointing at the spot Cato's image vanished from.
"Maybe it's the Everlasting punishing you for your lies!" someone yells.
