Vara rose with Arthur’s help, and brushed off her dress. “Can you think of any reason Gabby would target Kiara like this?”
“Yes.” My fingers cracked as my hands became fists. Some time ago, Gabby had poisoned Alexei. In revenge, Kiara had planted a cursed stone in her dormitory, one that hexed Gabby and caused her unbelievable pain. Emma had feared that Gabby would one day work out that it was Kiara who planted the stone in her dormitory, and take vengeance.
It had been so long ago when this happened— before we found the dragon stone. I had hoped Gabby had forgotten about it, or at the very least, had given up on trying to discover who had hurt her.
A foolish hope. Gabby never gave up when attempting to get back at someone who had wronged her. She did not forget.
“What happened?” Emma had awoken. She was still in her nightgown, a robe wrapped around her form. “I heard Kiara’s screams from three flights up. Is she—”
Emma saw Kiara’s mangled finger lying on the floor, and put a hand over her mouth. She backed away, a shaking hand reaching out to clutch the doorknob for support.
“A curse from Gabby,” I informed her. “I’m sorry to say she’s going to continue to hurt our friends unless we do something about it.”
Emma’s mouth became a thin line. “We’ll repay her for this.”
“I think you two are missing the obvious,” Arthur said. “We know Gabby has spies in the palace, but this was personal. Whoever planted that doll had access to Kiara’s room— and probably all of ours.”
“What are you saying?” Emma asked.
“There’s a traitor among us,” Arthur said darkly. “There has to be.”
My stomach quaked. A traitor. Which of our friends would be so cruel as to betray us, and join Gabby’s side? It seemed unfathomable.
But I knew Arthur had to be right. This wasn’t the act of a mere servant, but the actions of someone who knew us all well.
“We can’t go around accusing our friends. What does that say for our cause?” Emma denied Arthur’s accusations violently. She refused to believe it.
“You have to open your eyes,” Arthur insisted. “Gabby has received more information than she should. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to counter our attacks so well. She knew we were coming to Pruska, and how to defeat us. What’s more, she has insider access to our quarters and our movements. She counters our every move, and always seems one step ahead! There must be someone within our inner circle who is ferrying her intel. Nothing else makes sense.”
Emma shook her head, but logic forced me to see the light. There was no denying the truth.
There was a traitor among us— a friend who had turned their back on our cause, and decided to betray us all.
Yet who could it be?
Chapter Twelve
Emma
I’d been warned not to trust my friends once I became queen. But if I couldn’t trust my friends, I didn’t feel like I could trust anyone. The betrayer had to come fromoutsideour group, not within. I refused to believe anything different.
My friends loved me. They’d never turn their back on me. It just wasn’t possible.
Ethan was intent on rooting out the traitor, but I was focused on other matters. Mainly, I wanted to learn shadow manipulation, and how to use it against my enemies.
At this point in time, it was autumn. I was back in school, being taught by some of the most knowledgeable instructors Malovia had in order to finish my education.
The classes were dull, and not half as fun as Arcanea University. I didn’t think I could stand it if I didn’t have the girls learning alongside me. The four of us took classes in a beautiful room with large, elaborate windows in the west wing of the palace, though the lectures were long and boring. We spent more time goofing off and passing notes than we did actually learning anything.
It was Friday afternoon, and we girls were waiting in the palace study hall for our instructor to show up for our Advanced Illusions class. He was late, which was unusual, but all of us were grateful for the slight reprieve. Not one of us was looking forward to another one of Professor Elm’s prattling lectures in this sweltering classroom, which was more theory than actual practice.
The only one who paid attention was Kiara, though she’d struggled learning how to write again. Kiara had permanently lost her finger due to Gabby’s magic. I became enraged whenever I saw her injured hand, and felt more determined each time I did to take revenge for Kiara the moment I saw Gabby again.
“We should just ditch today,” Delmare said as she fanned herself with a book. “This is so boring.”
“A queen can’t skip school,” I argued.
“Why not? Queens can do as they wish,” Odette said. She was already packing away her things, in the hope that we’d take Delmare’s suggestion.
