Cade’s throat bobbed. His eyes moved to the ground. “I know.”
“I know I’m not powerful.” Cassia’s voice cracked. The admission was one she actively avoided, even to herself. But she knew it was the one thing she could say to get Cade to actually listen to her. “And I know I can’t do extraordinary things like Finn or Delphine, but I want to help…”
Suddenly, Cade whipped his head toward the black, spiked door in the center of the courtyard. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Cassia asked, hearing nothing but static coming from the entrance to the gate.
Face pale, Cade’s eyes darted around the courtyard. “I swear I heard…”
Cassia grabbed his arm when he didn’t finish his sentence. A trickle of anxiety went up her spine. She’d never seen her brother so rattled. “Are you okay?”
Cade squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. After a long moment, he grunted. “Let’s just get down there.”
Without a backwards glance, he strode forward and flung open the door. The torches lining the winding stairs flickered on and off as he passed each one. Cassia hurried after him, confused by his sudden change in demeanor. They had been the only two people in the courtyard. The deeper they went, the more goosebumps erupted on her arms.
In front of her, Cade sucked in a breath and fell against the stone. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the rough wall. “She’s screaming!” he bellowed frantically. “You don’t hear that?”
“No one is screaming,” Cassia answered as he darted down the staircase, following something she couldn’t hear. She took off after him, nearly sliding down the steps from her speed, but still never catching up. When Cassia reached the bottom step, she slammed into his back. She grabbed Cade’s arm to keep from falling.
Only a Shaman, a guard, Alexia, and their father stood around the gate. The stone vibrated and glowed as the Shaman prepared it for Alexia’s crossing. Out of breath, Cassia asked, “What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know,” Cade mumbled. His entire body trembled as he stared at the gate.
“That was quite an entrance,” their father said. He spared Cade a second glance. Cassia could have sworn there was a tiny hint of concern. Gripping his rune dagger, he continued, “I’m surprised to see you two together.”
Cade kept staring at the gate, transfixed and frozen with something akin to… anticipation. Which frightened Cassia more than anything. Only one voice could pull that reaction from him. What exactly had he heard? And if Bridget was somehow on the other side of the gate…
She didn’t have more time to ponder it, though, with their father now staring them down. Clearing her throat, she answered, “It wasn’t planned. We ran into each other in the courtyard.”
Their father shrugged, and then turned to whisper something into his guard’s ear. Before Cassia could figure out what he was saying, Alexia caught her eye. The smirk on the other girl’s face made her stomach curl. “Is there something you have to say?” Cassia snapped.
The Andarrian girl shrugged, a little too smugly for Cassia’s taste. Especially since Cade’s face was still pale.
Their father snapped his fingers. “We’re ready. Let’s get this over with,” he grunted, motioning Alexia forward. Before the guard reached her, she turned to Cassia.
“Yesterday, you wanted to know I chose the gate.”
“Does it matter?” Cassia whispered, avoiding their father’s gaze. “In a few minutes, you won’t even remember your own name.”
She grabbed Cade’s arm and tried to drag him out of his trance. Whatever secrets Alexia thought she could dangle in front of them, Cassia didn’t care anymore. All she could hear was the shrill warning screaming through her bones that something was about to go very wrong.
Alexia smiled, slow and knowing. “Are you sure about that?”
Beside her, Cade stiffened and finally took his eyes off the gate. “What are you talking about?”
“I told you…” Cassia began, stopping when the guard stepped between her and Cade to grab Alexia and drag her forward.
Cade held the Andarrian girl back, despite the guard’s protests. “Tell me what you know,” he demanded.
Their father let out a growl that reverberated over the gate’s drowning hum. “Enough. I’ve given you more than enough time to get what you want from her... and you still haven’t shown any gratitude.” To the Shaman, he ordered, “Hurry up and get on with it.”
The Shaman nodded. Moments later, the gate began to vibrate more than ever before, and the echoing whirl almost brought Cassia to her knees. Over the noise, she barely heard Alexia’s next words.
“Maybe I know something you don’t. Maybe the rune on my skin protects humans from the curse. Either way, I have a feeling you’ll find out soon enough.” The guard pushed Alexia toward the gate. She stumbled, then dug her feet into the dirt before she careened into the stone head first. Sneaking a look at Cade over her shoulder, she asked, “Where do you think I should look for Bridget first?”
“You’re bluffing,” Cassia said, though the words tasted thin. Alexia wouldn’t make it through the gate with her memories… it was impossible. And yet, the certainty in her eyes made Cassia’s pulse spike.
The lanterns around the gate flickered.Bridget is dead.Cassia wanted to scream it, wanted to force Cade to hear it, to stop haunting himself with false hope that he would see her again. But the lie wouldn’t help, not when Cade’s fist was already raised, magic coiling tight around it, ready to snap Alexia’s throat from across the room.
