The only other female among us, other than Winslet, caught my gaze and winked. “Lolli says hi.”
My eyes narrowed.
“Attention,” the guard called.
All of us jumped into the correct formation and pose. Mr. Vyle entered the room, wearing his customary suit, looking quite dapper. Chipper, even. He motioned to another guard, who entered with a large box. “Each of you pick a weapon.”
When my turn came, I peered into the box. Everything we’d trained with and more. What were we going to do with these?
Nervous sweat beaded my brow as a thousand scenarios dashed through my mind. We’d either act as a team or fight as individuals. Maybe feeders would flood the room, and we’d need to kill or capture as many as possible. Worst case, we’d be forced to interrogate a glower in front of everyone.
I selected the netter, the most familiar to me—and the least damaging to others.
“We have a problem,” Mr. Vyle announced. “There are twenty of you, but we need only fifteen.”
Tensions rose in an instant.
“You will take care of the problem however you deem best.” He adjusted the lapels of his jacket, merciless. “But rest assured, no one leaves this room until five of you are dead.”
With a pointed glance at me, he strode from the room. The door closed behind him, sealing us in.
Chapter Eighteen
The road to destruction can be smooth, worn by its many travelers, while the road to victory is fraught with opposition; trust me, and I’ll make a way through.
—The Book of Soal1.19.118.8
Shock rippled through the enclosure in a series of lightning strikes. We stood frozen, all of us wide eyed, darting our focus from one face to the next, silently begging someone to tell us we’d misunderstood and didn’t really need to do what we were just ordered to do. The order echoed in my skull, too surreal to grasp, too atrocious to obey. This was Madness, plain and simple. The disease in action. CURED’s way.Astan’sway.
Did they hope to prove we’d do anything they commanded, no matter what, or did the reason go deeper?
If we did this, it would be cold-blooded assassination. The mass murder of innocents. I would not, under any circumstances, be part of that. Of course, I might die within the hour.
Whatever the consequences, remember?I jutted my chin and skimmed the weapons chosen by my foes. A dagger. A whip. A sword. A spear. A harbinger. A gun that released pain darts. A mini crossbow. A triwhip. A handheld pritis cannon. A throwing star. Plus things I didn’t recognize. I had the only netter, without an extra clip of ammo. Meaning, I had eight shots.
“No one strikes anyone else,” Roman announced, taking charge. Something he’d done since the beginning. “One at a time, we’ll state our accomplishments and qualifications, then allow others to ask questions. Anyone who attacks another before we conclude our discussion will die.”
It wasn’t a bad plan, but it failed to de-escalate tensions. On the contrary. The air crackled with anxiety as everyone backed away from everyone else, inadvertently forming a circle.
“No one needs to die,” I said, unwilling to hold my tongue. “This has got to be another test.” Yes, yes. A pop quiz, different than I’d originally assumed. “Think about it. They’re eager to prove we’ve learned our lesson after the last go around. Never act without certainty.” If we stuck together and refused to do this terrible thing, we had a chance. I drove my idea home. “They wouldn’t have picked us for this special assignment if they wanted us dead. Anyone who kills innocent people could be kicked out of the program.”
Many muttered their agreement.
“You know what I hear? Someone who should be one of the five,” the girl who’d spoken for Lolli piped up.
The same soldiers who’d agreed with me now nodded in agreement with her. Icy fingers of dread crawled over me, threatening to steal my good sense.
“She’s sleeping with the guy most likely to become king,” Miller snapped. “She’s exempt from this.”
An attempt to help me?
“No one is exempt,” the same girl retorted.
Others muttered their agreement. I prepared to respond. Until I noticed shadows slinking into the room, spilling from cracks in the walls. Then I sealed my lips. The gloom split, creating multiple paths, gliding over to check us out. I fought to hide my horror, while no one else reacted.
Revulsion eroded my calm as an obsidian tendril slithered up my leg and back to sniff my nape. It recoiled from me and swooped toLolli’s acolyte. It must have liked her scent better, because it nuzzled her. As it did so, it faded, as if being absorbed into her skin.
I shuddered. The same disappearing act happened to others as well, each shadow choosing a different soldier to ... inhabit? No horn had blasted, at least. And no one displayed an outward sign of what had just happened.
