With a sigh, my forehead thudded against the cool desk. The serum was showing progress, but it hadn’t delivered what I needed either. I reached for my research journal and recorded the results.
Before I could analyze and tinker with the formula further, the door creaked open. “Sidney?” Carlyle asked.
I didn’t turn or acknowledge him, too focused on my notes.
His footsteps approached behind me. “How have the trials progressed so far?”
I finished the end of a sentence before putting my quill down. “Several candidates were eliminated during the labyrinth trial. Fiorella Bernard fell to her own hubris. Lenore Fournier was killed by monsters. A few others… I couldn’t identify all of them.”
“Mathias hasn’t released the full casualty list?”
“No. Not yet.”
Silence thickened, settling over us like dust. I kept my attention fixed on my notes, tracing the same line twice, then again—anything to avoid the weight of his stare.
“And your position?”
“Secure. For now.” I finally met his gaze. “The Flask of Dominion continues to find me…entertaining.”
“And the list?”
“No one else on it is a part of the trials. They haven’t been eliminated yet, but…”
“Sidney, we discussed this.”
“I’ll take care of it. I just didn’t have an opportunity.”
“Good.” Satisfaction colored his tone.
“I‘m all right as well,” I added. His eyes narrowed at the change of topic. “I faced death in the first trial and in front of the Flask. My injuries were not too severe.”
“Did you find Zane?”
The mention of his name sent a vibrant spark through my chest. It was a secret bloom of warmth, a quiet hum of joy that settled deep in my marrow.
“Ah.” The syllable was short, clipped, as he studied the lines of my face. “You seem different, Sidney. Lighter, somehow. Almost…” He paused, something flickering across his expression. “Happy.”
I broke eye contact first, turning to the workbench to cork the serum vial. My pulse hammered against my skin as I scrawled a label with shaking fingers. The remaining liquid within quaked as I slotted the vial into the rack with the other failures.
He circled my work bench, forcing me to face him again. “Something has changed for you.” The statement was flat, leaving no room for retreat. “I trained you. I carvedthat mask myself, and I can see right through it. I see it in the tension you’ve lost and the way you hold yourself.” He gestured dismissively at my face. “You haven’t smiled since you were last with Zane. And yet, here you are, shouting the truth without a word.”
His words cut with sharp precision. My gut twisted. This wasn't our familiar rhythm anymore. Ice had crept between us while I wasn’t watching.
The silence stretched between us for too long. My mouth opened and closed as I struggled to form words. Admitting what I’d just shared with Zane felt like betrayal, but denial meant I would lie to my mentor, and the weight of fatigue on my shoulders worsened as I considered which path was the lesser evil.
“You’ve seen him.” Carlyle’s voice dropped into a dangerous register as he made the decision for me. “Haven’t you?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
Picking up an empty glass vial, his expression hardened. “I see.”
“He is still himself, despite the change.”
“You can’t trust him.” Carlyle’s tone rose in outrage as he spoke. “He’s a monster now, like all the rest of them!”
The tube shattered in his grip, and glass skittered across the floor. Blood welled along his palm. The scent of copper threaded through my nostrils. My fangs throbbed with need.
I hissed under my breath and crossed the room, snatching a towel from the washstand. “Hold still.” I picked the remaining shards from his skin before wrapping his hand firmly and sweeping the glittering fragments into the trash.
