I walked into the cage.
Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. Exhale.
I took another step, blocking out the triplets’ screams.
“You promised we wouldn’t get hurt—” one of them sobbed.
“No, I promisedIwouldn’t hurt you. Magnolia didn’t do the same.”
I picked the first sister, the one closest to me. I tried not to think about it, didn’t want to give a thought to which one I was deforming…
Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. Exhale.
Her screams pierced my ears as my fingers dug into her. She was moving too much, the other two trying to fight me off that it was taking longer than it should have.
“I’m sorry,” I mouthed, trying to block out the loud pop that echoed off the walls. A single tear rolled down my cheek, but it was nothing compared to her sobs as she fell onto her knees.
“Good job, Magnolia,” Dahes murmured from behind me. “Now give them the eye.”
I extended my hand to them, trying not to think about how sticky it was, but the triplets didn’t move. The one I deformed was hunched over, screaming. Blood was pouring down her face. It was all over my hand?—
Breathe. One. Two. Three. Four. Exhale.
I had to fight the urge to drop it.
“If you don’t take it,” Dahes warned, his voice lowering. “Magnolia will rip all of your eyes out.”
One of the sisters—one with both of her eyes—snatched the eye from me, and I quickly backed out of the cell. The second sister was bent over, rubbing the back of the one I ruined, whispering something softly to her.
“Now read me the same vision,” Dahes ordered.
“No.” The sister holding the eye glared at him. Her back was straight, her eyes narrowed.
“Magnolia, take her other eye.”
“No, no, no,” the girl sobbed, her scream echoing off the stone. “Please don’t—” She was still on her knees, her hand pressed to her face and her single eye had tears streaming down it. Her other hand lifted, like it would protect her from me.
“Fine,” the one standing in front of me said. “Just give her a second.”
“Stand, Nuna,” the other triplet urged, and her name rang in my ears.
Nuna—Kip and Nuna.
She was trembling as her sisters helped her stand. They were holding her up, each with searing looks of hatred that ate away at me.
“Tell me if everything is still aligned for the Solstice,” Dahes ordered.
My gaze strayed to Hael even though I told myself not to look. I knew what he was seeing. Nuna’s blood coating my fingers, chunks of something stuck underneath each nail bed.
I was amonster.
The sisters chanted in unison, passing Nuna’s eyes between them. When it was Nuna’s turn to hold it, she sobbed, her fingers shaking…
The chanting stopped and all three girls whipped their gazes to me. A chill ran through my bones before they turned to Dahes.
“The vision remains the same. As long as Hael fightswithyou, he will kill King Elion.”
“And the blade,” Dahes growled. “You said it would fall at my feet.”
