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Will I now?
Could I betray the woman who gave me everything I have? Who gave me my sisters? Escaping Madame for the time being is a world apart from actively trying to take her down.
I see the reflection of my thoughts in Zaina’s golden eyes, and I know one thing for certain.
“For what it’s worth,” I tell her. “I don’t wish you had stayed dead.”
Recognizing the mess we’re both in has siphoned the anger from me, at least for now, leaving a trail of fatigue in its wake.
She nods but doesn’t respond.
“And to an extent, you weren’t wrong,” I add reluctantly. “I may not have gone directly against her, but I never would have thrown you in her line of fire, either.”
“I understand that now,” Zaina says.
She doesn’t comment on my vague use of the past tense, and she doesn’t ask me what I will do now.
Another beat of silence passes before I speak again. “You can’t honestly think that you can beat her, though, Zai. I’m not sure anyone can.”
“Maybe not any one person.” The way she says that makes me think back to the way Mother hid from Einar, and I wonder all over again what their history is.
Zaina doesn’t give me time to dwell on it before she moves on, though. “It hardly matters right now. First, we need to get you out of this mess.”
She sounds so confident, just like she always has. In spite of myself, in spite of all the mixed feelings I have about my sister, the barest edge of hope creeps in. “How exactly do you plan on doing that?”
She takes a deep, fortifying breath, like she knows I won’t like what she says next. “We might have a contact here in the palace.”
“Who?” My tone is sharper than I mean it to be.
“Remy.” She raises her eyebrows. “Or are we calling him Francis now?”
“You noticed that, too,” I say sardonically.
“It was rather hard to miss when he showed up in our suites.” At my confused look, she expounds. “How did you think I got you out of the dungeons so easily?”
“Oh, so he was in the very select group of people you felt needed to know you were alive,” I can’t help but say.
She shoots me a sideways glance. “Yes, well, I was rather limited in my options when you wound up in the dungeons.”
“Regardless, Remy — we’renotcalling him Francis — is the one who needs help from me.”
“So, we’ll need to find a way to hide you both…” Zaina doesn’t look alarmed, only contemplative. “Einar may have some ideas.”
“Is the great and all-knowing Zaina actually going to ask someone for help?” I mock.
She opens her mouth to respond, but she doesn’t get a chance to say a word before she’s interrupted by a heavy, authoritative knock at the door. My heart seizes in my chest.
Someone knows I’m here.
