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“No, not whattheycall you, but what isyourname?”
She frowned. It didn’t seem she was unwilling to say, more that my question confused her, as if she thought back to find an answer.
When she spoke, her voice came out low, as if she were speaking to herself again. “I don’t know, but I remember a name, one whispered to me in my dreams. I think it’s mine, or it was once. Or perhaps loneliness will curse a person until they create the things they crave the most.”
“What is it?”
The familiar black eyes locked with mine when she answered, my chest tightening as the truth became obvious, as it all came together.
“Lilianna.”
Which meant…this girl was Kit’s daughter.
* * **
Hours later, back in my cell, I struggled to decide if I should send a message to Kit about his daughter. I wanted to, and he deserved to know, but was now really the time?
Too much depended on our plan. What if Kit did something foolish when he found out? What if he couldn’t pass the message to Wade, then? What if his reaction caused a change in security that ruined the rest of our plan?
I would tell him, of course, but not until after we finished our plan. I’d make sure he knew, but with any luck, he’d be free along with her after the escape. With all the security measures down, every shade in Larkwood would have the chance to escape.
I sent up a silent apology for keeping it from him for now.
Pushing the thought aside, I focused instead on the door. They didn’t have guards here the way Larkwood did, not ones who patrolled the hallways. It was more like Medical, where they only used guards when moving shades. The rest of the time, the shades were locked up, so there wasn’t a point.
That gave me a good chance to move around without drawing any attention.
I took a deep breath, then held my hands out. The cuffs were annoying, but not all that troublesome. They’d put them on as if I had claws that needed to be covered. The way I used my powers, however, meant the cuffs didn’t do much to stop me. The false sense of security benefited me.
When I got to communications, I could probably get them off. I didn’t want to yet in case it tripped an alarm. For all I knew, they had sensors which would detect sounds large enough to cause damage.
I snapped my fingers, then twisted the sound and sent it into the door lock. It clicked and flashed green, opening for me with ease. The lights were lower, signaling nighttime. I doubted lowering the lights had anything to do with our comfort and was likely only because too much light would affect anybody and throw off hormones. I doubted they gave a damn about the wellbeing or happiness of the shades beyond their usefulness.
The darkness helped, though. It would allow me to move with less chance of getting caught.
I crept from my cell and headed in the opposite direction from Lilianna’s room. They’d brought me here unconscious, which meant I didn’t know the layout beyond what Deacon had told me, and his information was quite a bit out of date. Still, if I couldn’t go one way, the other only made sense.
I passed cells, but the shades inside them didn’t take notice of me. There were so many types, so many shades that sat there as if not aware or alive.They acted like the toys Lilianna called them.
I paused after moving past one, then went back. Inside sat a shade I recognized. It was the dragon shifter whose neck Kit had broken, Gerald. He didn’t sit in the room but paced. So far, he was the only one I’d seen moving at all.
I knocked on the door to get his attention.
He turned his head toward me, but he wasn’t the boy I’d seen before, the frightened one who had pled with Kit for help. I hadn’t understood Kit’s actions before, but now, after knowing what the North Tower really was, I struggled to condemn Kit as I once had.
If it was between dying painlessly as myself or living on as an empty shell?
I could see how death could be a kinder choice.
His eyes moved to me but held no recognition. It was as if he didn’t remember me, didn’t remember anything. He looked at me instead like prey, as if he considered just how to kill me.
It wasn’t out of anger, but rather reminded me of a wild animal, one who killed because it was what they did rather than out of any actual malice.That frightened me even more.
I swallowed hard at the look, but he blinked right after. Some sanity returned to his eyes. It made me wonder just how many times he’d had Lilianna consume parts of him. How much of him was still left?
“I saw you before,” he said, his voice muffled and rough.
I nodded and set my hand on the door. It wasn’t much, but I wanted him to have some comfort, to feel as though he wasn’t abandoned.
