ily

my left ear, where the tiny battery inside my jammer was hidden. If he moved his hand just a little to th

girl?" Thane whispered. His breath

e I even got to my feet. Should I pretend to be stupid? He

s about to be exposed, a good con ar

. I squeezed them shut as if his words had hurt me

2019," I said, my voice breaking. I opened my eyes and let the anger show. "I was watching the cameras because I'm scared, my lord.

rip and stumbled backward a

seconds, the entire Atrium seemed to go silent. I could hear the faint hum of the blue crystal s

ant an exit, Vane, the ravine is thirty feet behind you," he said without emotion. "Ju

hat my chest hurt, but I kept my relief hidden. I stayed on my hands and knees until th

't going t

ong themselves. I slipped into a narrow space beside a gargoyle statue and counted down from eight, w

ide and quietly closed it behind me. The noise from the Keep faded at o

ng the rough stone ceiling. This was the hidden part of the Obsidi

tears on my cheeks as I passed beneath a shaking steam pipe and entered the second boiler room. A young ma

rr

orehead. The moment he saw me, a warm smile spread across

t me a little comfort in that awful place. "I was starti

my knees began to weaken. The rush of fear and excitement w

replaced by the sharp, dangerous leader of the Syndicate's northern

lower Atrium,

ing in my jaw stopped. My body's natural signals returned as the jammer shut down. My temperature settled, and my heart rate returned to

ubbing the sore skin behind my ear. "He's sharp, Jarrah. Scarily sharp. He

me a small canteen of water. "They're not just rich, Kirri.

different from the blueprints you gave me in Sydney. There's more than a biometric

er so the workers nearby wouldn't hear u

pulled out a smooth black cylinder

I asked, studyi

system will focus on tracking the initiates. While Thane and the other heirs are busy fighting for their pla

y three layers of runes. Even if I shut down the crystal, I still ca

get a sample from an ice dragon. My cell spent three years forging your academic records and getting you into this place. We're not leaving empty-handed. That

had rescued me from the streets when I was twelve. He had fed me, trained me, and taught me how to read p

ipping it into the hidden pocket inside my boot.

to the dorms before room inspection. Remember, look weak, keep your head down

he tattoo behind my ear. I press

again, harder this time, digg

ck so

r. Pain burst across the left side of my head, so sharp that my

rushing to my side an

led my head, making my teeth vibrate. The skin beneath my ta

arrah, the scan in the courtyard must have damaged it. The

ash. The temperature in the boiler room dropped so quickly that my breath turned white. Steam froze i

e stood at the top

e Co

ht I smelled a burning rat," he said. His voice carried the force of his dra