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With a shriek, she dropped the shank, and I increased the
pressure, forcing her to her knees.
My attack lasted seconds. By the time her gang recovered
from their surprise, she was at my mercy.
“Keep your distance or I’ll break her arm,” I ordered.
They hesitated. Without their leader, they didn’t know what
to do. I met the Black Sergeant’s gaze. He nodded.
“I’ll make this simple,” I said to the others. “Stay away from
me or you’ll end up like her.” Pinching my finger and thumb,
I sent a fresh wave of agony up her arm.
She screamed and writhed on the ground. I waited until
she passed out, then released my grip. Standing over her prone
form, I made eye contact with each woman. No one chal-
lenged me.
Satisfied, I picked up the shank and joined the Black Ser-
geant. He hadn’t moved from his post. I handed him the
weapon.
“Impressive,” he said. “Too bad those moves won’t work
for you tomorrow.”
I hoped I wouldn’t be here then. Because he was right.
Back in my cell, I waited. It occurred to me that most of the
time needed to carry out a mission involved waiting. And the
inactivity wore on my nerves. Finally, after confirming the
LT’s departure for the evening and listening for the midnight
check to finish, I prepared for my foray into the SMU. Even
though I had lost the tools and weapons in my clothes, I still
had a few tricks up my sleeve. Well… Not quite my sleeve.
I pulled my jumpsuit down and dug my fingernails into
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the skin on the outside of my right thigh, peeling away the
strange putty Valek used to cover the lock picks glued there.
He had matched my coloring so well, two strip searches hadn’t
discovered it.
On my left thigh, I uncovered a few other surprises. Once
all my goodies were in their proper places, I lay on the bed, or rather the metal shelf covered with a thin mat, and sang one
of my favorite songs off-key. Happy my voice didn’t warble
with the nervous fear humming in my blood, I belted out the
lyrics.
“All right, songbird, quit the concert,” the CO ordered
through the bars.
“No.” I started the second verse.
She grumbled something about teaching the new girl as she
unlocked the door and entered my cell. “Stand up.”
I noticed she kept her distance. The Black Sergeant must
have told her about my use of the pressure points in the yard.
I stood and faced her.
She gestured to the back wall. “Secured position. Now.”
“No.”
The officer’s foot kicked toward my ribs, but I dodged to
the side and trapped her leg. I jabbed a dart into her calf and depressed the little plunger, squirting liquid into her body.
She yelped and jerked her leg free, staring at me in horror.
“What the…?” Her confusion softened.
She staggered and I caught her before she hit the f loor.
I dragged the now-sleeping woman over to the bed and
undressed her. Pulling clothes off an unresponsive body
was harder than I imagined. I tugged and swore under my
breath, wasting precious time. The next check would be in
an hour.
Once I finished, I changed into her uniform, smoothed
my hair and locked the CO in my cell. I stopped at her desk,
rummaging for a piece of paper. Folding it in half, I used the
CO’s keys to access the stairs and headed down to the SMU.
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After another set of doors, I approached the main entrance
to the wing. A single CO sat behind a gray metal desk. As
soon as he spotted me, he jumped to his feet. Suspicion creased his face.
I waved the paper. “Message from the warden.”
“At this hour?”
I feigned shock. “Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard
what?”
“Rioters attacked the Councilor’s Hall. They’re holding
the Councilor for ransom.”
A slight hesitation. “And?”
“The Fulgor security force is worried they will demand
certain prisoners to be released. The details are all here…” I
stepped closer.
He reached for the paper and I pricked him with a dart.
“Hey!” Grabbing my arms, he dragged me toward him.
“What did…?” He swayed.
I steadied him. “Sit down before you fall down.”
He plopped into the chair and slumped over the desk, sound
asleep. I silently thanked Valek’s fast-acting sleeping juice. The last barrier between me and Ulrick remained. This would be
difficult.
The steel gates into the SMU could only be opened from
inside. I pounded on them. After a few moments, a small panel
slid to the side.
A hotshot peered through the opening. “What?”
Relief that it wasn’t Finn or one of his goons spread through
me as I pointed to the side. “Your man is sick, and he can’t
go to the infirmary by himself. I’d take him for you, but he
won’t leave his post unmanned.”
“What are you doing up here?”
“Delivering a message.” I held up my paper and explained
about the Councilor.
“What’s the word?” he asked.
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“Scratched.” One of the benefits of the silence rule in the
Black Widows’ wing—learning today’s password.
The panel slid back into place. I crossed my fingers as my
heart did calisthenics. A series of snaps and clicks sounded
before the gate swung out. The hotshot nodded to another
behind him and glanced at the sleeping man. He sighed.
“Deggan, stay in the unit. I’ll cover until a replacement shows.”
He cleared the threshold. “Let me see the message.”
When I handed the paper to him, I poked a dart into his
hand. He f linched.
“Sorry, my ring must have—”
He turned away. “Deggan, lock down!” he yelled before
collapsing onto the f loor.
Damn. I jumped over him and rushed Deggan, who tried
to close the gate. Tackling him to the ground, I jabbed his leg.
Not the smoothest move, but it worked. He remained still.
Another victim of Valek’s juice. Two darts left.
I tried to drag the men into the SMU wing to hide them,
but they were too heavy. Plus the lack of time. Once my CO
was discovered missing, escaping the prison would be impos-
sible. Right now, I had a fifty-fifty chance.
The cells in this wing had no bars. They had solid metal
walls, and steel doors with slots for food trays and a window
like the one on the gate. Only a couple lanterns had been
lit.
Hurrying through the wing, I counted cells. From various
overheard conversations, Valek had determined Ulrick’s loca-
tion. Although, considering his recent comment about being
able to get into the prison, I wondered if he’d already been
inside.
I skidded to a stop in front of number ten. Sliding back the
cover on the window, I peered into
the cell. Darkness spilled
out between bars. I would have to trust Valek.
“Ulrick,” I whispered through the opening. Nothing.
“Ulrick, it’s me, Opal,” I called louder.
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A rustling sound reached me and Ulrick appeared.
“Opal?”
He met my gaze and I gasped. Haggard, hollow-eyed and
looking years older, he blinked at me without emotion. The
fire gone from his green eyes.
“Nice try, Finn,” he said. “But you don’t even look like
her.” He sighed. “Which means you lied about seeing her in
Fulgor.” He turned away.
“Wait! It’s me. I’m disguised as a CO.”
Returning to the window, he said, “That’s a new one. At
least you got the voice right.”
“Ask me something only I would know.”
“Nope. Not playing your games anymore, Finn.”
Frustrated, I peeled the putty from my face, yanking off
the padding around my nose. “It’s me!”
He considered. “What are seeds?”
“Bubbles in the glass.”
“Too easy. What killed the leader of the Storm Thieves?”
“I
did.”
An incredulous laugh burst from his lips. “It is you! Only
Opal would blame herself and not the Greenblade bee for his
death.” Then he sobered. “Why are you here? Did you come
to gloat?”
“Of course not. I need information.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why would I tell you anything? You’re
the reason I’m here.”
Sudden fury welled. “No, I’m not,” I snapped. “Your own
selfish actions led you here.”
“You stole my magic!”
“It wasn’t all yours. Most of it was mine, and you left me
with no other choice than to suck us both dry!” Anger burned
through me and I didn’t care if I shouted. “Take responsibility for your own actions, Ulrick. Admit your mistakes and make
amends.”
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“Like Devlen? Don’t tell me he’s still conning you? How
stupid can you be?”
“I’m smart enough to avoid the lure of blood magic. It
made you greedy for power.” Nic’s comment about greed and
stupidity being the downfall of many criminals replayed in
my mind.
“You think you can resist blood magic? Overcome the ad-
diction?” Ulrick asked.
“Of course. And I don’t have the time to argue with you.
I need—”
“I know what you came for, Opal. What do I get in
return?”
“I can appeal to Councilor Moon and the rest of the Sitian
Council to not execute you.” My offer had an unexpected effect.
Instead of looking relieved, Ulrick blanched. “No deal. I’d
rather die than be in this hell for the rest of my life.”
After spending a day here, I understood. “How about
if I promise to inform the Councilor about the horrid
conditions?”
“Can you kill Finn for me?”
“Tempting, but no. I could try to get him fired.”
“Not enough.” He considered. “And Miss Goody-Goody
wouldn’t help me escape. Would she?”
“No.”
“You don’t have much to offer.” He stared at me a moment.
“I wasn’t planning on telling you, but I changed my mind.
Since Miss High and Mighty thinks she can resist the lure of
blood magic, I’m going to tell you where you can find your
blood.” Ulrick explained where he hid it. “The rules still apply whether the blood is yours or not. You’d better talk to the
Councilor about the conditions in here before you become an
inmate. See you later, Opal.” Ulrick retreated into the dark-
ness of his cell.
I slid the window shut as a variety of emotions twirled in
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my chest. Relief mixed with fear—he could be right about
becoming addicted even if I’d use my own blood. I shoved
my concerns aside. It was time to escape.
A good plan, except a sizzling whoosh sounded as all the
lanterns blazed at once. Squinting into the sudden brightness,
I froze.
Finn and his goons—Erik, Carrl and Lamar—stood be-
tween me and freedom.
Not waiting for Finn to mak e the first move, I threw a dart at him, aiming for his neck. He def lected the
weapon with his magic, sending it skittering along the wall
before it landed on the ground.
He advanced. “What a lovely reunion. I think I might
cry.” Finn mimed wiping tears as he sniffed. “I knew that rat
would squeal to you. He resisted my torture and my tricks,
guarding his precious little secret. Even my truth serum failed to work. Unfortunately it’s a hit-or-miss type of drug. You
babbled on and on about searching for your blood and about
your immunity to magic, but I couldn’t get you to tell me how you managed to become immune.”
“Why do you care about my blood?” I asked.
“It’s very valuable. Gentlemen, please escort Miss Rhea
Jewelrose back to her cell.”
In the narrow hallway, only two men could rush me.
Though they were skilled fighters, I jabbed Erik with my
last dart and held off Carrl with a f lurry of palm heel strikes until Lamar joined in. Even with my intensive training, the
two of them overpowered me. Held between them, I struggled
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to no avail. They anticipated all my self-defense techniques,
rendering them useless.
“Someone’s been practicing. Bravo,” Finn said. He picked
the dart from the f loor. “A sleeping potion?” he asked me,
but didn’t wait for an answer. “I must say I’m impressed with
your efforts. When you left Fulgor, I set a watch for you, but
I expected you to get caught sneaking in.”
“Councilor Moon knows I’m here.”
He smiled, but the humor failed to reach his eyes. “No she
doesn’t. Nor will she. Whatever insurance you left behind
will be intercepted before it arrives. Didn’t her new assistant seem too qualified?”
“But her background—”
“Impeccable.” He cocked his head. “Are you going to co-
operate or do I need to incapacitate you?” Finn raised the
dart.
Horror swept through me at the thought of being uncon-
scious. “No need for that.”
“Secure her hands,” Finn ordered.
On my right, Lamar released his grip. With Finn aiming
the dart only a few feet away, I couldn’t resist. Lamar pulled
my arms behind me and nausea bubbled in my throat. He
snapped the cuffs on my wrists, but he didn’t tighten them.
Then he slipped a round object into my palm. Trying to keep
the surprise from showing on my face, I automatically fisted
it, recognizing the shape.
Finn stepped to the side as my escorts guided me past. They
would never be this close again. It was now or never. I held my breath, yanked my arm from the loose cuff and from Lamar’s
weak grip and f lung the glass ball to the f loor.
It shattered on impact, releasing a bright f lash and a noxious gas. Fin
n and Carrl coughed and sputtered and were soon
prone. It was one of Valek’s toys, but it had been too big to
conceal on my body. I met Lamar’s cocky gaze. Despite the
gas, he remained standing.
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Several clues clicked together and I groaned. “I shouldn’t
have worried,” I said, being careful not to breathe in. “It was a classic damsel-in-distress situation. Who else would save
me?”
He grinned. “Better hurry, Opal. I can’t reveal myself. This
guy is brutal.” He nodded at Finn. “And hard to figure.”
“Thanks, Janco. Guess you shouldn’t have pissed Valek off
or you would have gotten Pellow’s—or should I say—Ari’s
cushy job at Dawnwood.”
“And be bored? No thanks.” He shooed me away and
crouched in the fumes, inhaling deep breaths. By the time I
reached the door, he was unconscious, as well.
The outer entrance to the wing was quiet, but when I
slipped into the stairwell, the shouts and pounding of boots
echoed below. My exit route was blocked. I had spent too
much time with Ulrick and Finn. Panic rolled through me. I
allowed the fear to crash and settle before reviewing my op-
tions. It was time for my backup plan.
With no way to get past the commotion below, I went up
instead. I reached the warden’s office without incident. The
lack of COs meant the warden wasn’t inside. Good. Using my
lock picks on the four complex locks, I eventually let myself
into his office and relocked the door.
Exhausted, I collapsed on his desk chair, wondering how
long it would take the COs to inform the warden of my escape.
I lounged back and put my feet on his desk to appear casual.
My heart, though, didn’t get the whole acting relaxed order
and insisted on knocking against my breastbone.
When the distinct sound of a key shoved into a lock reached
me, my heart jumped. I chanted the word relax in my mind, but I still froze with fear when the warden entered his office.
His diatribe trailed off as he noticed me. The COs who had
been enduring a dressing-down gasped.
For a moment we all just stared at each other. Then the
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officers moved toward me, splitting up to go around each
side of the desk.
“Stop,” the warden ordered.
They halted mere feet from me. Furious glares promised I
would pay dearly for my escape.