The clock chimed ten, and Matilda, seated at the small desk in her bedroom, looked up from her book. She should be sleeping, or at least trying to. dog, dozing in her lap, yawned widely. Matilda scratched her behind the ears and ran a hand along the page of the book. Morse code stared up at her, their intricate curves and angles speaking a language she couldn’t yet begin to decipher. How long had it taken Leonard to learn them? And, she wondered darkly, how could their power possibly still work when magic itself was gone?She hadn’t seen Leonard since the ball last night, hadn’t dared to approach her, or tell Chaol what she’d learned. Leonard had been deceitful about her language skills, and how much she knew about the Morse code, but she could have any number of reasons for that. Matilda had been wrong to go to the ball last night, wrong to believe Leonard was capable of such bad things. Leonard was one of the good ones. She wouldn’t target Matilda, not when they’d been friends. They
The person who’d gotten stronger and better as the competition went on. She’d thought it was his training, but . . . it was because he’d been using the Morse code and the beast they summoned to steal the dead Champions’ strength.He dragged a hand across the floor before the darkness, and greenish lights sprung up from where his fingers passed before being sucked into the void like wraiths on the wind. One of his hands was bleeding.She didn’t dare to breathe as something stirred in the darkness. There was a click of claw on stone, and a hiss like an extinguished flame. And then, stepping toward Cain on knees that bent the wrong way—like an animal’s hind legs—the ridderak emerged.It was something out of an ancient god’s nightmares. Its hairless gray skin was stretched tightly across its misshapen head, displaying a gaping mouth filled with black fangs.Fangs that had ripped out and eaten Verin and Xavier’s internal organs; fangs that had feasted on their brains. Its vaguely human bod
The following morning, Matilda walked beside Jeremy, her eyes on the marble floor of the hallway. The sun radiated off of the snow in the garden, making the light in the hall nearly blinding. She’d told Paig almost everything. There were certain things she’d never tell anyone, and she hadn’t mentioned Maximus or the figure, either. Paig hadn’t asked her again what had bitten her hand, but had stayed with her, curled up in bed as they talked long into the night. Matilda, unsure how she’d ever sleep again now that she knew what Maximus could do, had been grateful for the company. She pulled her cloak tighter around her. The morning was unnaturally frigid.“You’re quiet today.” Jeremy kept his gaze ahead of them. “Did you and Leonard have a fight?”Leonard. He’d stopped by last night, but Paig had shooed him off before he could enter the bedroom. “No. I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning.” After the events of last night, yesterday morning seemed like a week ago.“Did you enjoy danc
Jeremy paced through his room, his time with Matilda over until she’d train with the other Champions that afternoon. After lunch, he’d returned to his room to read the report detailing the king’s journey. And in the past ten minutes, he’d read the thing three times. He crumpled the paper in his fist. Why had the king arrived alone? And, more importantly, how had everyone in his traveling party died? It wasn’t clear where he’d gone. He’d mentioned the White FangMountains, but . . . Why were they all dead?The king had vaguely hinted at some sort of issue with rebels poisoning their food stores, but the details were murky enough to suggest that the truth was buried somewhere else. Perhaps he hadn’t explained it fully because it would upset his subjects. But Jeremy was his Captain of the Guard. If the king didn’t trust him . . .The clock struck and Jeremy’s shoulders sagged. Poor Matilda. Did she know that she looked like a frightened animal when the king appeared? He’d almost wanted t
Matilda turned to Pane. But instead of handing her the plain-as-porridge sword she usually wielded in practice, he drew his own blade. The eagle-shaped pommel glinted in the midday sun. “Here,” he said.She blinked at the blade, and slowly raised her face to look at him. She found the rolling earthen hills of the north in his eyes. It was a sense of loyalty to his country that went beyond the man seated at the table. Far inside of her, she found a golden chain that bound them together.“Take it,” he said.Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She lifted a hand to grab the blade, but someone touched her elbow.“If I may,” Nehemia said in Eyllwe, “I’d like to offer this to you instead.” The princess held out her beautifully carved iron-tipped staff. Matilda glanced between Pane’s sword and her friend’s weapon. The sword, obviously, was the wiser choice—and for Pane to offer his own weapon made her feel strangely lightheaded—but the staff . . .Nehemia leaned in to whisper in Matilda’s ea
She grinned at the captain. She was hardly winded. “Better than Valequez’s time.” “And certainly more dramatic,” Pane said. “Was the handkerchief really necessary?”She bit down on her lip and was about to reply when the king stood, the crowd quieting. “Wine for the winners,” he said, and Valequez stalked from his place on the sidelines to stand before the king’s table. Matilda remained with Pane.The king gestured at Catherine , who obediently picked up a silver tray containing two goblets. She gave one to Valequez, then walked over to Matilda and handed the other to her before pausing in front of the king’s table.“Out of good faith, and honor to the Great Empress,” Catherine said in a dramatic voice. Matilda wanted to punch her. “May it be your offering to the Mother who bore us all. Drink, and let Her bless you, and replenish your strength.” Who had written that little script? Catherine bowed to them, and Matilda raised the goblet to her lips. The king smiled at her, and she tri
All through the night, Matilda managed to plaster a smile on her face, unable to express her feelings to Herbert, who had also been putting up quite a show since Ryan Porter's insinuation. His entire presence suffocated her, particularly because he became clingy for the rest of the night, showing her off as his girlfriend to every other important person in the meeting. More than his presence, she hated herself for agreeing to his madness, and as crazy as it sounded, she'd rather not have another woman be introduced as his woman, as she felt perfect with him. She was crazy, there was no explanation for the mixed feelings she was having. On one hand, she couldn't wait to be alone with Herbert to give him a piece of her mind, and on the other, she wanted the night to last as long as she'd remember. A woman such as her didn't get the chance to be shown off as Herbert Park's girlfriend every day, she could as well make the best moment of this. "Miss Sutton, you should join us some other
Matilda spent the whole night thinking about the turnout of events with Herbert. How did she go from being his executive assistant to being his phony as a three-dollar-bill girlfriend? She'd just gotten out of a relationship and the last thing she wanted was to be in a relationship with any other man, real or faux. The whole process would be an emotional rollercoaster for her. She started the day a little later than usual because of the previous day's activities, and as usual, she had a pile of work waiting for her. She added Penelope's to the list, as she hadn't gotten a hang of it. Food was served to Herbert and her separately, as they shared different rooms. After she was half done with her work for the day, she turned on her cell phone which had been off for a couple of hours. As she came to the internet, her worries stared right at her face. She and Herbert made it to the news headlines, and their relationship was over several social media handles. Her cell phone buzzed not lat