Page 121 of The Trials of Ophelia

“Only a few thousand. The rest are afraid to act against the queen. Many were terrified of Aird before he died.” I avoided my friends’ eyes at the reminder. As far as we knew, no new ruler had been appointed to replace the chancellor I’d killed.

“No one stays in one place too long. It’s safer that way,” Trevaneth elaborated. That explained the nearly identical, impersonal rooms I’d seen. “But we all essentially live down here now. We travel between the pockets of housing, sharing news others bring from above. We hope to—” He cut himself off, eyes widening.

“If there’s sensitive information, you don’t have to share it.” Though we were on the same side, I didn’t want him to get in trouble. Pushing his boundaries would not earn trust.

He considered, thumbs twitching on the table where his hands were folded. “Our goal has been to figure out how to train our powers to unravel what the queen is doing to our clan. We haven’t had much progress, though, given how risky it is to take…test subjects.”

Warriors from her army. Not only would they be unpredictable and likely violent, but if the rebels didn’t understand the control Kakias held on her warriors, we couldn’t be sure what damage she could inflict if they were taken. If she could somehow find the Labyrinth.

“Perhaps when your father returns we can all work together on a plan,” I offered.

Trevaneth’s face lit up, green eyes sparkling and brows raised. “We’d be honored to have your assistance.” He looked around the room. “All of you, truly. Stories of the border fights and the Battle of Damenal have reached us, even down here. It’s a privilege to host you.”

Now my cheeks were warming. “It’s our honor.”

My eyes swept over my friends—those I’d known my entire life and those who I’d barely met. They were a devastatingly incredible group, and though I grew frustrated with the Angels, I supposed they’d done right by me in some ways. Trev had given me plenty to consider regarding this Labyrinth’s formation and the way his clan’s power worked, but for right now, I’d relax and consider how fortunate I was to have the people around me.

“Now that we’re all honored,” Jezebel said. “How about dinner?”

Chapter Forty-Two

Tolek

“You’re carrying that thing around?” I asked Ophelia as I settled down beside her in the cavern where Jezebel and Trevaneth were preparing dinner for us all. There were no dining tables in here, but there was plenty of space for all of us and a make-shift kitchen setup Trevaneth and Jezebel used to heat up rice and beans over mystlight. They stored mainly dry foods down here, he’d explained.

Ophelia held out her hand, the Bodymelder emblem shining in her palm. “I’m trying to get an understanding of it,” she explained.

“How does it feel?” I asked. She tipped it into my hand, but the metal was cool, sucking the chill from the Mindshaper air.

I tried to ignore the prickles the environment drew along my spine. The clothing, the snowy terrain above us, even Trevaneth’s slightly flat accent clawed at my mind, trying to dig up memories of my torture at the hands of the Mindshapers. Instead of letting it get to me, though, I watched Ophelia. Focused on those magenta eyes and the crease between her brows as she studied the newest emblem.

“They each feel different,” she said, plucking it back from my hand and clenching her fingers around it. “This one feels like…fire personified.” There was a mystical tone to her voice, and she closed her eyes, focusing harder on that shard of metal in her hand. “It feels like?—”

A clattering sound echoed across the cavern.

“Vale?” Cypherion shouted, jumping up from where he sat with Malakai and rushing to the Starsearcher. “Vale!”

But she didn’t answer.

Vale lay on the ground, thrashing, eyes rolled back. Cyph threw off his cloak and folded it beneath her head, turning her onto her side. Rina was beside him, clearing the shards of the metal cup Vale had knocked over. It split on the rock, but she hadn’t cut herself.

Cyph didn’t hold her down or attempt to wake her, only watched and counted beneath his breath as if timing how long it lasted. As we all stood around, I watched Cypherion. Noted the concern he tried to hide, the way his hands fluttered around, assisting Santorina, like he knew precisely what he should be doing.

And as Ophelia gripped my hand, I felt Cypherion’s panic like a knife through my own gut.

“Had she been reading?” I asked quietly.

“I think so,” Malakai answered, appearing at my shoulder. “Has this happened before?”

“I’ve seen it once,” Ophelia said, biting her lip, remembering the Angellight test. “We tried…well she was attempting a powerful reading.”

“It’s happened more, from what I understand,” I added. Cyph hadn’t wanted to talk about Vale at all, but the way his voice had nearly crumpled as he told me had said enough. “He’s told me of one other time.”

I didn’t add that I thought there were more he had not told me of.

“It’s connected to her sessions?” Malakai asked, and Ophelia and I both nodded.

We all remained quiet until Vale fully woke, then gave her space for Santorina and the Bodymelders to assess her. Cyph remained on the edge of the conversation.

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