Page 58 of Midnight Star

“Do you mean the other humans?” I ask, since surely, Malakai must be able to make her speak. I doubt he would have kept her here for so long if he couldn’t.

Although, who knows? Maybe he enjoys her silence.

“I do,” she confirms. “You shouldn’t trust them. Notanyof them.”

“But I can trust you?” I ask.

“You can trust your gut instinct about Henry,” she replies. “So, will you help me? Will you tell Aerix about Henry? Will you lie and say he touched you? Will you make him pay?”

Of course—Katerina doesn’t know that Henry approached me and grabbed me after she left. But she clearly knows him well enough to suspect.

I glance down at my hand, remembering Henry’s fingers digging into my wrist. His threats about Matt. The way he’s been looking at me since the moment I got here—as if he wants to break me.

But what Katerina’s asking is dangerous. Reckless. It’s like taking out a pawn instead of analyzing the entire board.

“What about your brother?” I ask, since that’s the one thing not adding up.

If Henry dies, won’t the queen take it out on someone?And isn’t Katerina’s brother an easy target in the barns?

“I’ve come to accept that I have no way of knowing if my brother’s still alive or not,” she says, so evenly that it gives me chills. “But if Henry dies like Jake did, I’ll know. And, despite everything, at least I’ll have that.”

Her haunted gaze pins me in place, but my thoughts race ahead, weaving through the threads of danger and deceit that entangle us all.

A few hours ago, I might have jumped at the chance to get rid of Henry.

But Isla tried to teach us about chess while we were whittling the pieces, and one of her lessons stands out to me now.

You can’t just focus on the piece directly threatening your king. You have to see the whole board, anticipate every possible countermove, and consider what sacrifices might be necessary ten moves ahead.

I might not have put as much thought into it while we were playing earlier—I was distracted by my own spiraling thoughts—but I’m not just playing with pieces anymore. I’m playing withpeople.

I can’t afford to play impulsively. Not when lives are on the line.

“I need time to think,” I say carefully, not wanting to lead Katerina in one way or the other.

Something flickers in her eyes—respect, maybe. Or recognition.

“Fair enough,” she finally says. “But when you go back out there, don’t tell anyone that I spoke to you today.”

“Or else what?” I ask, stepping back.

“You’re not getting any more out of me. Not until Henry’s dead.”

She presses her lips together and motions to the door, her message clear.

I’m not going to hear her voice again until I do what she wants.

And for some reason, that puts me more on edge than any of Henry’s threats.

I do more than survive,Aurora’s voice echoes in my mind as I leave Katerina’s room.I thrive.

As I make my way through the halls, my mind maps out the web of alliances and betrayals surrounding me. Henry’s threats, Sophia’s kindness, Katerina’s silence, Victoria’s anger, Aerix’s possessiveness, Aurora’s subtle help, Isla’s surprising sharpness, Elijah’s wisdom—they’re all moves in an endless game where the rules keep changing.

If I want to survive here—no, if I want tothrive—I have to be more than one move ahead, but five.

Ten.

I have to stop reacting and start playing.

---