Page 44 of A Dose of Agony
She winces. “This only works while you’re not linked with him.”
Those words echo in my mind.This only works while you’re not linked to him.
I don’t fully understand the relevance, but it sits on my chest heavily. “You’re telling me, I have to stay unbonded?”
She pauses, then sighs. “Not just unbonded, but unlinked. A bond is irreversible, a mark isn’t. Even Trevor and I aren’t bonded yet. But a temporary link, like a claiming mark, would give him access to your emotions and your whereabouts. He’ll figure it out. It’s another thing that will piss him off when he finds out. If he learns of this plot of ours, he’ll assume I’m just trying to keep you from him. That would also be strongly frowned upon in our culture.”
I press my lips together tightly. She’s certainly being very forthcoming with me, but the Bea I know is manipulative. Is she living out enough consequences that she’s growing as a person?
Or is this all part of the game?
It does sound suspicious that she’s actively trying to keep me from accepting a mark from Jarron.
“You just said I need to figure out about who his true chosen is on my own. Isn’t a mark the way to do that?” I tilt my head.
“It is. And it would be wrong of me to tell you not to do it, but please understand that my life relies on you waiting. If you want to take this information back to Jarron, you can tell me now. I swear I will not harm you. You know a way to end the games; maybe that’s enough for you. I can find a replacement for my spot on the council and a new hiding place. If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine. Just please tell me so I can protect myself.”
I tap my knee, considering. “No,” I say finally. “No, that’s not what I want.”
I’m uncertain if I can trust Bea. But I never got the feeling she was out to harm me. Even when she gave me the Akrasia Games invite, she was hesitant, and I had gone toherasking about them. She has done some terrible things, though, and she enjoys having the upper hand.
It’s possible the last few months have humbled her greatly, but that’s not something I can rely on.
“I need some time to think about this. But I will promise not to tell Jarron until I tell you one way or another.”
She lets out a breath. “Fair enough.”
She guides me back out to balcony, to the portal mirror, facing the pit below where I was almost eaten.
“Don’t ever drop in unannounced,” she warns, shifting the mirror so it’s facing the safe flat stone of the overhang.
As I step through the portal, the last thing I see is Bea grinning wide. My stomach sinks.
I better not be getting played.
21
Debriefing
I enter my workshop directly after returning to the school via portal, mind buzzing and eyes stuck to the ground, but I’m shocked into reality when I see Janet pacing back and forth, with Lola soaring in anxious circles over her head.
“Candice!” they exclaim in unison. Lola reaches me first, slamming into my chest, and Janet throws her arms around my shoulders, squishing us all together.
“Whoa,” I mutter. “I wasn’t gone that long!”
“It’s almost sundown,” Janet practically screeches in my ear. Lola mumbles something unintelligible between us. “We were about to go to Laithe.”
“How…” I look around, but there are no windows in the workshop, so I can’t double check. It’s a moot point anyway. Who is more likely to mistake the time? The person who was just in another world, obviously.
“Time moves different there.” Janet sighs. “We couldn’t really estimate how long it would take. How long was it for you?”
“An hour, maybe two. I was almost munched by some shadow nightmare creatures.” I shiver. “But Bea saved me, and we had a good, long talk.” I shake my head, still feeling overwhelmed, almost numb really.
Janet now notices my shell-shocked state, guides me over to the armchairs, and turns on the fire with a flick of her wrist. “Do you need anything? A tonic? Tea? Soda?”
“I haven’t eaten anything in a while.”
“Food!” Lola chirps. “I’m on it.” She darts toward the door but comes back only seconds later. It’s easy to order food here in Elite Hall.
