Kat set the mug on the coaster on top of the wooden table, blinking rapidly. She snuck a pinch on her arm to get herself to snap out of this state, but nothing changed. Nothing disappeared. As casually as she could muster, she touched the pendant of the medallion through the fabric of her sweater, trying to pull it away from her skin. It didn't budge. It stayed there, even as she moved, stuck to her like a leech sapping out the last bit of blood. Her heart began to thrum faster and faster, her hands shaking along with it. "Um, where's Calix?"Mrs. Lawrence frowned because of her question, but she smiled nonetheless, waving her hand as though Kat had just asked a stupid question. "He went for a walk around the woods with the boys, remember? He asked if you wanted to come, but you politely refused. Now you're with me and my little angels."She leaned over to kiss the two kids, who giggled and tried to wriggle free from their grandma's embrace. One of them, a young boy with fluffy blond

The group was headed by a tall beefy man, who Kat deduced was Halvar the general, with his bronze mask pushed up his shaved head. He had dark skin and a shaved beard, and his voice was smooth, deep, and chilling. “Have you searched the area I assigned to you?”“I did not find anyone.” Thisbe was surprisingly calm. “How about you? Any sign of the traitor, at least?”

Kat never thought she'd ever say this, but falling asleep sucked.Granted, the state she was in now probably wasn't real sleep, but it was still the worst experience she had ever gone through. That was saying a lot, since she had a pretty long list of terrible experiences under her belt. However, this weightless, blown-up sensation took the cake.

"Constant death or an endless life, Kat," Edeline said. "It's your choice to make."Kat looked at her mother and realized just how mad this woman was. Yet under that madness she saw sense, and that rendered her weak. She glanced at Calix's face, his outstretched hand reaching for her. Thisbe and Amicus, who were basically strangers, but still didn't hesitate to protect her. The medallion was heavy on her neck, a reminder to herself and her mother, a calling for a decision.But how could she decide when everything she thought she knew was a lie? Everything that defined her turned out to be stories fabricated by Edeline so she could serve a purpose. It made her want tk throw the truth all away and rewrite her own reality. She just wanted to be anything but herself. Because who was she, reallly?But that didn't mean she was fated to follow every single path set upon her, right? That didn't mean she didn't have a choiceKat looked at the bottles, containing t

"No." Kat's voice reverberated on the stone walls. She held Calix's head on her lap, with sobs racking up her body. "Calix, you can't. . . ."She trailed off, unable to speak anymore. Amicus watched her, biting his lip. "Kat, listen—""I can't lose him." She buried her face at the crook of his neck. "I just can't. Surely there must be something—""There is," he interrupted. Surprisingly, his voice was calm, assuring. His eyes were even twinkling with amusement. When she opened her mouth to question it, he stopped her by raising a hand. "Kat, Calix is not dead. Badly injured like Thisbe, but not dead."His words slowly sank into Kat's consciousness. She blinked. "What?""They are safe, Kat." He began to reach under his cloak, whipping out all sorts of glass jars and vials, all containing concoctions with varying consistency and color. A few have gunky textures. Most were clear liquids, some thick and some runny. He also had a few dried leaves, which he began to crush under cloth. "I am