Betsy putters up the long curve of the mansion’s driveway. Cissy and Zeke stand outside the front door, their bodies stiff with rage. Both their mouths are set into thin lines. I wave through the closed window. They glare in reply.

Ick. The thrax must have whined to Zeke’s parents. Not good.

I park Betsy and step up to the mansion, all innocence and smiles. “Hey, guys! What’s going on?”

Zeke taps his foot. “What in blazes did you do at the thrax compound the other day?”

I unzip my hoodie and try to look casual. “Oh, they mentioned me?”

Zeke’s eyes almost pop out of his head. “Mentioned you? They howled about you. It’s a diplomatic nightmare.”

I roll my eyes. “It is not.”

Cissy frowns. “Is too. You flattened three of their Lords.”

I did, didn’t I? Sweet Satan, that was fun.

Cissy points at my mouth. “I see that self-satisfied smirk. You’re getting in deeper by the second.”

I force my face into neutral-mode.

Zeke rubs his temples. “When you were said you knew the thrax Prince, we thought you were kidding.”

“Hmmm. Let’s take a step into the way-back machine here. I told you both that the Prince and I fought; you refused to believe me because you thought…what was it you thought again?” I give my chin a dramatic tap. “Oh, yeah. You thought that I had a huge crush on Zeke. Well, for the record, I don’t give a crap about Zeke.”

“Fine, we believe you now.” Cissy half-frowns. “But that’s not the point, Myla. The point is that you fought back against the Prince in a mean and sneaky way.”

I keep my face carefully neutral. Mostly. “I fought back? How’s everyone so sure it was me?”

“Hmm.” Now it’s Zeke’s turn to tap his chin. “How many Arena-quality fighters are there out there who got honorary swords from Prince Lincoln? It’s a short list. You.”

“Hey, I did what you asked and delivered the note. Case closed.”

Zeke frowns. “Not by a long shot. The thrax want you to make things right. My parents say if you agree to whatever they ask, we’re all good. You can even keep using the library.” His brows raise. “If you agree, that is.”

The chill of shock envelops me. No library means no way to find out more about my father. I hadn’t thought about that. Cissy sniffles miserably, her bottom lip trembling. I hadn’t thought about how I could hurt her, either. My cold shock solidifies into icy guilt.

“So, what do the thrax want me to do?”

Zeke screws up his mouth. “Uh, we don’t know yet.”