She didn’t want to do this. She couldn’t believe that Lorian had the audacity. Why hadn’t she had a vision of this? What was her magic even good for if it didn’t warn her about impending doom any longer? She reached for it then, searching for that connection to the spirit plane. Demanding its release. Her head buzzed and buzzed and buzzed. Only getting louder and more persistent as she attempted to force it to do her business. Her vision swam and then went black at the edges. Still, she pushed.

The last thing she remembered was her magic leaching from her core and everything falling into darkness.

She woke again inside the mountain. Two Society Guards hauled her by either elbow. She got her feet under her and blinked. There hadn’t been a vision. Not a single thing. She’d just expended her magic and passed out. Thanks, universe!

“Oh, good. You’re awake,” Lorian said at the bottom of the flight of stairs. “Here will do.”

The guards deposited her in an iron-lined cell. The Fae guards hastened back out as quickly as possible. The walls felt as if they were leaning. So much iron that it was nearly oppressive to Kerrigan, whose Fae blood was so diluted. They hadn’t even put Basem Nix in a cell with this much iron. How telling that they’d shove a half-Fae in one who had done nothing, but not a murderer.

Lorian stood before her, seemingly unperturbed by the iron. He looked smug as he watched her take in her surroundings—a smelly straw pallet, a metal bucket, and cold, hard stone.

“This is where you’ve always belonged.”

“You’re not going to get away with this,” she told him.

“Arresting a rioter that I caught in the act?” He shook his head at her as if she were so naive. He was the sole witness. She wished more than anything that she had an ounce of her magic to wipe that look off of his face.

Lorian turned then, as if that was all he was going to say on the matter. Just leave her down here to rot. A commotion on the steps stilled him. And in that moment, Helly burst through the doorway.

“What is the meaning of this, Lorian?” Helly demanded.

“Hellina,” he said mildly. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“You have overstepped.” Her eyes were wild. She looked half-ready to throttle him. “You have no authority to arrest a Society trainee when she has done nothing wrong. This is outrageous. I will request an inquest from the council.”

“I must agree with her, Master Lorian,” another voice said, following in Helly’s wake.