The man himself was waiting by the door of their prison. He smiled mildly as the women shuffled into the room, and Serina could see a hint of the manipulator who had so fooled her sister. He looked kind, earnest even. And yet he had just ordered Ember killed.

As Serina passed him, she spit at his feet.

He held up a hand, and one of the soldiers stopped her, shoving Val into the already crowded room.

Asa looked Serina up and down.

“Ah,” he said. “Of course. You’re Nomi’s sister.”

“And you’re a murderer,” she growled. “You’re a fraud, a traitor, a liar, and a—”

“And you’re next,” he said, cutting her off. He didn’t raise his voice, but color had come to his cheeks, staining them red. “Tomorrow morning, it’s your turn, Serina. Your family is waiting for you.”

A cold wind blew through her, clearing out every thought. Her chin jutted forward. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He just smiled.

Serina swung her shackled hands at his face with all the force of her hate. His head whipped back, and blood spurted along his cheekbone. He shouted.

An animal roar exploded from her throat. She lunged at him again. Rage overwhelmed every other thought, every other feeling. She would kill him, here and now.

One of the guards struck her across the face, driving her back. The roiling mass of women, packed tight into the hallway, shifted and surged, and for a moment, Serina thought they might stage a revolt after all. But the guards started hitting them with their weapons, shoving and pushing until everyone was squeezed back into the dank hole of the dungeon, the wave taking Serina with them.

She lifted her heavy hands to her face and the swollen, sore place there.

“Are you okay?” Val asked, pushing through the crowd to reach her.

She leaned her forehead into his chest, her anger spent. Now she was just tired. So tired.

“He’s chosen me for tomorrow,” she said softly. It was too difficult to repeat what he’d said about her family. Her parents, Renzo…

But Asa had thought Nomi was here, with the women of Mount Ruin. Maybe… maybe Nomi had escaped. Maybe her sister would survive.

The day passed slowly, mostly in silence. Everyone had told their stories the night before. Serina spent her final hours pressed into Val’s side, their hands clasped tightly together. He tried to talk to her once or twice, but she didn’t have the heart for it.

“Don’t let me haunt you” was all she said. “Promise me.”

He pressed his face into her shoulder, the wet of his tears soaking through the thin fabric of her shirt.