Page 39 of They're Watching You

I don’t need my light to recognize the object; it’s a silver linchpin pendant.

“I did enough digging to figure out that it’s the society’s symbol, and then I tracked down Annabelle, ready to join if I had to in order to find Jane.”

“So,” I say, pausing to clear my throat, “your dad was never a member.”

He gives a subtle headshake. “He was a student here, back in the nineties, but never a member.” He flushes. “I’m sorry, Maren. I didn’t know you. I had to come up with a reason for knowing the society existed.”

“And that thing Annabelle offered you—it was Jane?”

“Only information about her,” he corrects. “But now that I have it, it seems pretty clear she’s in trouble.”

He must’ve received a video, like I did. “But if you say anything to anyone,” I mutter, “Annabelle will hurt Jane.”

Remington doesn’t answer, so I flick my phone light up at his face. His brown eyes watch me warily. “I know because I’m here for the same reason—not for Jane. For my best friend, Polly. At least, shewasmy best friend before she traded me for the society.” My voice cracks. Remington wraps his arms around me, and I nearly unravel as I sink into him. I draw in a breath, forcing brimming tears back down. “After I brought Jordan,” I continue with my cheek pressed to his chest, “Annabelle showed me proof that Polly’s alive. I think she’s somewhere in the catacombs, but I won’t get more information unless I keep playing the games.”

Remington lets out a sharp sigh, his breath rustling my hair. “We’re going to find them, Maren. Both of them.”

“But how? This whole time we’ve been searching for Jordan, I’ve been searching for Polly too. I keep checking the walls for a hidden door, something like the one in the Grand Banquet Hall. So far, there’s nothing.”

“If I win,” Remington says, his voice husky, “Annabelle promised me another clue about Jane’s whereabouts.”

“She promised me the same thing. But in order to win, we still have to find Jordan.” My head tips back in frustration. “You don’t even have your second coin.”

A sharp knock on the door sounds, followed by a series of thumps, each one rattling my nerves. “It could be another knight,” Remington whispers. “I can win a coin.”

“Be careful. We don’t know the dragon’s identity.” But a thought pushes my spirits up. Maybe the knocking is Gavin. Maybe he got lost in the dark and finally found us. I nearly laugh out loud; that would besoGavin. I reach for the knocker, tugging a few times, but it’s stuck. “How could it be locked?”

My heart thrums at the thought of being locked down here overnight with the skeletons.

Remington brushes past me, giving one hard yank. It creaks open. I’m about to joke that I loosened it for him, but a figure stumbles into the chamber. When I raise my still-lit phone to illuminate his features, my blood chills.

It’s Gavin’s friend, Dallis—the guy with the black coils who escorted Jordan to her hiding place.

The one Annabelle promised would be watching over Jordan right now.

And there’s something on the floor by his feet. A piece of fabric, white and trimmed with lace, like the shroud Jordan was wearing before she was taken away. The edges are rough, like they’ve been torn.

And it’s doused in blood.

Fifteen

“You.” Dallis lifts a lantern in the doorway and frowns, assessing Remington like he might catch a flash of dragon scales.

“I challenge you,” Remington spits, wrenching an envelope from his pocket.

“Wait a minute.” I throw myself between them. “What is that?” I rush to the piece of fabric, crouching to pick it up by a clean corner.

Cold drips down my spine as I stand, holding up the bloody muslin and staring at Dallis. “What did you do to Jordan?”

He scoffs. “Ididn’t do anything to her. But we’d better find her fast.”

“We?” The room starts to narrow. “You’re supposed to be guarding her. What are you doing here?”

Dallis flashes an irritated glance at me. “Annabelle relieved me of my duties so I could participate in the game.”

“And the girl who was with you?”

“Playing the game.”

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