Page 143 of Mud

Taland smiled again. “Thought so. But if you’re not going to do it, you want to be careful. They could be coming for you, too.”

Again, I shook my head and looked around, at the shops and the few players left who were already on their way deeper into the city.

“They wouldn’t. They can’t just go around pushing people and hoping they die.” It was too absurd.

But Taland was right next to me when he said, “Why do you think there are so many residents in the city, sweetness?”

My mouth opened, but I had no answer.

Taland grabbed my hand and brought the apple to my lips. “Bite.”

I did.

The taste of the apple was lost on me, though. I didn’t even care to ask him where he got it.

“Did you…did you…” I started to ask when the crowd disappeared completely, and it was just the two of us in that square.

“Did I kill someone to get my key?” he finished for me. I said nothing. “No. I didn’t have to, but I would have if I did.”

Lie.He was lying, and it wasn’t just the slight squint of his right eye, which he always did when he wasn’t being honest, but his voice turned up a bit, too. He was lying.

“Why did you do it?” I asked before I could bite my tongue.

Damn it, Rora…

Taland raised his brows. “Why did I do what?”

“That boy,” I whispered because I must have lost my mind.

ButI didlose my mind trying to figure it out, though, hadn’t I? Since I saw that video. Since Cassie showed it to me. It had been in the back of my mind no matter how hard I pretended that I didn’t care. That I’d forgotten.

There’s only so many thoughts I can show to you here, but a lot more ran in my head at the same time.

“The boy in the Tomb. The kid. Why did you do that to him?” I hated that my voice shook, but the words were out there now.

And Taland continued to smile.

A heartbeat later, he shrugged. “Because I could.” He stepped around me toward the city. “Come on, sweetness. The clock is ticking. We need to find you a dead body.”

Fucking hell, he killed me without even trying.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I said—and I did move. I went right ahead where he’d stopped to wait for me, slammed the half-eaten apple to his chest, and continued. “If you must follow me, go ahead. But don’t talk to me, Taland. Just don’t talk to me at all.”

Tears in my eyes, but I was in control here, so I didn’t let them spill.

Until the asshole called, “Is it just me or did somebody actually grow a conscience while I was locked away?!” And he laughed.

No longer concerned with the tears, I focused on my legs to make sure they held me and on my heart to make sure it kept beating without breaking so completely.

I failed.

He was right behind me. I could feel it. Every time I turned, I couldalmostsee his silhouette, but he stuck to the shadows so I never saw his face.

At least he wasn’t talking to me anymore.

I wondered how he did it. I wondered why the IDD hadn’t come to take him out yet. They must have seen his face on the screens. They had cameras here, everywhere, to transmit to the audience that was right over our heads, even if this playground was so chockfull of magic that we couldn’t really tell. If I tried hard enough, I could swear I heard applause and cheers, but the sky was still just as dark as it had been when I first fell here.

And the players were indeed getting more and more desperate.

---