Page 60 of Mud

“Tell us—c’mon. Tell us how it happened? What did it? Was it an accident, or did they mean to actually drain you?”

“Did they put you in thefurnace? I heard the IDD has one in the Headquarters—is it true?”

Yes—yes, it is. They have a room made of bones that they use to drain the worst of criminals in—but that’s not me! They would never!

They would never, ever, ever…

My eyes closed again, both because I was ashamed of myself for ever having believed that thought and because I couldn’t watch. I refused to see what they did to me next. I refused to focus on the sound of their voices, and I tried my damned best to go to the good memories that I possessed, that I saved with such care in the corner of my mind just in case someone accidentally saw them. Someone like Madeline.

I tried, but it didn’t work because the brothers kept asking me,how, how, how?

“Oh, how the tables have turned. You betrayedus, just so your own could betray you—what a happy day! Tell us, we’re so curious. Tell us, pretty birdie!”

The tables have turned, indeed,I thought.

But even if I’d wanted to, I wouldn’t know what to say to them because I didn’t know the answer myself. Had Erid and Michael fucked up my magic on purpose? Or had I done it myself when I instinctively let it all out without my anchor or a spell, opening myself up to the outside world?

Was Madeline right and the catfairie had done it somehow, before it ended up dead on the ground?

Or did others do it when I fell unconscious, maybe?

Too many possibilities.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve cost us?”

Radock was suddenly in front of me, leaning down so we were eye level. The way he hated me was so clearly pictured in the dark of his wide eyes.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve costthe world?”

My heart jumped.

“Do you know what you did when you stopped Taland?” His voice became darker. “Do you even know what it was that we were after, what that thing is capable of?”

Taland was after an artifact,I wanted to say but didn’t.They never told me what it was or what it could do…

My thoughts were a mess.An even worse feeling settled in my gut.

Radock came closer and closer until I saw all of him in perfect detail. “Do you know that you’ve put it intheirhands yourself?”

These words were whispered. Those words weighed a million pounds on my shoulders.

“Who was it?” asked Radock. “Give me the name of the person who sent you to that school.”

I wanted to shake my head—what do you mean, who was it? The IDD—it was the IDD!

“A name,” Radock whispered, and the magic coming from Kaid squeezed me once more as he whispered words of a spell. “Give me a name—who sent you?”

“The…the IDD.”

Suddenly Radock’s cold fingers wrapped around my face. “Don’t lie to me, birdie. It wasn’t the Department. The mission didn’t exist on paper.Youwere never hired by the IDD, and Taland was never a suspect before his capture.” His every word rang true. “Tell me the name of the person who sent you there.”

David Hill,I thought.His name is David Hill and he’s the director of the IDD, and of course, the mission existed! Of course, Taland was a suspect—of course, of course, of course!

I said nothing because he was holding my face so tightly, and because my instincts were on high alert.

Like…like theybelievedhim.

“Was it your grandmother?” said Radock. “How did she know?Whogave her the information? Or was it someone else?”

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