Page 22 of Storm of Stars
“Don’t be modest,” she hissed, like the words themselves were a warning. “And while you’re at it, don’t pretend you’re pleased to see me. I intend to be very candid with you here tonight, Miss Hollis and I’d appreciate it if you do the same.”
I swallowed hard. “Okay.”
She smiled then, a thin, wicked curve of her lips. “You’re popular in a way we haven’t seen in years. The kind of popularity Praxis finds… dangerous.”
The word hung in the air like smoke, and I tensed beneath her stare.
“Do you know why?” she asked, a brow arching.
“I have a sinking feeling you’ll tell me,” I said, truthfully.
Her smile sharpened. “Because you outnumber us.”
The words landed like a blow. I felt my stomach drop, my pulse hammer in my ears.
“The Collectives,” she went on, taking another step forward. “You’re the kind of person who could remind them of that fact. Remind them that the power of the people could drown the people in power.”
I didn’t move. Couldn’t. She was too close now. The room felt starved of air.
“You’re wondering why I’m telling you this,” she said, head tilting like a serpent before a strike.
I nodded stiffly.
“Because, Miss Hollis,” she purred, “I didn’t claw my way to this throne by ignoring rebellion. I built Praxis by cutting the heads off snakes before they had the chance to slither through my gates.”
I swallowed the knot in my throat. “Let me guess. I’m the snake?”
A real smile now, one that chilled the marrow of my bones. “You are, darling. But I’m feeling… charitable.”
She circled me slowly, a predator savoring the moment before the kill.
“I have a deal for you,” Evanora whispered. “Spend the next four trials showering Praxis with praise. Show them how grateful you are for all we’ve given you. Make the Collectives believe you’re loyal. That you’ve been tamed.”
“And if I do that?” I asked tightly.
“Then I’ll save your brother’s life.”
The air rushed out of my lungs. My knees nearly buckled.
“What?” My voice was nothing but a rasp.
“I’ll have a private physician assigned to him. All the medicine, all the treatments, everything he needs.”
It felt too good to be true. It was. “Until the next Run, you mean.”
She leaned in close, her perfume cloying, her voice a deadly promise. “I mean forever.”
I stared at her, feeling the weight of the chains being fastened around my throat.
“And if I refuse?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
Her smile vanished, and something cold and ancient flashed in her eyes. “Then you’ll bury your brother.”
The room was silent, except for the ragged sound of my breathing.
“I look forward to you showing me what you decide during tonight’s trial,” she murmured, brushing a hand across my shoulder as she passed. It felt like ice.
The door hissed open behind her, and Evanora Veritas stepped through it leaving nothing but her offer, and the suffocating presence behind.
