Page 20 of The Masks and the Dancer (Their Obsession 2)

“What?!” he snaps.

“It's bleeding,” she whispers.

Konrad’s hand drops from my throat at the same time Jakub steps back. I see the look that passes between them. The disbelief. The horror. The fear.

“The Weeping Tree only ever cries tears of blood when a virtuous soul, pure of heart and mind dies beneath its boughs,” Thirteen reminds us gently, repeating the legend that we all know so well. She looks up at us all imploringly. “Do you get it now?”

“But that makes no sense. Nothing is here in this room with us, not in the courtyard beneath the tree—” Jakub points out, shaking his head as he takes another step backwards. Putting space between him and Christy.

“Yes, it does,” I say, my gaze resting on the wooden frame she was shackled to. “Don’t you remember the storm when we were kids? Lightning struck The Weeping Tree. It lost two of its largest branches…”

“Father had this frame built from the wood,” Konrad adds, the knife he’s holding slipping from his fingers and clattering to the stone floor as understanding dawns.

For a beat no one speaks as we all try to make sense of what’s happening.

Jakub shakes his head, gritting his jaw, the gun still aimed at Christy. I can feel his turmoil, the indecision. He’s not as immune to Christy as he’s leading us to believe. Hefeelstoo.

“Jakub, just wait,” I implore.

“No!” he snaps. “Why should that make any difference to what happens now? It’s astory, make believe, and even if there was any truth in it we all know that kindness has only ever brought sorrow to this family. Nothing’s changed! She has to die.”

“Everything’schanged,” Thirteen insists.

“Don’t kill her. Don’t do it,” Nala begs, tears streaming down her face. “I told Christy you weren’t all bad. I told her what you did for me. I begged her to see the good in you.”

“There is no good in me,” he bites back, his chest heaving, his hand shaking as he keeps the gun aimed at Christy.

“But thereis, your father knew that, too,” Nala counters, her jaw chattering as she steps between Christy and Jakub, blocking his aim.

“You don’t know anything. Get out of the way, Nala.”

“I know you saved me. I know you took care of me.”

“I’m not that person anymore,” Jakub retorts sharply, shaking his head.

“I know that he was cruel to you,” Nala continues. “That heliedto you.”

“Lied?” I ask, frowning.

“Yes,” she replies, flicking her gaze to me before focussing back on Jakub. “He only told you part of the legend.”

“Part?” Jakub snaps, glancing at Konrad and me, searching for answers. I have none.

“Yes, your father didn’t want you to know the truth.”

“What truth?” Jakub asks.

“The Weeping Tree only ever cries tears of blood when a virtuous soul, pure of heart and mind dies beneath its boughs…” Nala reiterates, wiping at her tears. “But that isn’t everything. He left out the most important part—”

“And you know thishow?” Jakub asks, still refusing to lower the gun even though it’s now pointing at Nala’s chest, the girl he saved from the brink of death in the forest. The girl we all cared for and protected before our father found out about her existence.

“Grandfather. He told me...” Her voice breaks as she lets out a sob.

“Go on,” Konrad insists, striding over to Jakub and placing his hand on Jakub’s arm, forcing it to lower.

Nala nods, swiping at her tears. “...And when her heart stops, theirs will beat once more, and the cycle of violence will end for good.” Her voice trails off as she looks between us.

Thirteen draws in a breath. Shock giving way to understanding. “Oh my God, don’t you see?” she exclaims. “Nessa didn’t ask you not to kill her daughter, because she knew that was inevitable. She asked you tolet her livebecause she wasn’t certain that you would.”

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