“Probably not…,” Lady Gisela murmured. And as the blood drained from her face, Sophie realized she’d just found her first real advantage.

Lady Gisela had a flaw in her exit strategy.

A pretty massive one.

It also confirmed that Lady Gisela had been planning on taking Keefe with her when she left—and there was no way Sophie was letting that happen.

All the more reason she needed to get back on her feet.

“So, see?” she said. “You don’t have to worry about my inflicting. And if you untie me and get this dwarf off of my back, I’ll tell you what I saw in Keefe’s head during your creepy experiment.”

“It wasn’t an experiment!” Lady Gisela corrected. “It was a transformation.”

“Yeah, well, I almost lost him during that transformation—several times. And when the shadowflux sank in…”

“Yes?” Lady Gisela prompted when Sophie didn’t finish.

Sophie shook her head again. “Untie me and I’ll tell you. Otherwise forget it.”

Lady Gisela huffed out a breath.

She glanced toward where the throne used to be, and Sophie followed her gaze, feeling her heart sink when she saw Keefe’s crumpled position on the floor.

His mom had left him there—limbs bent and twisted. Skin pale and sweaty.

And his eyes…

“What’s wrong?” Lady Gisela asked.

But Sophie couldn’t answer. Her brain was too busy replaying the last things Keefe had said to her before his mind went quiet.

Tired.

Sleep.

But he definitely wasn’t asleep.

His eyes were wide open, staring unblinkingly at nothing.

And even in the dim light, Sophie could see that he was breathing much too fast for someone sleeping.

“What’s wrong?” Lady Gisela demanded.

“I don’t know,” Sophie admitted, because this wasn’t just a bargaining chip anymore. “You have to get him to a physician—and you’re going to need my help, since I’m the only one who can teleport.”

Lady Gisela barked a sharp laugh. “Do I really look that foolish?”

“Do you actually want me to answer that?” Sophie snapped back. “Do you think I like this idea either? Do you think I want to leave my friends tied up and unconscious?”

Lady Gisela set her jaw. “I can’t let you teleport away with my son—”

“Look at your son!” Sophie interrupted. “Does he look okay to you?”

“He doesn’t,” a new voice agreed when Lady Gisela stayed silent.

It took Sophie a second to realize it had to be Glimmer. And Sophie had no idea how to feel about that. Especially when Glimmer added, “I think you should listen to her.”

“So do I,” Tam agreed, and Sophie wanted to smack herself for forgetting about him.

She wasn’t completely alone in this nightmare after all.

Tam proved how true that was when he told her, “Don’t worry, I can keep everyone here safe until they wake up. You just focus on getting Keefe to Elwin.”

“I’ll need to get to the surface to teleport,” Sophie realized. And without Nubiti, she had no idea how to get through the King’s Path.

“You should use the path we took,” Glimmer told her, sounding surprisingly genuine. “King Enki showed it to us—it’s a straight shot once you go down one level. I’m sure the dwarf holding you will take you down.”

“No, he won’t,” Lady Gisela informed them. And there was a strange tone in her voice.

Bitterness maybe?

Frustration?

“Why not?” Glimmer asked, beating Sophie to the question.

Lady Gisela dragged a hand down her face. “Because it’s not part of our bargain.”

“Your bargain,” Sophie repeated, realizing there was only one person Lady Gisela would be talking about. “You agreed to let King Enki keep the prisoners if he helped you trap Keefe on his throne.”

“That was part of the deal, yes,” Lady Gisela admitted. “And he was particularly clear about wanting to make sure you were among them. So there’s no way that dwarf is letting me undo your bonds.”

“There definitely isn’t,” the cruel little creature agreed, shoving Sophie’s shoulders harder into the sand.

“But if you explained to King Enki that I’m the only one who can take Keefe…” Sophie stopped herself there, not sure she could bring herself to argue that Lady Gisela should bargain for Sophie’s freedom and leave the rest of her friends captive.

And it wasn’t just her friends.

There were three unconscious Councillors tied up on the floor near her—and there might be three more on the floor of the main marketplace.

And more of her friends. Who she still hadn’t checked on—hadn’t really even thought of.

And now she was thinking of abandoning them?

But what else was she supposed to do—unless they could help?

She could reach out to Fitz telepathically, explain what was happening, and…

What?

Expect them to come charging in to save the day?

It was a lovely, lovely thought.

But not particularly realistic.

If her friends were in a position to help, they would’ve already been there.

Plus, if she and her group had been overpowered so easily, the odds were…

“That wasn’t our deal!” Tam snapped, saving Sophie from finishing that devastating thought.

“Oh, relax,” Lady Gisela told him. “I made an exception for your sister. You and she will be free to go with me and—”

“That wasn’t our deal!” Tam insisted again. “You said my friends would be safe.”

“Yes, well, technically they are. As far as I know, King Enki has no intention of killing them—well, maybe the Councillors, but…” She shrugged. “You can’t save everyone, Tam.”

“Maybe not,” he admitted as the room slowly darkened. “But that doesn’t mean you stop trying.”

The dwarf pinning Sophie shifted his weight, bracing for the new threat—and Sophie wondered if that meant Tam was already free of his bonds.

But she should’ve known that Lady Gisela would never give up control until she absolutely had to.

“This is not a moment to mess with me,” Lady Gisela warned, stalking closer to where Tam must’ve been standing. “I’m trying to figure out a way to help my son—I don’t have time for another one of your temper tantrums. So let me be very clear. If you make one more move against me—One. More. Move—I’ll cancel our deal and keep you as my handy little Shade pet as long as I want.”

Silence followed—the kind that grew heavier and heavier, until it felt like the whole room was being smothered.

Then someone asked, “Shade pet?”

But it wasn’t Tam.

Glimmer.

She was also the one to ask, “You’d seriously go back on your word?”

“Of course she would,” Tam cut in. “That’s what I keep telling you.”

“I know. But… I want to hear it from her,” Glimmer said—and the dwarf pinning Sophie shifted his weight again.

Sophie took her chance to slide forward and twist—only gaining a couple of inches. But it was enough to give her a clear view of where Tam stood with his hands fisted at his sides. The light of his bonds flickered from his shaking, as if Tam was using every drop of his restraint to stop himself from lashing out at Lady Gisela—who stood a few feet away with her hands on her hips.