I swallowed hard, unable to speak, my mind caught up with what had been going on behind the closed door before I’d knocked. “I found mangoes.” The urge to slap my head with my hand was strong, but I held the bag in front of me and pushed my way in. “You got my message then . . .”

Belladonna was stretched out on the bed on her side, her hand resting in the curve of her waist. A smile on her lips like the cat that had snuck into the creamery and had its fill.

I laid the bag of fruit on the table, reminding myself that Ash didn’t like Belladonna in the least.

He folded his arms over his chest. “No, I didn’t get your message. Your father decided it would be best if we were both out of the way while the ambassador from the Pit decides our fate. You weren’t the only one killing Enders.” Ah, there was that.

I narrowed my eyes at him, looking him over. He didn’t get the message, which meant he didn’t understand how much trouble we were in.

Which could mean he wasn’t here to help us at all. I didn’t want to believe it of him, but if our father was trying to bump us off, and wanted to be sure it happened . . . sending another Ender would be good insurance.

“How did you get in here? Belladonna, I told you not to let anyone in except me.”

Belladonna sat up and I put myself between her and Ash. His eyes widened slightly as he took in my stance. “You don’t think I’m here to hurt you, do you?”

“How did you get in here?” I repeated. My muscles strummed with building adrenaline. I didn’t want to fight him, but what option would I have if he attacked my sister?

He folded his arms and stared hard at me. “The humans send in boats full of food. How do you think the fruit gets here? I hitched a ride with one of them. As to this room. I knocked, the princess let me in.”

Belladonna laughed softly. “How brilliant. Perhaps we should try that next time, Lark, instead of rowing into shark infested waters.”

Heat suffused my cheeks. It was a smart move, but how was I to know about the shipping lanes? No one had suggested it to me. There were a lot of things not adding up.

“Ash, I need to speak to the ambassador privately.” I pointed to the door.

His eyebrows shot up, but he backed out closing the door behind him.

I turned to see Belladonna on her knees on the bed. I put a finger to my lips as I approached her. Crouching beside the bed I forced myself to think like a chess player. Where would I put the pieces if I wanted to take out those who caused me grief?

Belladonna put a hand on my shoulder, her gray eyes thoughtful. “I think he’s here to make sure we don’t survive.” Her words echoed my own suspicions.

Pain zinged through me at the thought of not being able to trust Ash, but I nodded. “I agree. There was no talk of sending him away, why Father would send both of his Enders at the same time . . . this doesn’t make sense.”

“What do we do? Requiem is the devil incarnate. Do you know he is starving his people?”

“How did you figure that out?”

She snorted softly. “At the banquet. The things said and unsaid were all there if you know what you’re looking for. How did you find out?”

“Kids in the kitchen. Requiem is keeping the fish at bay somehow so the people will let him be king if only to be fed.”

The silence between us lasted only a minute or two, but in it I knew we were allies finally. I put my hand over hers on my shoulder.

“We play their game better than them. That is our only chance.”

She chewed her bottom lip. “And Ash?”

“He needs to stay in the dark. If he’s here at Father’s request, to make sure we don’t survive, he can’t know we are working together.”

Bella’s eyes darted to the door, then me. “You’re stronger than him, aren’t you?”

I knew what the real question was. Could I kill him? Shaking my head, I didn’t answer her. She grabbed my face. “You have to be. Or we’re both dead.”

CHAPTER 9

To say the night passed in companionable silence would be a lie. Belladonna slept on the bed, and I lay beside her wide awake and staring at the ceiling. Listening to Ash’s slow even breathing as he sat against the doors. Guarding them. I pulled out the thin knife he’d given me, tucking it under my pillow. Just in case he decided to come at me, at least I wouldn’t be fumbling with my vest.

My mind whirled with questions and possibilities, the darkness of the night seeming to urge my thoughts into the worst possible scenarios. Why had Ash really come? Was he telling the truth? Something about what he’d said didn’t sit right with me and that was the core of my unease. He wasn’t honest. I felt it with every breath I took.

Ash lied, and that truth ate at me.

Beside me, Belladonna rolled over, her face peaceful in sleep. The morning sun spilled in around us, backlighting her and making her hair glow. Here was the sister I remembered. Not the sister she had become. I touched her forehead, smoothing back her hair, wondering if the damage Cassava had done could be undone. Like the mother goddess had done for me.

“No, I don’t want to,” she whimpered, her face crinkling up and tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. She jerked away from me, her eyes opening, but she didn’t see me. I knew that look. I’d seen it in the mirror more than once. Belladonna saw her past and she didn’t like what she looked at, saw all that she couldn’t escape, no matter how far she ran.