Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Vasilios was staring at me now. “How do you do that?”
“Do what?” I asked.
“See the world in such a way. It’s like you fade out all the ugliness and focus on the tiny parts that are good.”
“How else would I survive in here? Look at you. I assume your plan to get out is what keeps you going. Everyone needs something to hold on to.”
Another quiet passed before he said, “It stings to admit it, but I know your parents must have some good in them if they raised you to believe that the world can be made better. I envy you that.”
“You don’t believe it?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe it. I just know that the powers of evil are far stronger, and trying to defeat them is a losing battle.”
I let out a joyless laugh. “So why not join them, is what you’re saying?”
He sighed. “Maybe. At least, I used to think that. I’m not so certain about anything anymore.”
I didn’t point out that my parents had fought evil and won because talking about his father in that light would probably ruin the tentative understanding we’d managed to forge over the last few hours stuck in the cell.
A booming, echoing sound filled the prison then. It was the sound of the cells being magically unlocked at long last. I glanced at Vasilios. “I guess that’s my cue to leave. Thanks for … well, thanks for everything.”
He nodded silently, and I rose to go. It was as I was walking away that I realised something important. My belief that Vasilios was the one who framed me had disintegrated completely. There was no percentage of suspicion left. I was convinced he had absolutely nothing to do with it. I should return to my cell right now, tear off a strip of my jumpsuit, tie it to the bar of my cell, and let the warden know I was ready to leave.
The problem was, I still wasn’t ready. There was a reason Red Armand had sent me there, and it wasn’t to punish Vasilios. No, something else was afoot, and I couldn’t go until I figured out exactly what it was.
17.
Two days passed. I spent my time quietly working with the boat repair crew while trying to figure out Red Armand’s game plan. He’d framed me for a reason, and it had to have something to do with dragging Vasilios and Sven back to Oreylia with him.
It didn’t help that I had to avoid anywhere Mack might be, and that meant not being in my cell at night. I told Vasilios about her wanting to get to me, and he suggested I nap in his cell while he kept watch. Nothing had happened so far, and I wondered what Mack was up to. Why was she biding her time?
Then there was Belinda. She hadn’t visited me in days, not since I’d revealed the motive behind her murder. I was starting to wonder if she really had moved on. Was she in a better place now? Or was she off somewhere, still fuming and hating me even more than she did already?
Weirdly, I missed her. She’d become a familiar companion in an unfamiliar place, and though she aggravated me at the best of times, there was a comfort in having her around. She made me feel like I wasn’t so far away from my life back home.
After my shift, I decided to skip going to the dining hall in favour of getting some rest. The short naps I’d taken in Vasilios’s cell weren’t enough to keep me going. I was just about to nod off when Lara appeared holding a blanket and a small pillow. I hadn’t seen her since Sarasin’s Midnight when she’d served the guests food and wine.
“Hey, I work in the laundry, and I came across a few extra things you might find useful,” she said. My eyebrows rose in surprise at the unexpected kindness. What in the world had Lara done to end up there? She seemed like a decent person, certainly not a criminal, and not the type of woman you’d expect to encounter in prison.
“Thanks, that’s so thoughtful of you,” I said, taking the blanket and pillow. As I did, my fingers brushed hers, and an odd sensation slithered through me, a strange hollowness. I quickly pulled away, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“No problem. I know we can’t really be friends in here, but I thought I’d try and help you settle in as best I can. The whole thing with Sarasin the other night must’ve been a lot for you.”
“It was certainly eye-opening,” I said as I began to wonder about Lara. Maybe she wasn’t all that she seemed.
A few beats of quiet passed before she said, “Right, well, I better get going.”
“Thanks again,” I called after her, frowning at the blanket and pillow and trying to figure out if there was a catch. I ran my hand over both items but couldn’t sense any magic. They definitely hadn’t been bespelled. I tried to shirk off the suspicion. After all, why would Lara, of all people, mean me harm?