Gates of Thread and Stone(70)

I looked at Reev, who had yet to move. “What are you going to do to Reev?”

There had to be a reason she’d brought him with her. Intimidation or leverage or something else to force my cooperation with whatever they wanted from me.

“R-22 is insignificant. He was a missing puzzle piece, now recovered.” She sounded annoyed. “His entire team was like a disobedient anim— Ah!”

Her face brightened. Her abrupt mood shifts were jarring, but after having spent time with Irra, I figured this was another quirk of the Infinite. She fingered the lace at the bottom of her dress, which was short and layered underneath with starched petticoats. The outfit looked like something the girls in the North District might wear: an odd mixture of allure and innocence.

“You don’t know?” She clapped her hands excitedly. Red curls bounced around her puffed sleeves. “I love a good story. You should hear the ones they used to tell about me.” She closed her eyes, smiling dreamily.

“What story?” I prompted.

She sat up straight. “Your brother’s, of course. The leader of his team was the only sentinel in Ninurta’s history to overcome his collar’s enchantments and disobey commands. As you can imagine, it was very troublesome.”

I hoped he had given them hell.

“The other two in his team began to disobey orders as well. But, of course, they couldn’t sever the collar’s connection to Ninu, so do you know what the leader did?” She thrust her lips into a pout. “He dared to break into Ninu’s private chambers and attempt to kill him.” Her pout stretched into a feral grin. “But he was caught. Do you know what Ninu did then?”

I could imagine. When I didn’t answer, she continued.

“He created a new collar. One that purifies the mind of all thought and knowledge, leaving a perfect shell for Ninu to refill. R-22 and the third member of their team were also meant to be purified as soon as they returned from a mission. But R-22 never came back, and his link to Ninu was broken by someone on the outside. Very few have the ability to tamper with Ninu’s collar and not kill its wearer.”

“The Infinite,” I said. In spite of everything, I wanted to know more. Reev had gone through so much so young. What happened to his real family when he was taken? And who helped Reev to escape?

Istar said spans of time had been erased from Reev’s memory. Whoever had broken his leash for him had wanted to remain anonymous.

I dug my knuckles into my stomach. Too many questions.

“So Irra told you that. And here I was hoping to give you another story.” She slumped dramatically and then jerked upright again, eyes widening. “Oops. Time’s up. Ninu wants to meet with you later.” She stood, smoothing down her dress over the petticoats. “And when you see him, you’ll give him all the information you have about Irra and your powers.”

She twirled away. Reev turned to follow her. Watching him leave, again, fractured something in my chest. I had to bite my lip to keep from calling out for him.

Because I knew she wanted me to ask, and because I had to know, I said, “Or what?”

She glanced back. She looked delighted. “You’ll be happy to know that R-22 is still intact. Ninu put up a very specific wall in his mind. It allows only certain knowledge and thoughts through while blocking everything else.” She thrust one slender finger up in the air. “But if you don’t cooperate, then R-22 will be sent for immediate purification.”



Istar hadn’t said when Ninu wanted to meet with me, so I went back to staring at the wall. The door had gone opaque again, but the slit remained open. Unfortunately, there was nothing to look at or listen to other than the sound of my own breathing. Enough time had passed that I’d grown hungry again, but I didn’t think a meal would be coming, so I ignored the ache. It wasn’t all that hard. I had a lot of practice.

Despite Istar’s threat, her words had put my mind and heart at ease. Reev was still in there. If I could only get him out of Ninurta, then Irra could help him.

If Irra even let us back in. My capture meant that the Kahl knew Irra had the means of sneaking people into the White Court. Kahl Ninu would probably do exactly what Irra had said: strengthen and restructure his security and weed out the spies. All the information Irra and his hollows had worked to gain would be meaningless.

I pushed aside the guilt. First, I had to figure out how to escape.

At some point, I fell asleep again. I hovered at the edge of a dream when a groan jarred me awake. I looked around, but I was still alone. My eyes fell on the slit in the door.

I heard a hiss of pain, a low groan, and then a hoarse laugh and a familiar voice. “Heh. Is that all you’ve got? Keep tr—nng.”

“Avan,” I breathed. I leaped off the cot and slammed my fists against the door. “Avan!”

Through the slit, I could see that the door to the hallway had been left ajar.

Avan made a strangled sound. “Kai? Drek. Don’t listen. Don’t—” His voice ended on a groan.

Oh God. “Stop!” My shout rang in my ears.

I kicked and pounded the door until every bone and muscle felt bruised. Avan had grown quieter, but I could still hear him. I felt his broken breaths snag in my own throat, his gasps like a knife in my ribs. I sank to my knees, forehead against the door, fingers digging into the unforgiving metal.