Get the Partizan; make the Master happy. That was the one thing Julius and Ingrid had been sure of, but recently it felt messy, uncertain.
“The princess.”
Ingrid looked up again, a bloodthirstiness coursing through her like fire, a burning need for revenge.
“What about her?”
“He’s considering their relationship,” Phi said, picking at her eyebrow, an absentminded twitch. “We think they’re too close; it might hinder our plan.”
The princess, the princess, the princess. What was so special about the princess?
Ingrid had suggested multiple times that they should just abandon the princess of Maradova, that there was no helping her.
The Maravish monarchy represented everything they were against, the root of it all. Yet Ingrid simply couldn’t shake how much she hated that senseless spoiled little girl, who’d tripped her over in the Tompkins Manor and ruined everything.
Her fingers tensed in a way that sent pain shooting up through the bones. She relished it.
“What does he need me to do?” asked Ingrid.
“Haru believes his master and the princess are only days away from finding the hiding place, but there’s been a change of plan. First, we’re going to allow the princess to find what’s hidden in Takeshin, and we’ll take it later. He thinks it might change her mind a little. And, second, he’s decided we need to send someone to get closer to Jamie. Make the transition easier.” Phi let out a grunt that was almost a laugh before adding, “And if that fails, there’s always the Hamelin Formula . . .”
Ingrid struggled to hide her delight. “Just give me the orders and I’m there.”
“No! Haru will be taking care of it. He’s already got closer than we’d anticipated.”
“What?” Ingrid’s hands clenched painfully, all that delicious expectation deflating into nothing.
“He wants you to stay as far away as possible. That’s your order.” Phi spoke casually, as if this wasn’t the worst news Ingrid could ever have heard. “From what he saw on the roof, you are far too reckless when it comes to the Partizan, and he wants you to stay away from all targets until further notice.”
Jamie was being ripped away from her. The one thing that would make the Master truly value her.
A million thoughts and questions exploded in her mind. Was the Master mad at her? What was so special about Haru? Why wasn’t she getting her way?
Arms crossed against her chest, Ingrid cradled the wretched pain, letting it fuel her anger. This was the princess’s fault. She’d taken her prize away and foiled them too many times, and now she’d turned the Master against her.
“Okay.” She acted disappointed so as not to give too much away. “I understand.”
Phi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and Ingrid made a great show of whimpering as she touched her wrists.
Phi let out a long sigh before offering an attempt at comfort. “Just focus on getting better, and if you need any more painkillers, come and find me.”
Ingrid didn’t say thank you; it would have been too out of character. Instead she sniffed loudly, as if embarrassed by her outburst. “I’ll get better soon so I can be useful again.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks as Phi left. Then, as soon as she was sure Phi was out of sight, she let the snarl crawl onto her face. Wincing, she picked through her jacket to find her salvaged blade; a slick of Haru’s blood still stained it from Jamie having thrown it. The feel of the steel spider made her shiver with anticipation, terrible acts of revenge and torment bubbling in her head.
If they weren’t going to let her get close to Jamie again, she would find another way of getting even.
25
OF ALL THE STUPID THINGS Ollie had done in his life, of all the half-thought-out, nitwitted ideas, this was by far the most . . . fun.
Standing knee-deep in a stream under the bridge of one of the most prestigious schools in the world, goggles over his eyes, and heart racing like he was preparing to do an Olympic dive, Ollie took in his ragtag accomplices and pondered how he’d found himself here.
Binah had told him there was a diary in Rosewood that they needed to retrieve, part of a puzzle that Lottie was trying to solve. These other two boys, both of whom Ollie had seen on the news, had agreed, as if it were totally normal, to let Binah lead them on an illegal and dangerous mission.
They’d waited until nightfall, and Binah had chosen an evening with a full moon to give them the best chance of spotting the glint of the metal hatch, but the only downside was it was super creepy.
“Okay, Ollie, time to shine.” The waterproof flashlight was held out to him by a grinning Raphael, and even in the dark his teeth shone bright white like they might be glowing.
Raphael was strange to him. His expensive cologne made Ollie’s nose twitch, and he was beautiful in an unfair kind of way, the kind of attractiveness reserved for Hollywood actors who make it seem completely effortless.
Percy, on the other hand, had little in the way of charisma. His eyes were sunken and bruised like he didn’t get much sleep, and he was almost as pale as the moon. Yet there was something about him, an awareness of sorts, that made Ollie feel as though nothing would get past him. It was both unnerving and completely disarming.
Maybe there really was something special about Rosewood students after all. The thought made him wince, remembering how he’d heard nothing from Lottie all summer. Swamped in his own thoughts, he caught Binah’s eye, and he was sure from the way she pouted that she knew what he was thinking about.
The only way Ollie could explain how he felt for Binah was a “friend crush.” He understood she wasn’t interested in romance, and he had no interest in that; what he craved was her approval.
