Two guards stormed into the room, each wearing bulky armor as they scanned opposite ends with their weapons. “Clear,” one of them shouted as they halted in the same pose, spines straight with their feet close together.

  My heart stopped at the face I witnessed next. Is that…Lord Caelan? An old man followed closely behind, sneering at me from over Caelan’s shoulder. Aldren. Eunice bowed as they entered the room.

  Aldren looked from the doctor’s body to Eunice, then finally to the tank I was in. His brow furrowed as he gestured in my direction. “Why is she still alive?”

  “The tank is unbreakable, Master Aldren.”

  Why? Didn’t Caelan send us here? None of this made sense. I grit my teeth, disgusted and confused as he strolled toward my tank. Aldren glared from a few paces behind him.

  “That’s quite alright. I’m sure Lady Tavren will pay as much for her alive. You two,” he motioned the two guards. “See about disconnecting this tank from the wall.”

  “Whrrrgraghhh,” I tried. He seemed to understand what I was asking.

  “Are you asking why? Ah, you must think I am my brother.” He laughed as the two guards surrounded the tank. They knelt on either side, likely searching for a way to transport it as ordered.

  I narrowed my eyes; face twisted in confusion as I stared at the very picture of Lord Caelan.

  Brother?

  “Oh my god. She’s leaving him for his evil twin. How could she? That...harlot...THAT HARPY.”

  The man who claimed to be Lord Caelan’s brother twisted his mouth into a grin before turning to Aldren. “Well done, Aldren. Father will have to name me the prime for this. Have your men located Lucian’s seal yet?”

  “The feral is wearing it, lord.” Eunice said, each word stabbing like a spear of ice into my gut. Why is she doing this?

  “Excellent work.” Aldren said, resting a hand on Eunice’s shoulder. “Since we have the seal, it’s probably best not to take any chances, lord. We still don’t know exactly what he was plotting before we took him into custody.”

  “You’d have me kill my big brother?” The man who looked like Lord Caelan asked. I drew my head back as he leaned forward to examine me in the tank, my teeth clenched in a snarl as he wrapped his knuckles on the glass. “Very well. I agree there’s no sense in taking chances.”

  Aldren’s eyes glossed over for a moment in what I realized was him giving the order to whoever held Lord Caelan. I imagined him bloodied and beaten somewhere, the fear in his eyes as whoever held him took his life. I didn’t feel sorry for him; how could I? Capturing me and forcing me into the tournament aside, he’d overseen my village, whether he really wanted to didn’t change that fact. Still, aside from my family, he was kinder to me than anyone from the village had ever been...and he did try to keep me safe, even if it was only out of self-interest. A hollow feeling entered my chest as Aldren spoke.

  “It’s done, my lord.”

  My eyes fell to the spot where the doctor lay. Corin, I remembered. Her eyes were still open, stuck in permanent state of shock. They were beautiful, I realized, a deep shade of blue not unlike the water that stretched across the garden. I wondered how well Oren had known her.

  He called her a friend- I paused, noticing something unusual. Belial...Did the doctor just...wink?

  Lord Caelan’s brother hovered impatiently over the guards. They were still fumbling on either side of my tank, their hands smacking on the glass as they searched for a way to detach it from the wall. He leaned in to inspect one’s progress, “What in Sol is taking so lon-”

  I gaped as the doctor shot to her feet, the glint of the knife still visible as she wrenched it free of her skull. Lord Caelan’s brother shot up at the commotion, standing just in time for me to watch the knife penetrate the front of his throat. We locked eyes through the glass. His bulged with terror as he flit them about, searching, like he still didn’t understand what’d happened.

  “MACHINE!” A guard screamed, aiming his weapon at Corin just as the lord’s shoulders slumped. She released the knife, letting the lifeless body slump against my tank. I cringed as his body slid, smearing blood onto the glass until he reached the floor.

  Before the guard could fire, she ripped the gun from his hands. The weapon’s strap yanked him forward, straight into the second guard’s line of fire. Bullets tore into the first guard’s back, painting the glass on my tank with more blood as she rammed the now lifeless guard into the other, pinning him against the wall next to me.

  I strained my neck, barely catching a glimpse from the corner of my eye as she held her palm over the pinned guard’s helmet, pressing it onto his faceplate. A dull metallic clank sounded as the inside of the second guard’s helmet filled with gore. I fought the urge to gag as she drew back her arm, and a bloodied metal rod retracted back into her palm.

  What...is she?

  “According to the records, something very illegal.”

  Records? Are you on the network?

  “No, I haven’t been able to connect for over an hour…I came across something similar before. Your people just call them machines.”

  Like the Sanctari?

  “Her kind came way before the Sanctari. I’d have to connect to the network to be sure, but I think I read something about a crusade.”

  I decided not to press him on it now. Instead, I watched in morbid fascination as the doctor stalked Aldren towards the door. His face was twisted in terror as he turned to run, only to be bounced backwards by a massive breastplate. One I recognized by its sheer size; despite the helmet worn by the guard.

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  Oren...

  Aldren tumbled backwards as Oren strode into the room. An armored hand clamped onto Aldren’s shoulder, shoving him to his knees next to Eunice who seemed just as horrified.

  “Wh-what are you doing? Deal with the machine!” Aldren stuttered, peering up at Oren, who'd removed his helmet to offer a menacing grin. The color fled from Aldren’s face. “First a feral…now this?” He looked to the dead lord, gagging at the corpse slumped against my tank. His face contorted in rage as he shouted. “Lucian is already dead; you’ve killed the duke’s prime!”

  “That’s funny, I don’t feel dead.” Came a familiar voice. I drew my head back in surprise as Lord Caelan strolled casually into the room.

  “You…” Aldren mumbled, his eyes nearly leaping from his skull.

  “Me,” Lord Caelan hummed. “Don’t suppose this would make me the prime?”

  “You-your father would print a hundred more before he ever made you prime.” Aldren spat, becoming more incensed as Lord Caelan’s grin widened. “You reckless…arrogant...”

  “Don’t forget handsome,” Lord Caelan added drawing a chuckle from Corin. “I have to say, I’m appreciating this side of you, old man. Candor really suits you.”

  “How!?” A vein throbbed along Aldren’s neck as he seethed, his head twisting back and forth before his eyes landed on Eunice. “You…Were you part of this...design? Your family will die for this. I’ll watch personally as their flesh is ablated by the-”

  “Yes, yes, you’re very angry. We get it.” Lucian said, lifting Eunice’s chin. She pulled away, glaring uneasily at him in a way that made it clear she hadn’t known. “I’d love to pretend that were the case, but no.” He gave a forlorn sigh. “She didn’t know in the slightest, did you?”

  Eunice stumbled backwards, overcome by what I could only assume was grief. Or maybe regret? It was hard to feel sorry for her. I saved her life, and she offered me up to die. I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive that, but part of me didn’t want to die either. Especially after hearing Aldren threaten her family.

  Do you think that’s why she did it?

  “I don’t care why.” Belial huffed, “As far as I’m concerned you reap what you sow.”

  “How fares your patient, doctor?” Lord Caelan asked, smiling.

  “I'm sure she'd be happy to tell you herself, her treatment finished a few hours ago.” Corin beamed as if she didn’t have a knife sticking out of her head a moment earlier.

  Wait, a few hours ago? I wretched the fluid from my lungs as the tank began to drain. Coughing and sputtering as the glass slid downward. The doctor held out an arm to steady me as the restraints retracted from my arms and legs. I stared uneasily at her arm, still shaken by how she’d dealt with the guards.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t bite.” She smiled. After another second of hesitation, I let her help me from the tank, coughing up what I hoped was the last of the fluid as I stepped barefoot onto the floor.

  “Aine! I’m glad to see you’re well, and in such a stylish outfit.” Lord Caelan crowed. My face reddened as Corin wrapped a large towel around my shoulders. A towel I appreciated considering that all I had covering my…parts…were a few pale, green strips of rubbery material.

  “Lord…Cael--thought you were…dead.” I choked out, panting as my lungs adjusted to the air.

  “Please, I think we’re past formalities. You can call me Lucian.” I gave him an indignant look, heaving another stream of fluid on the floor before turning to the doctor.

  “You said...my treatment...finished hours ago?” I managed.

  “Yes. Sorry about that. I had to make it seem convincing, so I directed the nanites to sort of...tickle you. Hope it wasn’t too unpleasant.” She answered.

  “Tickle? You call this a tickle?” I asked, groaning as I tried to stretch the feeling away. I’d almost forgotten it in all the violence, but now that things had settled the feeling gnawed at me. “Can you make it stop?”

  “Yes, sorry about that.” Corin answered, her eyes glossing over for a moment before the restless feeling finally ebbed away.

  “How...are you alive?” I asked, breathlessly.

  She crouched near the corpse of the man she stabbed through the neck, something sharp extending from her palm as she answered. “I’m not exactly human.”

  “This is madness!” Aldren shouted, struggling to rise before Oren shoved him back to the ground. He looked from Oren back to Lord Caelan, rage searing his face red. “Your father is a day from the system, he’ll kill the girl anyways...and you, when he learns of your association with a...a machine he’ll-”

  “Kill me too?” Lord Caelan finished, smugly. “Yes, I imagine he would. Better to replace me with another one of my...siblings.” He grimaced as if the word left a bad taste. “He, of course, won’t be finding out…you may have noticed some difficulty connecting to the network?”

  Aldren’s eyes glossed over for a moment, his breathing turned ragged. “He’ll still kill the girl, he already knows about your insane plan to put her in the tournament, why do you think he asked me to do this?”

  “I don’t think he will. In fact, I think by the time he arrives, he’ll have no choice but to root for Aine to win.”

  Aldren scoffed as if Lord Caelan had said the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “I beg you enlighten me how you plan to accomplish that-”A buzzing sound cut him off.

  “We’re going tae place a litt’le wager.” Oren said.

  Aldren turned his attention from Oren to the source of the buzzing. His mouth fell open in horror as he watched the doctor stand. I stifled a gag, seeing she was holding the severed hand of Lucian’s brother, a bloodied instrument jutting from her other palm. “Wh-what are you-” He continued to stammer as Corin held it next to Lucian’s arm, as if sizing it up. A ring, not unlike the one I wore, encircled one of its lifeless fingers.

  “You could’ve just cut off his finger, I’m not letting you sew a whole arm on me.” Lucian said to Corin, shaking his head. For some reason that seemed to disappoint her as she set the arm on a metal tray nearby.

  “You planned...all of this? FOR WHAT?” Aldren fumed.

  “I did.” Lord Caelan shrugged, “and like Oren said, to place a bet.”

  Aldren’s eyes went wide, darting between the ring on my finger, to the severed hand. Realization washing over his face as he mumbled aloud. “You’re going to bet your father’s estate on the feral.” Lucian didn’t answer, instead, he only smiled as Aldren’s jaw sagged in disbelief. “This is lunacy! Do you plan to march me before the bookmaker with a gun to my head?” He scoffed, his voice sturdier now. “Even with both seals, you can’t affect your father’s assets without my approval.”

  “I thought you might say that.” Lord Caelan sighed, “You make me sad, old man.” He lowered his head in a show of disappointment before nodding to Corin. “I suppose it can’t be helped.”

  “You can’t threaten me into compliance.” Aldren snapped, his eyes narrowing as if to call Lord Caelan’s bluff. It only took a few steps in his direction from Corin for his confidence to fall apart. She smiled creepily as the device extending from her palm started to buzz. The sound sent Aldren skittering backwards on his hands and knees.

  What is that? What is she going to do to him?

  “I believe it’s a type of saw...and I don’t really want to know.”

  “I know I can’t, old man. Which is why the doctor here is going to wear your skin as a suit.” Lord Caelan said, flashing a thin smile as he lifted his arms indifferently. “One of her many talents. I daresay, your friends might like you more than they used to.”

  “W-Wear? My lord, have some sense, for once-” His face whitened to chalk as he backed into the spot Eunice stood, clutching at her leg. “Do something, stop that machine!” he shouted up at her.

  Oren choked out a laugh as Eunice spit on Aldren’s face, kicking herself free from his grasp as she stepped to the side.

  “If I'm going to die, it won’t be helping the man who just threatened to kill my family.” She spat, shaking visibly as her eyes retreated from Aldren to the floor. “I only did this to keep them safe...”

  I looked on, mouth agape as Aldren began to scream from where he sat. He crawled backwards until Corin finally cornered him against the wall. I realized his screams were only out of fear as Corin had yet to touch him with the saw. She turned to look at Oren, who seemed to know what she meant to say without a word between them.

  “Come lass, best ye’ don’ see this.” Oren said, gently placing his hand against my back. I nodded, grateful I’d be missing the show as he guided me toward the door.