Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
She shrugs up one shoulder. “Nothing. Not really. I was shown something similar in the Matron Tower. But it’s… well, completely different, actually.”
“You’re a spy.”
“I’m the Rebellion.”
“Why are you telling me all this?”
“Why haven’t you told your bodyguard about it?”
“I asked you first.”
“Fine.” She draws in a deep breath. “Because I don’t think you want to do this. I think, given the chance, you’d be on our side. I think you regret—deeply—the fact that you sent Clara into that tower. And I think, if you had a choice, you would not be Extraction Master.”
“So you think I’ll take your side?”
She huffs. “Which side would that be?”
“You tell me. You’re the rebel.”
She and I just stare at each other again. I’m interested in this conversation. I want to keep it going. But at the same time, I want to think about what happened last night. It’s not all clear in my head—probably because I was drunk. But I think I liked it. I think she liked it too.
Finally, she says. “I don’t know which side that is.”
“Don’t you think you should figure that out before you make any big moves?”
“I want to see your Looking Glass.”
I nod my head towards her aunt. “So you can report back to her?”
“Well…” Jasina falters. “That was the original plan. But it doesn’t have to be the only plan. I mean.” She sighs. “What I really want is to make a difference. And I want people to remember that I made this difference. I want to be in the history books.” She shrugs. Like that’s all there is to it. She wants to be famous.
“Why would I tell you anything? Especially about that. I mean, I don’t know what this silly Rebellion is all about, but even I can see the obvious. You don’t like the status quo? Let me guess. You’re one of the down-city girls.”
“Yes and yes.” She leans in. “But you can’t tell me you’re satisfied, either. You killed the woman you loved. For what? For a god who doesn’t exist?”
“How do you know she’s dead?”
“How do you know she’s not?”
“What makes you think the tower god doesn’t exist?”
“What makes you think he does?”
“Because he’s dying. And if he wasn’t real, he wouldn’t be dying.”
“So it’s true.”
“I don’t know. Is it true?”
She sighs and leans back in her chair, nearly slouching. Which is very unbecoming of a Little Sister. “I don’t know either.”
“You want to see the room?”
“Yes.”
“Why should I show it to you? You’ll just feed all my hard-earned information to your spinster aunt over there.”
“What if I didn’t?”
“Come on, Jasina. Why wouldn’t you? This whole conversation is just a ploy, isn’t it?”
“A ploy?”
“Yeah. So I’ll give you information. You came to my quarters, in the night, of course. And wearing that see-through nightgown, of course, of course. So I would…” I smirk and shrug up one shoulder.
She fills in the blank with a straight face. “So you would… what? Finger me and get me off?”
“Wow.”
“What? I thought you liked the dirty talk? You were certainly candid last night.”
“I thought you were Clara.”
“You did not. You wished, maybe.” Jasina tips her chin up. “But you knew I wasn’t Clara and you didn’t care.”
“So?”
“So I told you something real. I told you pretty much everything I know, actually.”
“How loyal are you?”
“To you?” She scoffs.
“To your cause.”
“Well, I want things to change.”
“What if I told you that you didn’t have to do anything to make things change because change is coming whether we want it or not?”
She squints at me. “Is that what you’re telling me? The god is dying and everything is about to change?”
“Yep. That’s what I’m telling you. And no one wins, Jasina. The game is over.” I stand up. “And now, so is this meeting.”
The footman has rushed over and is hurriedly pulling out Jasina’s chair so she has to stand as well. She does her curtsey and then, a moment later, she’s gone and the next girl is sitting down across from me.
CHAPTER THIRTY
After Finn Scott’s abrupt dismissal, I turn towards the exit where Donal Oslin is waiting to escort me back to the dorm. There are Matrons posted along the passageways to keep an eye on us, but Donal is one of those creepy, ass-kissing boys who understands how to avoid the gaze of chaperones while simultaneously making them think he’s trustworthy.
So I’m on edge.
It occurs to me now, after that weird confrontation from Auntie, that he may have been partnered up with me on purpose.
I nearly scoff as I approach him. Of course he was, Jasina. The Matrons are in charge—they make all the decisions about the Little Sisters and these decisions, at least for this particular Extraction Choosing, are considered carefully. They’re not made lightly.
It’s obvious now, but up until a few minutes ago it never even entered my mind that the people I had trusted the most might not trust me back.