I checked my indicator. Four hours had gone by since Tian had netted Quess, and I was beginning to chafe under the fact that he hadn’t netted back to let me know what was going on. After a modified conversation with him through her—one in which I thankfully remembered to ask him if he had working shockers with him, confirming that the ones on my wrist weren’t the only ones available—I had anticipated a call back within an hour. But there had been no word.

I was anxious. Maddox was nervous. Tian was frantic, prowling around the inside of the walls as if the apartment were a cage keeping her in. Maddox and I had both sealed our bedrooms using the biometric locks we had available to us as a precaution to keep her from sneaking out that way, but we wouldn’t be able to keep her in once the challenge started—she could just walk out the front door—and the knowledge made my stomach churn. I just prayed that Zoe and the others had managed to convince Lacey and Strum to help us, and that they were tracking the sentinel down right now.

That thought only made me feel more apprehensive, and I found myself looking at where Maddox and Leo were sitting, thinking. I didn’t need them for the next part of the challenge—not really. I knew that they wanted to go to watch my back, but we still hadn’t heard from Quess or Zoe, and I was really friggin’ worried. If I could just get them to drop out of the Tourney, they would be free to net the others and find out what was going on.

I looked at Leo, the only one of us who had managed to remain calm—maddeningly so. He was currently flipping through a crimson manual for the Knight’s Department at a rhythmic pace, the opaque plastic pages making a fwip fwip fwip sound.

“Leo?” I said, just as Tian swept from the living room to the kitchen, following her little path around the apartment.

“Hm?” he said, pausing mid-flip and looking up at me.

“What would you say if I told you and Maddox to drop out of the Tourney so that you could help the others?” I asked carefully.

His eyes widened for a moment in surprise, and then darkened, as if he had just pulled blinds across them. “No,” he said flatly, turning back to his book.

“Absolutely not,” Maddox added, looking over from where she was watching the final roster for the Tourney. “Several people have already dropped out: all of Frederick’s team, including Kellan, in fact. But Zale’s team is still intact, and Dylan hasn’t dropped out yet, and neither has Frederick. You’ll be outnumbered six to one.”

“Five to two,” I said, thinking of my mother. Maddox, however, seemed to miss the connection, and I added, “My mother?”

“Do you think you can trust her?” she asked, giving me a searching look.

I bit my lip, considering her question and all the things my mother had revealed to me, and then nodded slowly. “Yeah,” I said, sounding a little surprised even to myself. Maybe it was because I had never considered it possible that my mother would ever support me, or maybe there was still some small part of me that was a little doubtful, but it didn’t matter—something had shifted inside of me, and I was making the choice to trust her.

I noticed Maddox giving me a doubtful look, and sucked in a deep breath, forcing more confidence into my voice. “Yeah, I really do. So I don’t think that it would be that bad if you guys were to drop out and—”

“Well, I don’t trust Dylan as far as I can throw the Tower,” Maddox cut in smoothly. “As long as she’s in the Tourney, you are not going in without backup.”

“I honestly don’t think she’ll try to kill me, Maddox,” I replied. “Drones will be everywhere, security is insane…”

“And if we dropped out, everyone would see and know that you were vulnerable,” Leo said, filling the air after I slowly trailed off, trying to get them to see my point. He didn’t even look up from the book he was reading, so he missed my frown and the flash of irritation that was undoubtedly shining in my eyes. Instead, he continued flipping through the book he was reading. “Not to mention, if we left to help Quess and the others, you’d be alone and exposed to a possible attack, whether it be before the Tourney or during. Especially without Quess there to keep the drones on you.”

I bristled and narrowed my eyes at him. “You do realize that I’m in charge, right?” I asked him.

He and Maddox gave me identical looks that said “you’re not going to win this”, and I sighed, rolled my eyes, and leaned back into the chair.

“Fine,” I grumbled. I wasn’t about to give up, but I needed to find the right argument to convince them. “Then distract me with something. What’s going on with the standings? How is Dylan’s approval rating?” I asked, dreading the answer. The server kept a real-time account of approval ratings as each Knight logged their preferences, and though they were free to change them until the end of the Tourney, they would give us an idea of who was currently favored by the Knights in the Citadel.

Maddox sighed. “You’re in the lead with twenty-eight percent, but Zale has twenty-six, Dylan has twenty-five, and Frederick has twenty-one percent. It’s anyone one’s game, at this point.”

And a pretty close one, at that. I sighed and began rubbing my eyes, my tension spiking. It was a close race, and one wrong move could get me eliminated. If I didn’t win this next challenge, then there was every chance that the Tower would fall, and I couldn’t let that happen. But at the same time, the danger with Jang-Mi and the sentinel, and the fact that I hadn’t heard from anyone yet, was pressing. Four hours was a long time; they should’ve found the sentinel by now.

What if Lacey hadn’t agreed to help them? What if they hadn’t been able to stop it?

What if they were dead right now, while we were stuck up here waiting for this stupid Tourney to begin?

I went cold at the thought, and once again felt the need to try to convince Leo and Maddox to leave the Tourney and go help the others. It would go a long way toward reassuring me, knowing they were there, and then I could focus on the challenge.

Or at least, that was what I told myself as I opened my mouth to once again encourage them to drop out. “Look, if you drop as soon as the officials come to collect us, then you can—”

“Liana, no,” Leo said, closing the book with a snap. “Even without all the danger that it would cause to you, you forget one fundamental thing: you made a promise that you wouldn’t go off on your own again, and if you order us to leave, you are breaking that promise.”

“And Zoe will kill us and then you, in that order, if we let that happen,” Maddox added.

“I’ll do it right now,” grumbled Tian as she stalked back in from the hallway, continuing her circuit of our small apartment.

“Knock it off, Tian,” Maddox said, clearly tired of the young girl’s grumblings. “You need to suck it up and accept that we’re right about this. You don’t need to be out there.”

“I can help!” the young girl snapped sullenly for the umpteenth time. “Jang-Mi won’t hurt me.”

“Jang-Mi is not in control,” Leo said flatly. “Or at least, not fully in control. Which is just as dangerous. You should trust Liana and Maddox on this, and stay once they come to collect us.”

“Well, I won’t,” she said, coming to a stop and balling her hands into fists. “As soon as you’re gone, I’m going to net Quess and find out where he is, and if he won’t help me, then I’ll call Alex and make him help me!”

I sighed and leaned back onto the couch I was sitting on. It seemed there was nothing any of us could say to change her mind about going, and trying to convince her that we were right was only a waste of breath. She was going to leave the first chance she got, and that was that. I just had to hope that Quess and the others keyed in to the fact that we’d kept her from joining them, and wouldn’t tell her anything.

And that they were all right.

I sighed again and stood up, resolving to keep myself busy. All this sitting around and waiting for something to happen was driving me nuts—as was the communications lockdown, and the fact no one had netted Tian back.

“Anybody want anything?” I asked as I made my way to the kitchen.

“No, thanks,” Leo said, opening his book back up.

“Nothing for me,” Maddox added, turning the pad back on and accessing the server.

“Hot chocolate,” Tian childishly demanded, and I rolled my eyes, but reached up into one of the overhead cabinets to fetch her a packet. I was in the process of pouring hot water into a mug when the doorbell sounded, and I froze.

“Candidates are ordered to the arena for the presentation of the final challenge,” the automated voice announced.

I drew in a deep breath, blew it out, and set down the mug, which was now shaking in my hands. No, scratch that, my hand was shaking. I flexed it open and closed a few times, trying to calm the sudden apprehension that had surged.

I took a few moments to steel myself, and then turned, motioning for the others. They were already standing, and Tian was now leaning against the wall just outside of the hall, a pleased smile on her lips.

“Time to go,” I said, softly, nodding toward the door. “Tian… I really hope you don’t go, but if you do, please be careful, and don’t do anything dangerous, okay?”

Tian stared at me for a long second, her features scrunched up into a scowl. “Can you promise that you won’t do anything dangerous in the Tourney?”

I shook my head. “You know I can’t.”

“Then don’t ask me to,” she replied, holding my gaze with a blaze of determination.

“That’s not the same, Tian,” I said softly. “But… just try, okay?”

Her jaw held a stubborn set, but she nodded, just once, as the door buzzed again, repeating its demand.

“Go hide,” I told her, and then turned to the door and squared my shoulders. It was time to finish this.

* * *

“Congratulations, candidate,” Scipio said, his face glowing in the relative darkness of the room I had just been deposited into. I was alone now, having been separated from Leo and Maddox almost as soon as we entered the halls beneath the arena. I hadn’t liked it, but there was nothing any of us could do as they guided us toward different paths. The official who had led me here had finally broken down enough to reveal that we would all be placed near each other, but that was all I got.

My equipment was assigned, and once again I did little to put it on myself, just nodding or shaking my head to answer the official’s questions regarding my comfort. She dressed me, taking careful pains to make sure that everything worked the way it was supposed to.

Truthfully, her hands and presence had made me jumpier than a cat in a cucumber patch, and for half of it I was certain that I was going to pass out, I was so lightheaded.

Thank Scipio the officials either didn’t notice or were too professional to comment. Maybe they’d been coached to be prepared for a candidate freak-out prior to the final challenge. I couldn’t be the only one apprehensive about what was to come, could I?

Either way, I was relieved when I was deposited into the final room alone, and I carefully shook out my limbs and arms, trying to get the pins and needles to settle, while listening to Scipio’s speech. My heart was pounding loudly in my ears, making it difficult for me to really focus on what he was saying, but I managed to catch most of it, using his words to help draw me back into the moment.

“—The challenges you face here will be like nothing you have faced before,” he assured me solemnly, his dark blue eyes burning holes into mine. “The Battle for Six Bells will test your coordination, speed, and reactionary abilities. As you are well aware, not all of the candidates present in the challenge will be bidding for position; many of them will be trying to support their own candidates. The use of violence is authorized, but do not cause permanent harm to the other candidates, and keep a careful eye on your environment. The parameters are simple: the first to navigate the course and ring all six bells within three seconds will be the winner of the challenge, the Champion of the Tourney, and in all likelihood, the new head of the Knights Department, once the final votes from the Knights are taken into consideration. They will inherit the responsibilities that go along with that duty, including the obligation of the safety and wellbeing of the Tower. May honor, fortitude, and luck be with you, and may the best Knight win.”

His image lingered for a second later, and then disappeared, leaving me in the dimly lit compartment, my stomach now twisted into knots. I had so many enemies going into this, and even with Maddox, Leo, and my mother backing me up, I couldn’t be certain that I’d win.

Hell, I couldn’t be certain I’d make it through the course. Dylan would be gunning for me, and so would Zale—and because of him, Min-Ha and my father, both of whom were formidable fighters. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure that Min-Ha would actually target me specifically, given our interaction in the last challenge. I felt confident that I had earned her respect—but that didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. Especially if she felt that Zale was better suited for the position.

Then there was Frederick. I hadn’t had to fight him yet, but the vids taken of him during the Tourney revealed that he relied heavily on speed and agility. Agility I had, and speed as well, but not as much as him.

I would have to steer clear of them all, and try to get to the bells as soon as possible.

The screen glowed with the familiar instructions: Stand in the center of the room. I exhaled, and then moved over to the centermost part of the room, twisting my head around to try to relieve some of the tension. When the plate began to slide up, I was ready, and this time focused my gaze forward, not wanting to get overwhelmed by the view that looking up would bring, or the sickening, queasy sensation it produced.

I had placed myself in what I believed was a forward position, based on where the door had been in the other room, so I held perfectly still and waited, trying not to think about the door above me that still wasn’t open, or the fact that if anyone had tampered with it, I’d be nothing but a splat against the ceiling.

My heart galloped in my chest, and my breath puffed in and out as the rapidly moving elevator continued to rise. Then light exploded from everywhere, temporarily blinding me and causing me to close my eyes.

When my eyes were opened, and focused again, I couldn’t help but gape at the nightmare in front of me.