“Lark, what . . .” she stood and looked at me. “What has happened?”

“I need you to get Cactus. Hurry.” Peta gave a quick nod and bounded away without another question.

Fiametta struggled against my bonds and I felt them crack, lava pushing through the rock I’d ensconced her body in. “Terraling, if one of my people sees me like this I will kill you.”

I dropped to a crouch in front of her, feeling the heat through the earth as she tried to power through the rock. I had to have a reason to call Cactus, or she would see my weakness. “Fia, can I call you Fia? There is a problem. I don’t trust you to keep to your word.” I patted her on top of the head and for just a moment I thought she might snap her teeth at me.

A breath went out of her. “You are . . . not what I would expect from a princess of the Rim. Or an Ender from the Rim. Or really anyone from the Rim.”

“Why? Because Cassava told you we were weak?”

Fiametta laughed, and I had to hand it to her. She handled things like a queen. Calm, cool, and reasonable. To a degree. Not to say I trusted her by any stretch of the imagination.

“That. And I have seen your father deal with people. Even Cassava who he should have killed, yet only banished.”

I swallowed hard. “Yes, I agree.”

Fiametta nodded at me. “Who is the heir to the Rim?”

Shrugging, I looked over my shoulder to the door, hoping Peta could find Cactus quickly. “I don’t know.”

Fiametta leaned her head back. “You are powerful enough to be the heir, yet you are not a full Terraling. You don’t have the look. So that would make you a half breed. Like Cactus.”

“Yes.”

“What is your other half?”

I clamped my mouth shut and shook my head.

Fiametta’s eyes narrowed and she stared hard at me. “No fire runs in your veins, no water either. Perhaps Sylph? You have the height for a wind walker, but not the temperament.”

“I favor my father’s side,” I said softly.

Her eyes didn’t waver and for just a second I met them. I didn’t want her to guess my other half, didn’t want her to know I could manipulate Spirit. And it hit me in that moment I could have forced her to agree with me.

“You’ve thought of something, Larkspur.”

The door behind us creaked open and I twisted on my feet. Cactus stepped into the room, followed by Peta and . . . Brand.

Brand’s eyes widened and he pulled a crossbow from his back, had the bolt set and aimed at me before I could even stand. “Terraling, you go too far.”

I slowly held my hands up. “She and I are negotiating. As two royals houses do from time to time.”

Fiametta snorted. “Shoot her, Brand.”

His finger hovered over the trigger and I tensed. “If I move when you shoot, you will hit your queen.”

Brand wavered, his bow dipping. “My queen, she is correct.”

“I just need witnesses to this negotiation,” I said. “The queen is letting Ash go. In return, I will search out the remaining traitors within the Pit.”

Peta cleared her throat. “And then we will leave without pursuit. Make sure you add that in.”

I glanced at the big cat. “Yes, there will be no punishment or pursuit regardless of how I find the traitors. Regardless of who I may have to injure or even kill to do as you ask.”

Fiametta growled under her breath. “Fine. Let it be done.”

I stood and rubbed my hands together. “Bring her out, Cactus.”

Cactus gave a start. “Me? You put her in there, you pull her out.”

Glaring at him, I pointed at Fiametta. “Pull her out, or I’ll leave you behind when I go.”

“Damn, you’re cranky when you haven’t had breakfast.” He dropped to his knees and pressed his hands into the stone, softening the rock around Fiametta. Brand rushed forward and helped his queen out of the stone. She whispered something to him and he spun, the crossbow flying toward my head.

I ducked, but the bow still hit me, slamming into my shoulder. I stumbled backward and went for my spear as Peta leapt in front of me. A ring of fire burst up around us, like a cage that increasingly shrank.

Fiametta stood over me. “These two men are loyal to me, you didn’t really think any negotiation we made in front of them would hold, did you?”

Pinned to the ground, Peta laid her body over mine, protecting me from the heat, I stared up at Fiametta. “You know, I’m beginning to think the rulers of all the families are assholes.”

The door swung open with a bang behind us but I couldn’t see who it was. However, the voice, when I heard it, made me want to weep with relief.

“That’s my sister you have unlawfully restrained.”

Belladonna had arrived.

CHAPTER 18

Things moved quickly after that and not in the direction I’d been hoping for. Manacles were clamped onto my wrists and I was dragged to the dungeon along with Peta and Ash. The steam filled, gloomy rooms were almost a relief to the constant dry heat of the rest of the Pit.

Strung up by my wrists, Ash was on my left and Peta was chained in her leopard form by the neck on the right. I leaned against the wall behind me. “I’m beginning to think this is our thing.”

Ash gave a low grunt. “What do you mean, our thing?”

I tugged at the chains, knowing they were more than just metal and actually blocked our ability to reach our power, not unlike our own cells at home did. “This is the third dungeon we’ve been in together. Think we can make it four for four?”