"Where do you think you're going?"

Mina gripped the strap of her bag. "I'm leaving."

Samira scoffed. "You can't be serious."

"I'm compromised, and I can't do it," Mina explained stiffly. "You already knew that."

"No, you don't want to do it," Samira sneered. "You've come too far to back out now."

Mina shook her head, trying to push past her. "I'm leaving all of you too. You will never see me again."

Samira grabbed Mina's arm, holding her back. "You think you can just walk away that easily? You know we don't take kindly to traitors." Samira's jaw clenched. "We'll still kill him. You're not doing him any favors."

Mina's heart twisted. "At least I won't be the one holding the knife."

Still, she could feel her guilt run even deeper. By not saying anything, she was still complicit in the crime. But if she turned Samira and Erik in, who wouldn't believe that she was also involved? Could she still be spared?

"Erik going out to the city today where the others are, and you're going with him."

"I'm not going back."

"Yes, you are." On cue, Erik stepped in, his dark eyes gleaming. "You know how it would break poor Eldin's heart if you left without saying goodbye."

Mina stiffened. Maybe Eldin would listen to her. Maybe Reva would understand. Someone had to.

Mina kept her head down and her mouth shut as Erik lied about taking 'his girl' out for some fun in Caldritch. She let her mind drift whenever he touched her waist or ran a finger through her hair under the excuse that he had to sell the bit. She wrapped Jia's shawl tighter around her shoulders like a shield and kept her blade ready at her side in case he tried anything more.

The rebels were hiding in the upper floor of an old seamstress's shop, the scent of dust and spilled dyes lingering in the air. Her presence was greeted by a mix of wide eyes, scowls, and crooked smiles. Joss smirked at her. Lith glared. Two teenage boys that she didn't recognize sat huddled in a corner. She didn't see Hoda nor Reva.

"Mina," Eldin greeted, rising from the old desk he was seated at. "Good to see you again."

She nodded. "How have you been holding up?"

"We're surviving as always. We unfortunately lost Hoda in a skirmish, and Reva's resting in the back."

Mina's heart dropped. "Will she be alright?"

"We hope so. We thankfully managed to save most of her hand." The way he described it seemed so distant, like he was just reporting on the weather or last night's supper.

"But enough about us. I've heard that you've been making exceptional progress with the prince."

Mina tried her best to ignore Erik's gaze burning into her back.

"I don't think the king will care if he dies."

Eldin raised his eyebrows as murmurs spread throughout the room. "What are you saying?"

She clenched the fabric of her skirt into tight fists. "I...We can't kill him. He's not a threat."

"All royals are our enemies. You know that."

"But maybe if we keep him alive, we could influence him once he becomes king. Maybe that's how we can change things. Maybe—"

"Are you truly that naive to think he would ever willingly work with us?" Lith snapped. "Or has his kisses made you forget who he really is?"

Mina clenched her jaw. "I haven't forgotten. He'll always be the prince, but that doesn't mean he's wicked. I see that now."

Maybe that was the real crime—seeing humanity where they only wanted to see a monster.

"He has nothing to gain from us. As soon as he finds out, he'll have us all hanged."

Whispers of agreement rippled throughout the group, looks of anger and betrayal burning Mina skin from all sides as if she was standing in a fire stoked by all years she'd given them.

"Samira said she got a vial of poison from you," Eldin murmured, his eyes locking with Mina's. "And Erik tells me his birthday banquet is tomorrow."

Mina's blood ran cold.

"We could make it public. Throw them into a frenzy," Joss suggested.

Mina shivered. "No, that would immediately make me the first suspect."

"A small cost for a big victory," Lith chimed in with a shrug, earning a glare from Mina.

"That'd just get people to come to his aid sooner. If he dies quietly in his room, they won't find his body until it's too late."

Eldin was silent, contemplating the options. Mina looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Well...the whole point of targeting the prince was to send the king a message," Eldin murmured. "Isn't that what you always wanted, Mina? To hurt the king?"

Yes, but not this way. It didn't have to be this way.

"Our little assassin has been having reservations lately," Erik sneered. "I don't think she'll go through with it if there's no one to hold her accountable."

"Why stop with just the prince?" one of the teenage boys piped up. "Lords and ladies from across all of Cordia will be there, and I heard rumors that even princes and princesses from Kithage and Ailech will also be in attendance."

He couldn't have been much older than fifteen but his voice dripped with venom. Had she really thought and sounded like that all those years ago?

"Samira could find a way to slip the poison in most of their goblets," Erik agreed.

But Magnus would be the one to drink first. And if she stayed, she would have to serve it to him.

Mina looked to Eldin. With each passing moment of his silence, she could feel the last remains of her hope being crushed into smaller and smaller pieces.

"Mina...how dedicated are you to our cause?"

She felt tears threatening to form, but she forced them back with all her might. "I am, you know I am, Eldin. I've served you unquestioningly for years. I ruined myself at that tea house to bring you secrets. And now, no one has gotten half as close as I have to any royal."

Eldin's voice was soft but his gaze remained cold. "Then if you finish this job, I won't ask anything of you ever again. You will have the whole kingdom's gratitude."

He wouldn't listen. None of them would listen. She wanted to scream, but even then, no one would listen.

She used to feel safe in rooms like this. She used to believe in these people, but now, all she saw were strangers, people using her for their own gain and gambling with her life like it was nothing but a piece in a game.

Later, she found Reva sleeping in the back like Eldin has said, wrapped in a blanket far too thin to adequately keep her warm. Reva's cheeks were bruised and a few nasty cuts ran across her temple and next to her lips. Her breaths were uneven and labored.

Mina knelt by her side, using the shadows of the room to hide the tears she failed to suppress as the others prematurely reveled at their victory behind her.

"I'm sorry," Mina whispered. She reached for Reva's hand but froze when she saw the blood soaked bandage and the uneven stumps of two missing fingers. Her stomach turned. "I'm so sorry. I should have listened to you. We should have left while we still could." Her voice broke. "And now it's too late for both of us."