“First blood!” the Chandramaa guard announced. “Surrender your weapons.” Her compatriots rushed in to disarm Lars and my mother. Mom limped over to where he was sprawled in the dirt, blood oozing from his split lip and cracked nose.

“I’m sorry your son died,” she said bluntly. “But my daughter was a victim of the same person. She’s gone now. I hope you find some comfort in that.”

“Enough,” Alva said, when Lars swore, fists clenched. There were tears mingling with the blood on his face.

The guard used the end of one of the staffs to hook the crown and toss it at me. “It is done.” She bowed in my direction. “Hail the queen.”

I cringed, holding the bloody crown clutched in my hands.

Chapter 27

Lucy

Thursday night/Friday morning, past curfew

After Nicholas walked me to school, I still had two classes left. I went to each of them, taking conscientious notes and doing drills until sweat soaked the back of my shirt to make up for skipping so much this past week. Connor snuck me a text to let me know that everyone was okay so I was even able to concentrate.

I was washing my face in the deserted girls’ bathroom minutes before curfew when I heard a “psst.” I splashed more water on my face, thinking one of the taps must be leaking.

“I said, psst.”

I turned off the water. “Um, hello?” I looked over my shoulder. Chloe’s head poked out of one of the stalls, her wild hair ruthlessly scraped into a tight ponytail. She wore a black T-shirt and black leggings. I blinked at her. “Are you a cat burglar now?”

She eased out, casting a suspicious glance under the other stall doors. “We’re breaking into Bellwood’s office,” she whispered so low it was barely audible.

“What, now?”

She nodded. “I hacked an e-mail that said all the teachers are in a meeting with Hart right now and most of the other hunters are out patroling. It’s now or never.”

“Is there any particular reason we’re breaking into the principal’s office?” I asked curiously.

“I can’t break her encryption,” Chloe answered crankily. “But there’s definitely something going on. And the last time something was going on I nearly grew a mustache and students died.” She paused in the hallway. “So are you in?”

“Of course, I’m in,” I replied. “What a question.”

“What about . . .” She nodded to my dorm room door, where my roommate lay in her perfectly made bed.

I glanced at my watch. “Lights out,” I said drily. “Sarita is nothing if not punctual.”

“Won’t she tattle?”

“I still have my permission slip for tonight,” I told her.

We snuck down the back stairwell where Hunter and her friend Jason waited. He had a kind, gentle smile. I’d met him a few times in the cafeteria during meals. Hunter shook her head. “How much backup do you think we need?” she asked Chloe. “It’s like sneaking a herd of elephants.”

“Jason’s the best at locks,” Chloe reminded her.

“And I’m just here because I’m nosy,” I added helpfully.

“Just don’t get caught,” Hunter said.

“I already have enough detention, thanks.”

“I’m not worried about your detention.” She snorted. “I’m worried about mine. We’re looking at expulsion if this goes wrong.”

I beamed at her, smiling wide. “What could go wrong?”

“Exactly.” She checked her watch. “Jenna is already up a tree on lookout. I’m going to take the back door to the building. Lucy, you keep a lookout inside the building, outside the office door when Jason and Chloe go in. Everyone’s got their phone on silent mode?”

“Sir, yes sir!” I gave her a mock salute. She just stuck out her tongue at me. “If Sarita could see you now, she’d be crushed,” I added with pretend-sorrow.

“Let’s go,” Hunter suggested, rolling her eyes at me. “And be careful. Most of the agents are out on patrol but you just never know.”

I stopped teasing once we were outside because she was right, we could get in a lot of trouble for this. The moon was bright over the snow, which made it all that much harder to sneak about. We darted from tree to tree, giving the infirmary with its bright lights a wide berth. Hunter was already ahead of us, picking through the gardens. I saw the bushes shiver when she did a weird acrobatic back bend. “What is she doing?”

“Avoiding the cameras,” Chloe explained. “I temporarily deactivated the ones in the office but if I tampered with too many of them it would be a red flag.”

“I’m a little scared of how efficient you guys are.”

“This coming from the girl who regularly punches vampires in the nose and lives to tell about it.”

The building was quiet with all the classrooms dark and empty. Classes had ended over a couple of hours ago and as promised, Bellwood’s office was also deserted. We picked our way past the lockers, our shoes scuffing on the polished wooden floors. Jason led the way down the hall and Chloe and I pressed our backs to the wall, waiting for him to deactivate the lock. He had a bag filled with old-fashioned lock picks, complicated listening devices, rings of keys, and plastic cards. After about ten minutes of patient fiddling, which would have had me screaming with frustration, the door swung open on oiled hinges.