I didn't sleep that night.
Not that I expected to.
They'd taken Nine somewhere deeper into the Supreme Leader's estate, and though no one had told me what was happening to him, I could imagine. That was the problem. My mind filled in the blanks with horrors, and Nyx kept those images sharp, gnashing her teeth inside my ribs.
By morning, I was coiled so tight it hurt to breathe.
A knock sounded on the door—brisk, businesslike. I opened it to find the assistant waiting, flanked by two silent guards. His expression was unreadable, a portfolio tucked neatly under one arm.
"The Supreme Leader would like to meet you," he said.
My stomach dropped. "Now?"
He nodded once. "You'll come with us. And put this on." He handed me something small and black.
A blindfold.
I stared at it. "Seriously?"
"Seriously," he echoed. "His Eminence doesn't like uninvited eyes in certain wings of the estate."
Nyx bristled. He wants to make sure we're weak when we go in. Powerless.
I forced a breath through my nose and took the blindfold. I hated this—being led like livestock—but if it got me closer to Nine, if it gave me information, I had to do it.
I tied the fabric around my eyes, plunging the world into darkness.
"Hold out your hand," the assistant said.
I hesitated. Then obeyed.
His fingers curled around mine—not roughly, but firmly. "Try not to stumble. We'll be walking through a few levels. It's a long way up."
I heard the guards move in behind me as we started forward. The assistant's grip guided me through silent halls, turns, lifts that hummed with motion. I couldn't see anything, but I felt the space change—ceiling heights shifting, floor textures changing underfoot, the air going colder the higher we rose.
Each sound echoed differently. I tried to memorize them.
He didn't speak to me again, and I didn't ask questions. I saved my energy, focused on the memory of Nine's eyes—violet and wide, barely blinking. I clung to it, because it was the only thing keeping me steady.
When we finally stopped, the assistant let go of my hand. I heard the soft creak of a large door opening.
"He's waiting inside," he said. "Don't speak unless spoken to. Don't touch anything."
Before I could ask anything else, he nudged me forward.
My feet crossed the threshold. The door shut behind me with a deep, echoing thud.
The air was warmer here, and smelled faintly of incense. Somewhere behind the blindfold, I knew I was being watched.
I stood still, spine straight, heart hammering.
Waiting.
Stay calm, Nyx whispered. We'll see this through. For him.
I nodded to myself.
I would endure whatever this meeting entailed.
For Nine.