The Traitor's Game (The Traitor's Game 1)

She smiled, looking almost pleased that I had guessed it. "He's strong, and he has honor and courage. He would be an ideal Infidante."

"But Tenger has the Blade. I know how cruel he was to you before, but I've fought alongside him many times. There's a reason he's our captain."

"And there's a reason Darrow was able to rescue me from the Halderians. I only ask that he be given the chance to claim the dagger before Tenger puts his choice forward."

"Tenger won't let you decide who becomes the Infidante." The instant I spoke the words, my heart thudded against my chest. Kestra was just as strong-willed as Tenger, maybe more. "No ... it's just the opposite, isn't it? You won't let Tenger choose the Infidante."

"I can't control him."

"But for a few minutes, you did have control of the Olden Blade."

"In the pit? I gave the dagger away." Kestra's voice had risen in pitch. She was nervous. Agitated. I was close to something.

I continued, "I watched you search. You found the burlap sack almost immediately, but you hid it beneath your foot, only pretending to continue searching."

"Because I didn't want to give it to Tenger."

"That's not the point. You never looked in the sack. You just kept it beneath your foot. Why would you do that, unless you already knew what was inside?"

"Is that a question or a guess?"

"It's a fact." I felt bolder now. "You knew what was inside the sack because you put it there. That's why it looked new."

"Ridiculous! How could I get past the guards long enough to plant a dagger in the pit, then return to my room without a speck of mud on me?"

She walked faster. So did I. "Gerald planted it, then, on your orders. That's why he went down the wall first! But why would he go to all that trouble?" I suddenly stopped, certain I was correct. Wishing I wasn't. "The dagger in that burlap sack is a fake."

She stopped just ahead of me, but would not turn around. Her voice was commanding, unwavering. "The game is over, Simon."

Which one--hers or mine? My game had gone exactly as I'd intended, although it was nothing compared to the game she'd been playing against us. Everything that had felt like our discovery was a trick she must've been planning since the night we captured her carriage. It wasn't our idea to search the pit, it was hers. She'd wanted me to notice the burlap sack beneath her feet, to force her to hand it over, because that was more plausible than her offering it to us. Tenger's ambition, Trina's desperation ... my emotions. She'd used all of it against us. Against me. Had anything been real?

My muscles tensed and I crossed in front of her. "You gave Tenger a fake dagger! What do you think he'll do when he figures that out?"

Her eyes became slits of anger. "Well, I don't know. Threaten me? Threaten my one true friend?" I flinched at her words, but she continued spitting them out. "There is nothing more he can do to me."

"There is always more he can do. Believe me, Kes, there is a reason the Coracks have survived this long. When Tenger figures out what you've done, he will make things worse. Killing Darrow will only be the beginning."

"And what if I hadn't given him something in that pit? Would I still be alive?"

No, she wouldn't. And if that was her only reason for giving Tenger a fake weapon, then I would have understood. But there was more, and it was worse.

I held out my hand to her. "Let me see your palm again, the one with the burn."

She glared at me, then did as I asked. I touched her palm, lightly brushing my finger along the edge of the burn. "Gerald went to the dungeons, not you. He planted the fake dagger in the pit, not you. This wasn't caused by a torch, like Trina thought." Now I looked up at her and saw a flash of panic in her eyes. "Where did this burn come from?"

"Asking questions is not how the game works."

"Then I'll say it: You found the real Olden Blade."

She bit her lip, keeping her attention on the ground. Looking anywhere but at me. Looking as if she wished the earth would split apart wide enough to swallow her up.

I felt a split of my own. To succeed, the rebellion had to find the Olden Blade. Getting it was my entire purpose for being here in the first place. I wanted to be right about my guess.

And I hoped I was wrong. If Kestra had found the Olden Blade, and passed a fake one on to Tenger, then she was in serious trouble. I would not be able to protect her from the consequences of that decision.

"Answer me, Kes."

Finally, she nodded.