38

LOTTIE WOKE UP IN THE nurse’s office later that day, springing up from the pristine white bed.

Everything in the infirmary was white: lines of white-frame single beds with pretty lace bedding, painted windowsills.

The one thing that was different from what she remembered was the many faces leaning over her when she opened her eyes.

“Am I dreaming?” she asked.

Everyone was there. Saskia, Anastacia, the twins, Percy, Raphael, Binah, and standing on either side of her like two guard dogs, her Partizan and princess, Jamie and Ellie.

Seeing them was an instant reminder of what she needed to do, what she had to tell everyone, and she could see on their faces that they’d been waiting.

Lola was the first to make a move, hugging her. “Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

Lottie winced where Lola’s face brushed her cheek. The pain in her hand and cheek was more noticeable now, a wasp sting of an injury, annoying but not unbearable.

“Lola,” Anastacia chastised, pulling her back. “Give her some room for goodness’ sake!”

Lottie had to wonder what on earth they’d told the school nurse. And where was the sword?

“We gathered everyone while you were sleeping,” Jamie said. “Ellie and I told them what happened. We told the nurse you’d had a nasty fall in the Rose Wood while running. They’ll be adding extra security measures to stop people from going in the Rose Wood, and hopefully it’ll keep people from coming the other way too.” Jamie read her mind in a way she didn’t even find creepy anymore. What she hadn’t expected was the way he spoke; there was an urgency to it, like a predator circling its prey.

“And we’ve hidden the sword, which I hope you’ll tell me all about once you’ve recovered, please, Lottie,” Binah added, pushing her glasses up her nose with a flashy grin as if nothing life-threatening had taken place.

“What time is it?” Lottie asked, peeling back the sheets and throwing her legs over the side of the bed to find they’d turned entirely into jelly from running so hard.

“Twelve,” Micky and Lola said in unison.

“You’ll need to be careful walking for a few days,” Jamie added, holding a hand out to help her up.

When she took it, light pooled around him, the midday sun holding him in its palm, but there was something strange about it; he was more like a fallen angel, perched and waiting.

Lottie’s reflection was revealed in the window behind him. Gauze covered the wound on her left cheek. It would leave a scar, and it would match the one Ingrid had given Ellie last year. It was strange and oddly pleasant to know they’d shared something so terrible.

Her hair curled at her chin with a few mismatched strands sticking out at the bottom, and her first thought was how much she looked like William Tufty. It felt right, as if for years she’d been looking at a spot-the-difference version of herself, and now she was seeing the real image.

“Lottie, apparently you have something you need to tell us all,” Saskia said bluntly. “Something about the identity of a certain Master of Leviathan?”

It took Lottie a second to realize it really was Saskia, that she was really back in the school.

The memories flooded back to her so fast she wobbled, Jamie and Ellie both leaning in to hold her up.

The pendant, the love letter, the black-framed painting, Claude Wolfson, all the crazy things Ingrid had said about the Maravish royal family, about Ellie’s family.

Looking around, Lottie realized there was one big problem. She had to choose her words carefully, knowing they still had to keep Banshee under wraps and that she owed it to Sayuri to keep the secret about Haru.

“I need you all to promise me that what I’m about to say isn’t going to change anything, that we’re all still in this together and that it’s no one’s fault.” She placed extra emphasis on the last words.

Her friends, with Micky signing for Percy, all nodded their understanding.

“I’m still confused by it myself, but we’re a team, and I know that we can work together to solve this.” Lottie held Ellie’s and Jamie’s gazes, knowing she was about to turn their whole world upside down. But even Ellie’s feelings couldn’t be spared; she understood that now. “I realized that a letter Leviathan were looking for . . . it was from my father. They most likely wanted it to discredit his right to the throne.”

A harsh intake of breath told her that Ellie had felt the words deep inside her. What an awful discovery it would be to find that your father could have done something so terrible.

Lottie pushed on. “That was my first clue. My next was when I found something that had been given to one of the members of Leviathan by the Master to take away and destroy. I thought it was just a handful of metal shards and a random gem—but there was something familiar about the gem, and I realized it was this.”

Lottie pulled out her wolf pendant, its eyes glittering with truth.

“Lottie, stop. What are you saying?” Ellie’s voice was shaking, the sparks of realization setting a storm off within her.

“Only members of the Maravish royal family are given these,” she explained, watching as Binah’s face lit up, the second person to understand. “I thought it was odd that all Leviathan’s efforts would lead back to me; I refused to believe it.” Lottie coughed, suddenly terrified of what would come next. “But I couldn’t deny it after I saw the destroyed wolf.”

“Lottie, just say it,” Ellie whispered.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Lottie felt the power of the new information flow through her. “I believe with one hundred percent assurance that the Master of Leviathan is my uncle, Claude Wolfson, who abandoned the Maravish throne and was exiled by the family.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Only Jamie and Ellie stood unflinching at her side, the anchor of dread this news had created pulling them down, lost in an underworld of tangled emotions Lottie couldn’t begin to unravel.

“Holy chocolate biscuit!” Lola practically squealed, cutting through the silence. “This changes everything.”

Even through the seriousness of the situation, it was impossible not to smile at Lola’s choice of words, although Lottie’s cheek twinged in protest.

“Wait,” Raphael chimed in, rubbing the back of his head, “how did you get the remains of the pendant?”

Everyone turned back to Lottie, and she could feel Jamie tense at her side, knowing that if she told them about Banshee and Haru he might never forgive her.

“I gave it to her.” Saskia lied so easily. “I asked her not to tell anyone because I’d been selfishly hanging on to a clue I should have shared. I’m sorry—I should have given it to you all sooner.”

The twins, Percy, and Raphael seemed satisfied with this answer, but Jamie remained tense, while Binah watched her like a hawk, both of them making her feel like she might crumble under the guilt.

“Why would your uncle want to cause so much trouble?” Micky asked.

“I’m afraid I don’t know.”

It was impossible not to glance at Ellie as she spoke, her gaze darting toward her involuntarily. The sight made her feel like she’d been stabbed in the chest. Ellie’s face was haunted.

“I think we should give Lottie a chance to rest now so she can join us for the fireworks later,” Jamie said, although it was clearly more of a command. “And I think we all need some time to let this sink in.”

Murmurs of reluctant agreement echoed through the room, everyone mumbling “See you later” and “Get well soon,” but there was an airiness around them all now, none of them sure what this new development meant.

“Oh, and Lottie”—Lola paused on her way out, peeping back past the doorframe—“your hair looks great!”

Lottie nodded weakly at her as the door closed, before she turned back to her princess and Partizan. “Listen, guys . . .”

She wanted to explain to them about the terrible things Ingrid had said about disposing of the king and queen, what she thought they might be planning to use the Hamelin Formula for, and her manic rambling about Alexis, but before Lottie could get another word out a set of arms wrapped around her. It wasn’t the usual warm and safe feeling she got from Ellie, but a desperate choking squeeze filled with fear and pain. Ellie was crying.

“Ellie,” she whispered, “this changes nothing. It’s all okay.”

“No, Lottie, it’s not okay.” A sob escaped her, and Lottie could see Jamie in the corner staring out the window. “All this”—Ellie’s voice was a mess of tears, and all Lottie could do was hug her back, gently stroking her hair—“everything that’s ever happened to you and Jamie, and everyone else, it’s all because of my stupid family. It’s all my fault and now we have proof.”

Lottie’s hand froze, her eyes locking on to Jamie’s, because they both knew this would happen, but neither of them knew what to do next.

“I’m going to let you two talk this out,” said Jamie. “I’ll make the call to Ellie’s parents; I imagine they’ll want us to come back as soon as possible.” He headed to the door, glancing briefly over his shoulder, and the look on his face was so confusing, not at all what Lottie was expecting, that it made her catch her breath.

He looked furious. It felt as if it was on her behalf, that he was angry for her, and she couldn’t understand it. Before she had time to process it, he was gone, leaving the two of them alone, Ellie’s weeping the only sound.

Ellie had never cried like this, not ever, and Lottie couldn’t tell if this was a good thing, a step in the right direction, or a very bad sign. All she knew for certain was that it was a change, and that there would be a lot more changes from here on.

And right now she had to tell her what she felt; she had to tell Ellie her own truth.

“Ellie,” she began, the name like a lullaby on her lips, “I’m going to tell you how I feel, and I’m going to trust that you’re really listening, and that you’ll believe me.” She waited a moment, Ellie still clinging to her, face hidden. “This is no one’s fault. No one blames you, and even knowing all this every single one of us would still be your friend; we’d always choose you. I promise.”

She felt Ellie shuffle, the breath on her neck becoming deeper, less frenzied, and she continued. “We’re a pack, Ellie,” Lottie said soothingly, stroking her princess’s hair. “You’re not Claude, and you’re not your family; you’re Ellie, and we’re our own pack.”

With a loud sniff Ellie’s face finally reappeared with massive panda eyes and streaks of black down her face in the shape of teardrops.

Their bodies were so close Lottie could feel her heartbeat, but she didn’t think about the kiss, or Leviathan, or Claude, only Ellie, the person in the world she felt most herself with. The person she wanted to hold on to forever.

“Lottie,” Ellie said at last, her voice strained, breathing ragged. “I don’t want to lie to you. I can’t tell you I’m okay with this.”

Lottie absorbed the words, feeling them settle inside her like a bruise that might never heal, and in the deep ebony wells of Ellie’s eyes Lottie could see her drifting further and further away, and she’d drown unless she did something now.

“Cut my hair,” Lottie announced, surprising herself. “It needs fixing, and then I can cut yours. It’ll be like when we first became friends, remember? When I did your hair?”

Ellie mumbled something, looking away.

“I’m serious. There’s no point in thinking about this now; we deserve to enjoy our time back at Rosewood.” She could tell from the way Ellie recoiled that she didn’t believe she deserved anything right then, but she persisted. “Please, Ellie.”

Perhaps there was just the right amount of desperation in her voice, because, although reluctant, Ellie agreed, but the shadow remained over her princess, a dark cloud that Lottie had put there, and part of her began to wonder if, despite her belief in the truth, she’d made a terrible mistake.