Something Counterfeit's Dead || EN ||

IX

He was embraced by Death.

Lilia's words ring in Agatha's head as she runs up the stairs from the tower, Jennifer's screams piercing her ears. She hopes Nicky follows her, but she's too busy coming up with a new plan to check. They have to move. Rio is coming, and the precious time Lilia bought them with her sacrifice won't stall Rio for long.

But what then? If she kills Jennifer at the last trial, Nicky will be furious. But Agatha will have her purple back, and Rio won't be able to follow them as quickly. They could make a run for it when they get off the Road and hope a war breaks out somewhere in the world, and Rio will be occupied for a few months. And then they would get back into their usual pattern, no matter what complaints Nicky would have. She won't lose him again, and she doesn't care how many people she has to kill to keep that promise.

He was embraced by Death.

Agatha stops at the top of the stairs and creeps onto the Road, green leaves crunching beneath her feet. The hair on her arms stands up, and she turns in circles. But she sees nothing, only the dark shadows of the trees. Where are you, Rio?

Agatha feels like she put herself between a rock and a hard place. Rio or the last trial. To be honest, Agatha would rather hide in the Road's trees than go to the next trial, even though Rio won't be able to follow them inside. Lilia's card reading for Nicky has her sick with worry. The cards were all about self-understanding, anxiety, and anger. Agatha would bet that it's connected to the green trial. Because the Road has to give him something that's missing and, in his case, it's either memories or magic. Agatha would rather die than have it be either, but she has no choice. They have to finish the Road.

"Miss me?"

Agatha flinches. Rio stands a few feet away, grinning.

"Don't you have bodies to take care of?" Agatha asks with as much venom as she can muster and prays that Nicky won't choose this moment to walk up from the trial.

"Where is he?" Rio asks as if she were reading her mind.

"Don't you dare come near him," Agatha says, voice hard.

"I just want to talk."

"Don't lie to me!"

Rio's smile drops. "It's not my fault you created an abomination. I can't let him live. I'm sorry."

"No!" Agatha yells. "No, you're not sorry. You're not sorry now, and you weren't sorry then when you took Nicky from me!"

"I wasn't the one who-"

Agatha marches forward, hand raised, but Rio's magic stops her, its presence invisible yet undeniable, preventing her from taking another step. "You're a coward!"

"He was my son, too, Agatha!" Rio says, her mask of indifference cracking under the weight of Agatha's stare. "I loved him-"

"I know. But you can have him back," Agatha says, and smiles when the pressure holding her back disappears. She reaches out to cup Rio's face, but she shakes her head. The wall slides back into place so fast that Agatha has to step backwards. She sighs and looks behind her shoulder, checking that the exit from the trial is still empty, before returning her gaze to Rio, who fidgets with her hands, looking down at the leaves around their feet.

Agatha points at the dark tunnel illuminated by the green light. "He's right here. He doesn't remember anything yet, but I can fix that. I just need more time with him, please, my love."

Rio's gaze snaps to her, hard as stone. "I gave you time!" she hisses. "Do you think I couldn't have taken him when that shard hit his gut? I waited for your friends to heal him, because I thought it wouldn't work. But it did, and you got your time. You started to catch on, I suppose, because your coven started shrinking pretty fast. You were distracting me from him. Are you going to kill Kale, too? What then, huh?" Rio steps closer. The hollow laugh that escapes her makes Agatha flinch. "You've got nobody else to give me, Agatha."