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When I was able to breathe again, I sahat I’d run in to Two large, rusted rings had been secured into the granite Mooring for supply boats? Or did the boats co victims? Who knehat evil visited these shores…? Either way, it was a good sign Somebody used this entrance, which ainst the bars with one ar my nose in the crook oflooked e runoff than ever I whispered, "Here I cole, but it was est "No problem" I turned my attention to the handle and froze, taken aback "What the--?"

I’d expected a si froate, there were two, like French doors opening up the es of the portal, feeling for hinges, but they weren’t visible froh Instead of a traditional lock, a circular hly the size ofer, I could feel a seam between the doors, above and below the medallion, but the disc itself was a solid whole, not atop the metal, but a part of the iron itself

Hoould I ever break into this? There was no keyhole No lever or latch

"Weird" I sat back on roup Surely this was pickable Every lock was pickable, right? Generally, I was a ith good old breaking and entering I always kept random useful bits in h to pick any lock…except this one

I studied the ht, the symbol for infinity, was carved in the center There were two triangles etched within that, one triangle in each half of the eight, so that they touched, their silhouette like a sideways letter X The triangle on the right was indented, a little niche in the

My hand hovered over theabout it radiated with power Creeped ical syht have horrific consequences My hand hovered until an to tre weak It was time to be brave To be rational Not to be freaked out by so to lose I touched it to prove toit with my hands, I was no less perplexed I tilted ht suddenly catch so I’d missed But as far as I could tell, this was unpickable--not just hard to pick, but unpickable Impossible Cryptic In all the books I’d read, I’d never encountered such a thing

The metal was cool and damp with sea ertip I wriggled e, but there was nothing Nothing to pry open, nothing to unfasten, unlock, or unlatch There’d be no picking this thing The triangle was hollow

Not unlikehall, unable to h to move I’d failed The more time that passed, the more deeply I doubted ht’ve been so I could’ve done differently Better

If I hadn’t been able to prevent Eed it But now I couldn’t even do that My sole and final goal had been to break into that keep There was an entire godda inside the castle, but I couldn’t even find h that

I sucked

And then there was Alcántara My defeat was his triu him, but I had no choice Assassination class was next period He’d know by no I’d conutted hi Alcántara the pleasure

The worst part, though? It was the fear that I hadn’t needed to kill him Not really And yet, not only had I done it, but for an instant, I’d relished it That was the part that really sickened otten Toby after all, and what did that make me? Maybe Yasuo had spoken truly Maybe I was a killer

Yasuo He was out there so us before he appeared on the other side of those bars? He felt called to the Draug already--the other Trainees had had to go out there to retrieve him

And what of Rob? Was he even still alive? His last words had been about the girls, hoe fed the vampires Was that why Yas attacked him? Had his comment evoked memories of Emma somehow? I didn’t want to contemplate what it said about otten him in the end

What did any of it et into the castle I was a failure all around

Rob would probably heal Then he’d seek me out And I had no doubt he’d eventually find uard, eventually Eventually, he’d killsoft carroty bits along the edge of the bowl Lunch inding down I heard the clack of dishes and cutlery Chairs scraping Chatter grew louder as kids drifted by, then faded as they bused their dishes and headed out the door The noises greer and farther between

I felt a body sit next to me at the table Ronan Surprise, surprise I felt his lecturemy side