Thana felt as though her head was spinning from everything Adrienne had said. Each word sounded like a lie while her mind screamed at her to trust the older woman. Delilah had brought her here for a reason and promised to get her out. Her other option was to stay here and play a role that wasn't hers. Mara had left for a reason, even though no one wanted to say why. Adrienne kept talking, but most of her words slipped past Thana. If this was her fairy tale, wasn't she supposed to be the heroine? Wasn't she supposed to have a solution to save everything? Thana didn't know anymore; she could barely grasp what was happening. It was as if she had finally lost her grip on reality.

"Thana? Are you listening at all?" Adrienne's voice barely reached her; everything she had said had slipped away from Thana. "Have you been following any of this?" The old woman sounded tired, Thana realized, as she nodded halfheartedly. She would make sure not to be found out anymore than she already had been. Adrienne nodded and stood up straight again. "Listen, once Delilah has the book, we need to act quickly. You can't stay here; we've planned this for a long time, and then we'll take you with us." Thana would have liked to respond sarcastically, but she couldn't get the words out.

"Well, she certainly does!" Delilah's cheerful voice made Thana's heart skip a beat. She hadn't heard the girl approaching and had never been so relieved to see her face. Even though there was a large scar on it that Thana was sure the girl hadn't had before. "Everything is in order, milady," Delilah smiled as she handed the book to Adrienne. Adrienne nodded, prompting Thana to want to scream again. Did Delilah know who she was? Did she know Adrienne was Davion's mother? Why did the words stick when she needed them? "Viggo said they were ready to proceed with your plan," Delilah continued. "Lola has everything prepared."

More names, names Thana hadn't heard before. Was she supposed to know them? The woman couldn't remember anymore. Adrienne turned to her as if she could smell her doubts. "It's now or never, girl," the old woman replied calmly. "We can't wait any longer, or it will all be for nothing." Delilah raised an eyebrow as if she wanted to make a mocking comment about those words. Somewhere Thana also saw a different emotion on her face, disappointment. As the girl sniffed, Thana knew somewhere what would follow.

"Well, Thana, I don't know why you're doubting again, but I'll always want to bring you back perfectly," she said sarcastically. "Then I'll leave without you and do what I promised Mara." Thana realized she had never been part of that promise; she was a factor neither of them could have foreseen. However, Delilah's gaze reminded Thana of someone else, Izara. What would Izzie have done in her place? Thana didn't understand how she could miss someone so much when she felt like they had just talked on the phone the day before. "Are you coming, or are we leaving you here?" Delilah responded bluntly. Thana knew she had no choice.

"I'll go," she muttered softly. Did she have a choice? How could she choose when she didn't know what either option would entail for her? Delilah simply nodded without saying another word. Adrienne, too, remained silent as she retrieved her necklace — an exact replica of Thana's, she realized. Yet there was something different; Adrienne's was not made of crystal or dark red like Thana's. No, it was pitch black. Thana furrowed her brow at the sight of it, but Adrienne didn't spare her a glance. The old woman seemed to mutter to herself in a language Thana didn't recognize. It was not earthly.

"It's time," Thana understood those three words, though she had no idea what would happen next. "Come, Thana," Adrienne responded as she walked with Delilah towards the exit of the hidden passage. They opened the mirror with a lever. Thana felt a pang of jealousy as she realized even Adrienne managed to climb through with elegance. She, on the other hand, needed Delilah's help once again. Climbing had never been her forte. Thana once again realized how relieved she was not to be wearing the blood-red dress anymore. It was beautiful but so impractical! On the other hand, she had never expected to have to climb through mirrors.

Delilah helped her through, but Thana noticed she didn't let go of her hand once she stood on her own feet. Instead of releasing her, Delilah pulled her close. "Listen," she whispered in her ear, "no words, no protests during our escape, okay? We can't afford a second chance, and I won't lose my freedom because of your doubts." They were harsh words, but Thana nodded quickly. If looks could kill, she would probably have been reduced to ashes by Delilah's. Thana mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key, but Delilah only looked at her as if she were crazy. Something Thana had been wondering about herself lately.

It was only when Thana fell silent herself that she heard the sounds. Sounds she had never heard before in real life. Only in those bad movies her brother loved. Movies her mother had never let her watch. Movies full of violence and blood. It was the clashing of weapons she could barely recognize. She also heard shouting, but Thana couldn't make out what was being said. It sounded muffled, as if it were far away. She looked at Delilah in alarm, but Delilah only nodded towards Adrienne. Was this the plan they had always had? Thana wanted to protest, but she hadn't forgotten Delilah's warning. Thana took a deep breath and reflected on everything she had learned. Mara had escaped, so now she would do the same. For Izara.

Thana paid no attention to the room where she now stood again. She walked through the corridor with Delilah and Adrienne. The noise grew louder, but there was nothing to be seen of a fight in the corridor. Thana wanted to follow Adrienne, but Delilah stopped her and pointed in the other direction. Thana glanced back at the older woman, but they exchanged no words, so she stayed silent too. She followed Delilah through the corridors, away from the noise. Thana didn't understand why Adrienne had gone towards the noise; after all, the woman was considerably older. Shouldn't she be taken to a safe place too?

So many questions raced through Thana's mind, but as promised, she kept her mouth shut. Would she finally get answers to all her questions once they got away from here? Somewhere deep down, Thana feared not; she probably had more questions than she would ever have answers for. That uncertainty was what she had come to detest the most—that she didn't know where Delilah was taking her and that she didn't dare ask. Together, they turned the corner where Delilah abruptly stopped. Thana realized too late and collided with the girl. "Oh gods, sorry, Delilah!" she quickly started to say before realizing she needed to remain silent. Yet Delilah's attention was not on her but on the hallway straight ahead. Thana gasped when she saw the men standing there, especially the figure in the middle that sent shivers down her spine. This time, Davion didn't have a smile on his face as he had during previous greetings. Nor did he have a group of armed bodyguards with him then.

Delilah cursed in the ancient language Thana didn't understand. She didn't need to know the meaning to understand they weren't kind words, especially seeing Davion's face twist into an odd grin. Thana felt her heart pound in her throat as Delilah stood protectively in front of her. "Yet you dare to try again," Davion began speaking, disappointedly clicking his tongue. "I had hoped you would know better by now." His words, however, were not directed at her but at Delilah. "Fortunately, I can always count on Emilia," he continued, glancing aside at a woman Thana didn't recognize. Had she seen her before?

"Bitch," Delilah snapped at the other woman, refusing to move aside and staying in front of Thana. "Enough of your fairy tales, Kilnusis," the young girl continued. "You're too late again; the plan is already in motion." Thana still had no idea what the plan was, but she nodded to reinforce Delilah's words. She didn't know if the girl's confidence was genuine or not, but she had to admit she was impressed. Davion glanced briefly at Thana, and it seemed to soften his expression again. Yet Thana no longer believed it; after all, she didn't know what the man in front of her was capable of. Still, Davion extended his hand to her.

His sugary voice made the hairs on her arms stand up; how had she ever been seduced by it? "Maar, you know as well as I do that all of this is nonsense," he continued sweetly. "Let me remove the shield now, and we can be happy together. Just as our fairy tale is supposed to go." Fairy tale? Thana didn't know where her reasoning had suddenly come from, but hadn't Delilah just called it a fairy tale too? For her, it felt more like a nightmare.

Thana shook her head.