The sweet floral taste of Serena’s tea came back into my mouth. First the cup after the catacombs, then another after the Codex, followed by every helpful drink she had offered while I hid. She had fed me a slow-acting poison one dose at a time, then waited for me to collect every seal.
Serena stepped into the light with an empty porcelain cup. It bore the same tiny blue flowers as yesterday’s. She rolled it between her fingers so I could see it, then let it fall beside my face. The pieces skipped across the floor, one shard stopping close enough for me to see a drop of tea on its edge.
“You poor, naive little thing.” She crouched beside me. “Did you think being *nice* would win this game? Did you think you could romance the monster?”
I tried to scream. Nothing moved except my eyes as s
