"What are you doing here? He's listening to everything."

Dash crouched in front of her, shaking his head. "Not right now. We've cut the feed for two minutes. He won't notice. In his mind, the fun is over for this round." Concern filled his deep green eyes. "I'm so sorry Vale."

The dam holding Vale in one piece burst at his gentle tone. It was never cruelty that broke her, but tenderness, kindness. It felt so undeserved. Especially now with her hands covered in blood.

She fell into Dash's arms and began to cry. He winced as she slammed into his chest, but held her tightly, keeping the broken pieces of her together. "I thought I could do this..." She whispered into the darkness. "I thought it would be a bunch of stupid parties. Trying to control my anger... Struggling to be pointlessly polite."

Vale leaned back and glared up at Dash. "Why didn't you tell me!" She balled the front of his shirt into two fist fulls. "You let me come here... thinking the worst would be not knowing what honorific to give!"

Dash was silent as Vale gripped his shirt tighter, angry tears running down her face. "Sky just sits there. Watching it all like it's okay... Like it's normal to watch these games... While we all try to kill each other."

"I didn't know..." Dash's voice was uneven and deathly quiet. "Sky told me when we were younger about the competitions. But all he told me was how cutthroat they were." He winced at his own word choice.

"You didn't think to take it literally?" Vale hissed.

"I didn't push him for details. I would have done everything in my power to keep you from this place if I had known..." He shook his head, eyes angry. "I would take you now if I thought you would go."

Vale wiped her eyes, too tired, too be embarrassed by the tears. "I can't leave Sky here. Especially after what I've seen."

"Then take this," Dash said, pulling a cord away from his neck and placing it around Vale's throat, his breath tickling her collar as he adjusted the cord around her. "It's a last resort gift from Mortem." Dash stood and helped Vale to her feet.

"If you don't think you can find the control room in the next week, Mortem wants you to plant this at the center of the Devinus Castle and run. Seven days from now, at midnight. You plant that gear, twist it three times and you will have eight minutes to get Sky and get out." Dash shook his head. "This needs to end Vale."

"Will that be enough? We need to fix the problem, not..." She waved her arm around in a vague gesture. "...blow it up and hope things get better."

Dash fought a smile at her dramatic arm flail. "It will weaken things. That should buy us time if plan A fails."

"I can stay longer."

"The risk of Kebar killing you is TOO HIGH. You can't stay one step ahead of him forever."

Vale bit back several protests. She didn't want to risk Mortem tearing in after her if she refused to come out. The idea of Kebar having Mortem, one of the most valuable Tradesmen as a prisoner, was enough to get her to nod in a defeated agreement.

"Do we need to catch our own ride when it's time to go?" she asked.

Dash gave her a mischievous smirk and crossed his arms. "Now what kind of Traveler do you take Mortem for? He'll be there ready with a dramatic exit. Just make it to the ship in time."

Vale nodded and looked in the direction of the fading light. They were nearly out of time.

"How's your leg?" Dash asked, gesturing to her thigh.

Vale stared down at it, surprised. She had forgotten all about it. But after what happened to Reign, she hadn't been able to think of much else. "I'll live," she muttered.

"It'll scar."

Vale shrugged. "What's another battle scar. My goal wasn't ever to be beautiful."

Dash was quiet for a moment. "Several things. One..." He took a step towards her and gently touched her metal arm. "Even the most beautiful things have scars."

He dropped his hand, "...and two, when I said scar, I meant here." Dash placed his hand on his chest, over his heart. "I'm sorry that you had to do that."

Vale was stunned into silence. She opened her mouth to deny what she had done, but guilt strangled all defense.

"It's the eyes," Dash explained. "They say everything that our souls wish to hide."

She didn't want to tell him that her kill hadn't been in self-defense.  Rage had driven her. Something that would stay with her for the rest of her life every time she closed her eyes. "I should go," she whispered.

Vale felt suddenly awkward as she looked back at Dash, the memory of his confession clear in her mind. "Um... Thank you... for this," she gestured at the gear lamely.

Dash smiled, amused by her flusteredness. "Good luck, Lightning."

She held out her hand to shake his. He raised a brow and snorted. "What are we, forty?"

Vale threw up her hands. "Just trying to be civil here in the middle of a death jungle Dash!"

He laughed. "Fine, fine. I'll play along." He motioned for her to hold up her hand again. She rolled her eyes and held it out. He lifted his with a strange painful effort and shook hers.

"You okay?" she asked, noticing him flinch.

He let her hand go and let out a pain-filled hiss. "Yeah, just sore," he muttered as he stared down at his arm in frustration. "Anyway, I'm outta here. Remember. Seven days." Then he vanished into the shadows, leaving her alone again.

...

The scene that greeted Vale back at the ship was almost worse than listening to the screams that filled the jungle at night.

Girls stood in groups, toasting their success with champagne that had been placed on ornate table cloths like they had won an award and not been killing each other moments before.

With each new person that left the jungle and walked into the large clearing, large cheers erupted in their honor.

Vale forced herself to take in the nineteen girls that stood around her. The one's who had killed just like her. The girl that had worn the blood-red dress stood to one side, picking flecks of blood out from under her fingernails.

"Ladies!" Kebar said walking out of the ship followed by Sky. Vale couldn't bring herself to look at the boy with blond hair, ashamed at what she had done. "You have all done very well." Kebar held up a small screen, his lite eyes that were so similar to Sky's, peering down at it with fascination.

"I will list the results. The most kills will be ranked the highest. Wave when I call your name so the others can see who they are dealing with." He chuckled darkly.

Vale's stomach heaved and she was suddenly thankful that she had nothing left to throw up. Kebar began to list the names, starting with the lowest score. Confusion bubbled up as Vale's name went unmentioned as the list moved towards the highest number of kills.

"In second place is Lady Danielle Brew..." The girl that had been known to Vale only as the girl in the blood-red dress now had a name. Danielle waved her crimson-colored hand around, sharp brown eyes taking in the group, pleased with her rank. "...With an impressive six kills."

The girls cheered, voicing their approval. Kebar glanced from the screen up towards Vale. "Which leaves us with Vale Vita. First place with an impressive five kills and three assists." Vale blinked, shocked. Kebar continued before she could ask him where he had gotten that number. It was wrong. He had to be wrong.

"Four by electrocution, one with a fantastic neck break..." Vale couldn't see past the red that filled her vision. "She also assisted with an arrow, and saved our runner up before helping her take out two with several broken ribs and an arm break." Kebar plucked up a flute of champagne and held it up in a toast, his cold eyes on Vale. "To Vale Vita. The most deadly of us all."

Vale couldn't move. If she did, she would prove his point by destroying him and that wasn't the mission no matter how deeply she suddenly wanted it to be. She wanted him to die. She wanted to burn the flesh from his body. To destroy him the way he was destroying her on the inside. She wanted him dead. A feeling that had been so foreign to her up until recently that the desire for someone's death startled her with how comfortable it suddenly felt inside of her mind, her bones her very being. It felt like a promise tattooed to her very soul. She would watch him die.

"As a reward for your kill count, you may spend time alone with Sky."

Vale's head shot towards Sky in surprise. Sky made no move to look back at her, a beautiful statue carved of immovable ice. Never flinching, never showing any emotion at all when his grandfather was near.

"We have prepared a second ship for the both of you. Your only rule is that you must be at tomorrow's breakfast celebration. Whatever you chose to do between now and then is up to you." The grin that covered Kebar's lips made Vale queasy. It was cruel and cold.

Eyes that could have been daggers pierced Vale's skin as she moved towards the small ship tucked out of sight behind the large one. If Kebar had wanted to make her the envy of every other girl. To isolate her. To make her a target, he had succeeded.

Vale walked up a small set of stairs that had been added to the exterior of the sleek ship and made her way inside. The door closed behind Sky, leaving them alone.