Page 64 of A Thief to Die For

Agatha finally meets my gaze, and I’m not prepared for the coldness in her eyes. ‘Are you afraid to fight me?’

‘Agatha,’ I breathe out, confused. My reflexes are dulled from fatigue, but even if I hadn’t slept for a week, I could still beat her with one hand tied behind my back.

‘Then let’s begin.’ She bends her knees. Her fists rise but not high enough to be in position.

Anger burns through me. She’s trapped me here at the worst possible time. I exhale sharply, then take a proper stance across from her, except my fists remain lowered at my sides. I don’t even need them.

Suddenly, Agatha runs at me.

I easily evade, while leaving a strategically placed foot, tripping her. It’s a cheap shot, and she bellyflops gracelessly, yet somehow snags a handful of my hair. Fire rips over my already sore scalp as I’m yanked backwards, but I remain on my feet. ‘This is a waste of time,’ I snap. ‘I have more important things to do.’

‘Like seduce Ryland?’ she mutters bitterly.

What? Did she see us?

Agatha gets to her feet, face flushed. ‘Again,’ she yells.

So she’s jealous and trying to hurt me.

And it’s far from the first time.

My jaw tightens as my anger reignites.

For too long, I’ve deluded myself that the fallout with Felix was the only cause of the distance in our relationship. But our problems started long before that, when she decided I’m the reason she’ll never be enough.

It doesn’t matter that for years I’ve shrunk myself so she could shine. That I’ve supported her interests, encouraged her studies, protected her at every chance I get. None of it matters; all she sees is that I’m her competition.

I wind my hair up into a knot, then reset my stance. Except this time, I raise my fists. If this is what she really wants, maybe I’ll stop dimming myself for her.

She launches at me again while pulling something from her pocket. A black ball. Her thumb flicks a button, or maybe it’s a pin. Then she tosses it between us. It bounces with a clank of metal. What is that?

A deafening explosion rocks the room. Splinters of wood fly as the floor is blown apart. I collapse to the ground, arms protecting my face.

Long seconds pass as I fight to catch my breath. My ears ring. Someone is coughing, and as the smoke slowly clears, I spot a gaping hole in the plank flooring. Cursing, I pat down my body, checking for damage – miraculously, no limbs or fingers are missing.

But any closer and that might not have been the case. Betrayal sweeps over me.

Ammunition? Explosives? I thought all of that ran out or went bad decades ago.

The Commander cowers in his chair as guards burst into the room, weapons drawn.

Agatha straightens cautiously. ‘I’m sorry. That was bigger than I thought it would be. But I wanted to show you: not every fight needs to be hand-to-hand. I’ve replicated some old-world explosives, and I wanted you to see how even with someone like me, it can give you the advantage.’

‘Are you mad?!’ Seething, I shove to my feet. ‘Y-you could have killed me!’

Her head turns, her bluster from before returning. ‘Could have? Yes. But I didn’t – just like every time you’ve nearly stabbed me or held your knife to my throat.’

Her attention shifts back to Atlas. ‘This was a demonstration, but it’s merely a bang compared to what I could create. Imagine how this could be fired from a slingshot, or for large-scale attacks, our catapults. Behind the barns, I’ve created fireballs up to six feet wide. But we could go larger, more destructive. The supplies I need to create this are plentiful, and I could easily make more.’ She exhales a shaky breath as pride shines in her eyes. ‘There are many ways to fight our enemies, but this could be the greatest.’

I stare in horror. She has to know he’ll use this to raid, to harm and subjugate others, not just for defence. Which is terrifying. No place, no matter the size of their army – or the height of their electric fence – could stand against this.

Atlas leans forward in his chair, transfixed. ‘Exactly how many of these weapons have you been able to create?’

Agatha breaks into a beaming smile.

Unbelievable. She did it. She got exactly what she’s always wanted: his full attention.

And she can have it.