Jane froze. "Treason?" she repeated. "What for?"

The taller mage approached, hands outstretched. Panicking, Jane backed away, but the mage crooked a finger. Jane hurtled forward. The mage grabbed her arm, and with ruthless efficiency, he locked the manacles around her wrists and neck.

"Please," said Jane. "At least tell me what I'm being accused of."

"Silence."

He took her hand, and with a Crack! transported them into a pit cell.

The cell was identical to the Kanachskiy boy's, bare and straw-covered, with only a single light source at the top. Ignoring Jane's increasingly desperate questions, the battle mage attached Jane's chains to the center post. As soon as he finished, he vanished, leaving her alone.

She hugged her knees, her panic growing. The manacles were heavy and glowed a faint silver. Experimentally, Jane tried to melt them with magefire but received only a sharp sting for her pains.

They couldn't have imprisoned her because she'd failed her godstest. Could they? Visions of the dead swam before Jane's eyes again. She wanted to be sick.

The light high above her was fading by the time Kir appeared in her cell. He ignored the dirty straw on the floor of the pit cell and dropped to his knees beside her, staring with horror at the manacles shackling her wrists.

"This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "You've done nothing wrong!"

"What's going on?" said Jane. "Why am I here? No one will tell me anything."

"They're trying to accuse you of treason."

Someone coughed. Jane looked behind Kir and saw a tall figure — one of the green-cloaked battle mages from before.

"They wouldn't let me come alone," Kir said angrily. "Olesya was afraid I might help you escape."

Jane sucked in a breath, fighting back tears. She had shed far too many of those lately, and losing her head again wouldn't help matters. "Who is accusing me?" she asked steadily. "What are the charges against me? Are they imprisoning me because I failed the godstest?"

Kir shook his head. "It's worse than that. They're saying — they're saying —" His voice dipped and wavered. "They say you're responsible for the escape of a Kanachskiy prisoner a week ago. And — and on top of that, they want you arrested for impersonating the tsar during your godstest, even though it's obvious you had to do that for your godstest. You weren't being willfully malicious!"

"Wait. Back up." Jane's head swam. "Who escaped?"

Kir swallowed. His eyes shone with tears. "A Kanachskiy soldier who we captured a few months ago, near Dalnushka. Most Kanachskiy take their lives before telling us anything. This one didn't, so Olesya and Nikolay brought him back for questioning. About a week ago, right before your godstest, he... escaped — stole a wyvern and flew to Dalnushka... he was the one who delivered the information to the Kanachskiy mages that allowed them to break the protection spell guarding Dalnushka, the spell stopping the sudok from attacking—"

"The prisoner." Jane covered her mouth. "Oh God—"

"You know about him?"

"Nikolay took him captive on the way here..."

Jane's mind worked frantically. The Magicore mages must have traced her magic when she visited the soldier's cell with Casimir to heal him. She hadn't helped him escape, but would they figure that out? How did the justice system work in Somita? Would she get a fair trial, expert witnesses?

Jane was dubious.

"It's ludicrous, obviously," Kir was babbling. "You didn't free the prisoner — you had no reason to want him free in the first place — there's absolutely no way you're responsible for any of this. You don't even know how to teleport!"

Casimir had teleported them in. Jane dug her fingernails into her palms, suddenly terrified. She couldn't let them accuse Casimir. If anyone deserved to go to prison, it was her.

"Who is making these accusations?"

She tried to keep her voice calm, tried not to show how desperately terrified she was. She had only spent half a day in the pit cell, and already she wanted to leave. If I have to spend the rest of my life here — No; she couldn't let herself think like that, not before she'd had a trial.

Kir looked more distraught than ever.

"Tell me," Jane said, though she thought she already knew the answer.

Kir's mouth twisted.

"Olesya," he said. "Olesya and... my brother."

Jane nodded. She caught her knees between her hands and hugged them, staring at the floor.

"I'm sorry, I've tried to talk them out of it, tried and tried, Olesya's distraught at the fall of Dalnushka; they took her in after she escaped from Kanach, she had friends there, and Nikolay — I — Nikolay — I don't know what he's — but I assure you, you will get out of here, this isn't permanent, I promise."

"What evidence do they have against me?"

Kir hesitated a long moment. He looked like he wanted to cry. "Nikolay... says the magical teleportation signature in the cell is yours. He got another mage to look at the spell, and for whatever reason that mage also says it's your magic — There's obviously been some mistake, since you don't know how to teleport. We'll figure this out, Jane."

But she was no longer listening.

Her chest had grown tight; her hands balled into fists; for a moment, she could barely breathe through her rage.

She had known this would happen. She had known Nikolay would find some way to manipulate the use of her magic to his advantage. She had known, she had known, she had known—

"Your brother—" Jane began, when the rage had cleared a little from her vision. "I made a deal with your brother. I gave him my magic so he could save Phillip. Could he have used my magic to frame me?"

Kir's brows drew into a frown. His mouth opened wide, like a fish.

And Jane knew, in that moment, that it was no use trying to convince him.

She ground her teeth as Kir babbled on about how his brother wasn't the easiest person to get along with, but Nikolay's Oath to protect the tsar meant he could never commit treason. And besides, Nikolay would never betray them, Nikolay loved Somita, Nikolay loved them, his family...

It was all she could do not to interrupt, not to scream about how blinded his affection for Nikolay had made him.

But his words sparked a flame in the back of her mind.

What could the enemy give Nikolay that would make him agree to commit treason?

And as soon as that thought reached her, the truth became blindingly obvious.

Kanach must have bribed him with some way to break his Oath.

There was nothing else Nikolay wanted so desperately as his Oath-spell broken. There was nothing else the Kanachskiy could give him that would entice him to join their side.

Jane shook herself, filing this revelation away for further consideration. "And Olesya," she asked, cutting Kir off before he could ramble further. "What accusations is she bringing against me?"

"Impersonating the tsar during the godstest. And... the deaths of everyone at Dalnushka. She also thinks you set the Kanachskiy soldier free."

Jane swallowed. She had known Olesya didn't exactly like her, but she had never thought she would feel the full force of the commander's rage.

"She... spent awhile in Dalnushka, didn't she? It used to be her home."

Kir nodded. "She's saying that when the sudok dragged you into Somita, it must have tainted you somehow — or that the Kanachskiy corrupted you during your time in their camp..."

"When do I stand trial?"

"Father thought it best to set your trial date after the battle is over."

Jane swallowed. It was painfully obvious the tsar had no use for her, now that she had failed her godstest.

Kir left soon after. Any optimism Kir had brought seemed to fade with his departure. There seemed no point in trying to stifle her tears anymore. Jane watched them sink into the straw-covered earth.

She didn't know for how long she closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, a shimmering figure stood before her.

"Hello, Jane," said the Goddess Divna.

Her robes fluttered around her, as though in an invisible breeze. Jane had only seen her once before, many months ago, in a dream, but with her golden hair and gold skin, it was impossible to mistake her for anyone else.

"Why have you come here?" It was hard to look at the goddess directly. She was too bright, too golden. Jane stared at the ground. "Have you come to punish me for failing your last godstest?"

Divna shook her head.

"What then?" said Jane.

"Curiosity."

Jane laughed. The sound was hollow and brittle.

"I don't see why I'm interesting anymore. I failed your last godstest. Now everyone is dead because of me."

Divna stared at her. Her eyes seemed to bore right through Jane.

"It's not like the first godstest was especially fair," Jane said. "I'd never even learned half the things you asked me to do. Like wyvern riding."

Divna's visage was fading.

"Isn't there some other way to go home?" Her voice broke. "I just... I just want to go home. To get back to my family."

Divna's visage faded further, until Jane was once again left by herself, in the pit that was her prison. She wondered if she had dreamed it.

Her eyes fluttered shut. She dropped into an uneasy doze.

When she opened her eyes again, Nikolay stood before her.

Jane froze. Every muscle in her body tensed. Her nerves sang with fear. Had shackles not bound her to the pole, she would have sprang upright.

"Have you come to kill me?" she said.

Nikolay stopped mid-stride, frowning at her.

"What gave you that idea?"

In the pale dawn light, he looked dreadful. His skin was pallid, and his eyes looked like hollowed sockets. He saw her scrutinizing him, smiled mirthlessly, and waved a hand. A shimmer filled the air and the next moment the illusion had snapped into place; his features took on a more familiar hue.

"You know," said Jane. "Seeing as you're the reason I'm in this cell... I figured you'd come to finish me off."

He had the audacity to look amused. "Not today, Avtorka. But I intend to collect the debt you owe me."

"I don't owe you anything," said Jane, trying not to let her terror show. "You owe me. You're the reason I'm in prison—"

"Someone had to take the fall for the escape of the Kanachskiy boy." Nikolay shrugged. "Consider it a fraction of your payment, in exchange for healing your brother."

"Why did you free the prisoner?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was out of the goodness of my heart?"

Jane laughed. The sound felt cracked and broken falling from her lips.

"Very well," said Nikolay. A smile played around his mouth, cruel and amused and insincere. "I freed him because I needed someone to carry a message into Kanachskiy territory. A message describing how to break the locking rune protecting Dalnushka. Happy now? Do I need to describe each step in detail?"

Jane's head swam. She had known, but she hadn't known, and Nikolay's confirmation was like a punch to the stomach.

"Olesya was from Dalnushka..." she said. "Thanks to you, her entire family is dead. Hundreds of innocent people are dead. Did you give the Kanachskiy the idea to bring sudok through the pass, too?"

"I did warn you, Avtorka. I care only about myself."

"What about your Oath?" Jane demanded. "When the sudok overrun the palace, do you have some fantastic plan to save the tsar?"

"I hope that by then, saving him will be unnecessary."

Unnecessary...

Nikolay smiled horribly.

"You really have found some other way to break your curse." Jane swallowed. "Through Kanachskiy magic. That's why you agreed to help them."

"Oh, well done."

"How will they break it?"

"It's a potion, made from a plant called the fireflower, indigenous to Kanach. It is perhaps the only thing that will leave me alive if I break the Oath spell." Nikolay shrugged.

"If the Kanachskiy are the only one who have access to that potion, then why use me to steal that dragon's egg? What was so special about that?"

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out by now."

Something Casimir had said earlier echoed through Jane's head. She remembered it, because at the time it had seemed so odd. Dragon parts are only useful for potions of control.

"Dragons control things," Jane said slowly. "When I was in that dragon's cave, it controlled me with its eyes. I had to do its bidding, I didn't have a choice, when it made me step closer, that happened against my will..." She met Nikolay's eyes. "Who are you trying to control?"

"Originally?" Nikolay raised an eyebrow. "Originally, my dear Avtorka, that potion was meant for you."

Jane froze, the hairs on her neck rising.

"Added insurance in case you didn't agree to break my Oath spell." Nikolay studied his nails. "Of course, when you failed your second godstest, that original strategy became rather useless. Perhaps I will use the potion on the Kanachskiy invaders instead. A little mental influence never goes amiss."

It should have chilled her, how he talked about controlling her with such flippancy, but at the moment she was too incensed to care. "So you're — what? Going to let the sudok invade the palace and kill everyone inside? Great plan! Brilliant, really! What about Kir? What about the tsar? I suppose you're just going to let them die, too?"

"Possibly." Nikolay shrugged. "At any rate, that's none of your concern."

"Kir thinks the world of you," Jane snapped. "And the tsar seems to care for you too, although I'm frankly flummoxed as to why. He practically begged me to break your curse for you. Maybe he can come up with some other way to save you, something that doesn't involve you committing treason —" (again) "— and resorting to... this —"

It seemed like something she'd said had finally struck a nerve. Nikolay's eyes narrowed; his face grew stormy.

"The way he wanted to 'fix' my Oath would have substituted one cage for another. He wanted to transfer the Oath-spell onto Kir."

"Would that be so terrible?"

"It would still be an Oath-spell. I would still be bound. Hardly a proper solution, and there's a fair chance we'd both die in the transfer—" He broke off.

For a moment there was silence. Jane pondered what he'd said, pondered all of it. "I assume you didn't just come here just to monologue at me?" she asked finally. "Do you intend to silence me, now that I know the truth?"

"That would be very cliché, would it not?" He laughed, a high, wild laugh that sounded almost unhinged. "Anyway, why should I kill you? They won't believe your accusations. Kir, my stubbornly loyal brother, has gone to the front to boost morale. Casimir might have taken your word at face value — if he had time to leave the healing wing. Your brother still sleeps. And Olesya, who despises me and might have given you her ear, is now your mortal enemy. Everyone else is too busy preparing for the fight against the sudok to listen."

"Shouldn't you be doing the same?" Jane said coldly.

Nikolay smiled.

"I still need to collect payment for your debt."

He leaned forward and grasped her wrist. Jane flinched. She felt the magic draining out of her, so much that it hurt, but she didn't struggle. What was the use? He would take her magic regardless.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Nikolay said insincerely, releasing her after what seemed an eternity. Jane watched, feeling hollow and used, as he stepped back and teleported into the ether.

-v-

Before Nikolay's visit, Jane had felt half dead. Now, despite the drain on her magic, Jane felt energized and alert — alive with knowledge and fear.

She was the only one who knew Nikolay was a traitor, the only one who knew the truth about the invasion of Dalnushka. And the palace was in terrible danger. Nikolay would give the sudok entrance to Sengilach too, if it meant freedom from his Oath.

She couldn't just sit here.

If she didn't do something now, people would die.

She had to escape — had to warn someone about what was happening. They might not believe her — they probably wouldn't believe her — but at least she had to try.

She paced and paced, as far as the confines of her chains would allow. She wrung her hands and tugged at her manacles and searched her pockets for anything useful.

It was hopeless. The mages who'd brought her here had taken everything useful from her. After a time, she gave up. She slumped, defeated, back against the chaining post.

A glint caught her eye.

Heart racing, she stared at the hay. Her pacing had overturned something silvery and paper-thin... something vaguely bird-shaped...

Something she'd thought she'd lost a few weeks ago.

She picked it up.

And for the first time in over a week, Jane smiled.

-v-

Bwahahaha! I'm so excited to finally reach the climax of the story and all the plot twists ahead! Did you believe Nikolay's clichéd monologuing, or do you think he's hiding something important? Any theories you want to share before the chaos begins?

I'm blown away by the support for this story. Thank you SO much to everyone who has stuck with me, and also to my new readers! As always, if you liked this chapter, don't forget to vote or comment. And if you hated it, tell me why!