Persis wasn’t an aristo. Not totally. Her brain might work like a reg’s. Like her mother’s. Just as she could develop DAR, she could be permanently damaged by the Reduction drug.
She could lose her beautiful, extraordinary mind. Forever.
Vania stalked over to Persis, eyes on the prize, shaking a handful of pills into her hand as she went. “Oh yes I do, Justen. I saw your research. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
And with that, she grabbed Persis’s face and crammed the pills down her throat.
PERSIS SLAMMED TO THE ground and was still. Nothing moved in the gray dawn light—not the breeze, not the birds—even the waves seemed to go silent. Or maybe that was just the blood roaring in Justen’s ears.
Persis. No, no, no.
Heedless of Vania and her gun, Justen rushed to Persis’s side. He started to roll her over, then stopped as she began to twitch uncontrollably, shaking and shuddering as foam seeped from her mouth. He held her gently on her side so she didn’t choke, tightened his arms around her until she grew quiet again.
No, not Persis. Not Persis.
Vania sighed, rolling her shoulders with relief. “There, that’s done.”
Remy stood silent, watching them. Tears rolled out of her eyes and over her cheeks, ignored. The guards behind her waited.
Justen wanted to attack Vania, to beat her senseless, but what was the point? She’d only prick him with one of her toxin stingers or shoot him or even Reduce him. And wasn’t that what he deserved?
“You just started a war, Vania,” he said instead. “Princess Isla will not stand for what you’ve done to her friend.”
Vania snorted. “The princess doesn’t scare me. She can’t get anything done in her country—what makes you think she’s going to be able to get something done in ours?”
“You were ordered to release her,” Justen set Persis gently on the ground and stood, pointing an accusing finger at his former friend. “And you dosed her anyway. We’re all witnesses. What do you plan to do to silence us?”
But she just shrugged. “I really don’t care if anyone finds out when I dosed her or how or why. Talk all you want. True Galateans will be on my side. The Wild Poppy deserves what she gets, same as the queen did.” She peered past Justen. “Ooh, look, she’s waking up.”
Justen turned and indeed, Persis had sat up. Her nanoropes lay slack now, and she wiped foam from her face with the back of her hand then stared at it, curiously. She licked it, then made a face and wiped the rest off on her dress.
“Aww,” Vania said, “isn’t it cute when they try to eat everything?”
Justen’s stomach roiled. Persis’s eyes were wide and blank as a baby’s, and her gait was just as unsteady as she pushed herself to her feet and looked at him, her head cocked. He stared at her, barely able to breathe. What was this feeling? It was not sadness, was not even horror. He felt numb—the flare of anger at Vania vanishing to be replaced by a dull roar of nothing.
Nothing. That’s what shone from Persis’s gaze as she looked curiously from one person to the next. Was there anything at all left of her in there? How many doses did it take to do total damage? He knew he’d had it written down somewhere in his notes, but he couldn’t remember it. Couldn’t remember anything in that moment except the look in her bright eyes the moment before she’d first kissed him.
Vania bounced on her feet. “Oh, I wish I could keep her. She’d make such a great handmaiden, don’t you think? Can you imagine me being dressed and groomed and followed around by the great Wild Poppy?” She clapped her hands and Persis gave a little start, then turned toward Vania. “Come here, you. Come on, it’s all right. I’m not going to hurt you . . .” Vania shook the tin of pills. “Don’t you want more?”
Persis shuffled over, her expression one of stupid trust.
“Stop it, Vania,” Justen said, catching Persis by the hand. It lay limp in his own, but she kept tugging toward Vania. “You’ve made your point.”
“Not yet, I haven’t.” Vania beckoned Persis again.
Persis grunted and pulled free of his grip, continuing on toward Vania.
“You know,” she said, when Persis reached her, “I think we’ve been doing it all wrong with these morons, keeping them as prisoners. We should retrain them to be pets.” She smiled broadly. “All the cachet of a gengineered animal but potty trained, too.” She leaned in. “You are potty trained, right, Lady Blake?”
Persis looked at her blankly.
Vania chuckled. “Let’s see if she does any tricks.”
Justen heard a soft moan at his left. Andrine, it seemed, was waking up. He silently willed her to stay down. If Vania saw that the other girl was awake, she’d no doubt want to dose her, too.
But Vania was no longer paying attention to anyone but Persis. “Let’s see,” she was saying. “We’ve seen her sit up and come. We could have her fetch, maybe, or roll over?”
Justen stole a glance at Andrine, whose eyes were wide open, though she hadn’t moved. She looked at him, a question in her eyes, and he gave a nearly imperceptible shake of his head. What could Andrine do to help all tied up?
He turned to Remy, who was standing stock-still, an expression of horror painted across her features as she stared at Persis. “It’ll be all right, Remy,” he said. He lied.
“No,” she whispered, her voice shuddering. “I don’t think it will. I think I’ve made a terrible mistake.”
He reached his hand out to her, keeping his voice soft and even. “You didn’t know. You haven’t seen what Reduction is really like.”
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye then laughed mirthlessly. “You really do think I’m a child, don’t you?” she said. “Well, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Vania was happily skipping in circles now, as the hapless Persis stumbled behind her. “Oh, I know!” Vania cried. “I’ll make her beg.” She held the tin of pills up in the air. “Come on, Persey-worsey. Beg. Beg!”
Persis stopped and lifted her face up to the tin. The pills inside made a pleasant clatter as Vania shook it. Persis lifted on her tiptoes, reaching out.
“Very good,” Vania exclaimed. “Persey-worsey likes her pills, doesn’t she? They’re good.”
Persis nodded. Justen could barely watch.
“Want another?” Vania fiddled with the tin.
Justen couldn’t take it anymore. He stepped forward and grabbed Vania by the wrist. “That’s enough.”
She whirled to face him with a dangerous glare. “I think I’d watch it, if I were you,” she said, shaking him off. “I have a whole bracelet full of prickers, you know.” He stumbled backward as Vania resumed her triumphant grin.
A moment later, she went down as Persis slammed a rock against the side of her head.
“Help!” Vania screamed as Persis leaped on top of her and began pummeling her with her fists. She appeared to be standing on Vania’s arms, keeping her from using her prickers.
Justen stood, baffled. He’d never seen a Reduced attack.
“Hey, brother,” Remy called. “Lend me a hand?”
He looked right to see Remy standing, a gun drawn on the two guards. He blinked. Remy, standing with a gun drawn on two guards.
“Justen!” she said, annoyed, and cocked her head at Andrine. “Go untie her already. Persis can’t hold off Vania unarmed forever.”
And Reduced.
And Reduced, right?
Andrine was already sitting up. Shaking free of his shock, Justen hurried to do as his little sister said.
“Are you all right?” he asked Andrine as he started overwriting the code keeping her ropes tight.