An Ember in the Ashes

The path is barely wide enough to stand on, but the girls make it across. Laia leads Izzi to the Scholar quarter, and Izzi is enthralled by the freedom and joy all around. By contrast, Laia can only think about how much Darin loved the festival, and she wonders, “[H]ow can I smile or laugh when I know he’s suffering?” (250).

Keenan brings Laia to a meeting, where she tells the rebels about the final two trials and two-week deadline. The shortened timeline will make breaking Darin out more difficult, and Laia’s new task is to find a secret way for an army to enter Blackcliff. After the meeting, Laia dances with Keenan, who reveals Laia’s father rescued him from starvation and brought him into the resistance. His confession and their closeness make Laia feel warm all over. When the dance is over, Keenan leaves abruptly, and Laia stares after him, “knowing he won’t come back but hoping anyway” (257).

Elias disguises himself and enters the festival, where he assesses the area for threats and tries to decode the drumbeats before he remembers he’s away from