I'm fine," I lied, though my voice trembled.
Caspian reached out, his hand stopping just inches from my shoulder. He didn't touch me—he knew he couldn't. I was the girl on the pedestal, and he was the boy in the shadows.
"You're wearing that dress like it's armor," he whispered, his eyes searching mine, "but you're still shivering. They've built a cage out of gold for you, haven't they?"
Before I could answer, a heavy thud echoed from the hallway—the sound of Julian and his friends approaching. Caspian's expression shifted from pity to a sharp, dangerous intensity. He pressed a small, cold object into my hand and disappeared into the darkness of the stacks just as the doors swung open.
I looked down. In my palm sat a silver coin, identical to the one I'd seen in the rumors.But on the back, someone had scratched a single word: RUN.