Greatness watched as the girl slipped the key into the lock, twisted it quickly, then pulled open the heavy metal door. Her turquoise-blue eyes darkened as Deathbringer stepped out, and she pointed to the ladder.
"Get out of here," she said simply. "The guards won't catch you."
"Of course not." Deathbringer's tone was smug. "I'm smarter than them."
She snorted in amusement. "They couldn't even if they wanted to. They're currently lying in a pool of their own blood. Not dead. Yet."
Greatness stared at her in disbelief. Fatespeaker's vision swirled in her mind again and again. I have the key.
Of course Fatespeaker couldn't see visions of the past. It was against everything that was possible, everything that NightWings were supposed to have. Visions of the past didn't happen. Only the future.
And this was the future, and Fatespeaker had seen her with Victory . . .
"Bye." Deathbringer didn't look at Greatness, and Greatness knew he hated her now. But she was still going to try. She had a duty. Quickstrike would have wanted her to do it.
No one knew Quickstrike had died besides her and Deathbringer. She'd been killed in the battle.
Greatness gritted her teeth. She had had every single right to do what she did. Quickstrike hadn't deserved that. So she'd given Quickstrike's murderer what she deserved.
Payback. She'd been protecting Deathbringer. And now she felt regret.
"You're my sister, then," she said to the girl. She stiffened, glaring at Greatness furiously. Greatness was taken aback by the intensity of her gaze.
"Victory Diamond," Greatness added for confirmation. The girl looked even more enraged. "You . . . survived? I thought Peril killed you?"
And I will kill Peril, and Scarlet, for this, she thought darkly.
"I am not Victory Diamond!" the girl spat. She pushed back her long midnight hair, her small diamond necklace glinting, and Greatness stared at her, confused.
"But you look exactly like Victory," Greatness pointed out. "You are Victory. You have to be. Fatespeaker's vision . . . "
"I am not," the girl repeated. Greatness wondered if she had memory loss. "I am Victoria Diablo."
"Who was Victory," Greatness pressed on.
She snorted. "No. I am not your precious sister. She was Victory Diamond. I, on the other hand, am Victoria Diablo."
"I don't get this," Greatness said. "Did you forget who you are?"
"Victory died ages ago," the girl snarled. "I am Farsight and Darkfire's daughter. Farsight Diablo. Victoria Diablo. I was there to keep Victory hidden. You were Victory's twin sister that did no wrong. Obeyed orders. Listened to the queen. But Victory was the one that was a traitor and knew too much, and was preparing herself to challenge Battlewinner."
"How did Battlewinner know this?" Greatness demanded. "I was taken away to live with Quickstrike so young! And Victory was - what happened to her?"
"Morrowseer saw a vision of that future. And Victory lived at the volcano for sixteen years," the girl said coolly. "I was the one that had the false execution."
"What?"
"Battlewinner needed Victory. She was an animus, too special, too precious. But also dangerous." The girl's voice - Victoria? - was harsh and furious. "So they imprisoned her, for sixteen years, except when she had to make repairs to the volcano or the tunnel. Battlewinner needed you alive, as a possible heir. Because if she died, someone had to rule the NightWings. But she knew you wouldn't kill her."
"I might decide I want to now." Greatness folded her arms, imagining her sister locked up for sixteen years, except when she was useful. "Did Victory fight back?"
"Of course. Victory was a fighter." Victoria's expression changed, to one of vague affection. "Victory could not be harmed badly, of course. Battlewinner wanted her strong. To be her animus. To help her win the war. But not as her daughter. So when Victory turned eight years old, she was hidden in the fortress. She'd always been locked up, but now no one was allowed to know her existence. As for me, I was the same age as her. I had turquoise eyes just like her and long black hair. So I was dragged outside, after being held prisoner for two years after my 'death', and Farsight's death as well." Bitterness escaped her voice.
Farsight must have been killed, Greatness realized.
"I was tortured to near death. I was hurt so badly, by sword and whip and fire and drowning, that I was so badly injured that I was nearly dead." Victoria's voice started to crack. "But Battlewinner wanted me alive. She wanted me as a backup plan, so if Victory ever escaped, so could have me executed 'again'."
"But there isn't a scar on you," Greatness said, glancing over Victoria's perfect marble white skin.
Victoria raised an eyebrow. "Isn't there?" She lifted the small diamond necklace off her head, and her appearance instantly changed. Greatness took a step back, her mouth falling open, feeling sick and ready to throw up.
Victoria was covered from head to toe in scars. Her face was disfigured, and she looked half blind in one of her eyes. Her hair was short and scruffy, long red burn scars streaking along her arms and face. Long lines of scars littered her hands and legs, and one of her arms had a scarred gash so bad that the pink was puckered and jagged around it. One of her fingers on her left hand was missing as well.
"How could they do this to you?" Greatness whispered, revolted.
"Quite easily," Victoria said coolly. "They planned to keep me imprisoned, but with the help of Quickstrike and one of the guards, I escaped."
Quickstrike? Greatness thought, her heart wrenching as she remembered her adopted mother. Quickstrike was a better mother than Battlewinner would ever be.
"I escaped, and lived on the streets for years," Victoria went on. "I stole scraps of food. Water. Stole clothes and rags and used public bathrooms and showers." Her expression was full of anger.
"Then I decided I had had enough. Battlewinner needed to be stopped. I found the animus tunnel, and went through. I was able to sneak through the fortress and trace Victory, who was locked up with a half metre thick wall between us, but she could hear me through the door. I talked to her, and said I was going to free her. While I was there, hiding, plotting her escape, I found traces of your existence. Battlewinner's set of files, similar to Scarlet's. So I took them, and Victory escaped with me. We did a trade. Victory would find use her animus magic to get me a place to live, I would help her track you down, and we would both defeat Battlewinner. It was a deal we had because we needed it, but later on we wanted it. We worked together well."
Greatness blinked. She still found it hard to look ay Victoria's scars. "And your scars?"
"Victory enchanted the necklace to hide them. It wasn't part of the deal. It was a gift." Victoria smiled slightly, and grief seemed to prickle at the edges of her shield. "But then we discovered your exact location. We got it off Fierceteeth, my younger sister. We were going to rescue you and hide you discreetly, but Victory was too desperate. She cared too much. She snuck out to save you."
Greatness tensed. She knew what happened next.
Victoria turned her necklace over a few times in her hands before placing it back over her head, making the scars vanish and her hair grow long again.
"Scarlet saw her lurking around Quickstrike's house. She guessed who she was, Battlewinner and Morrowseer had already warned her about Victory. Scarlet took Victory into her house, threatened her for my location, which Victory refused to reveal. Victory was tortured, and when Peril came in, Scarlet forced Peril to murder her." Victoria looked away. "After that, I stayed on the run, distant but keeping track of all the NightWing and SkyWing movements. When the war was happening, I left clues about the NightWings in a book at the library for the dragonets of destiny to find. I monitored you, and made sure you were safe. But I couldn't save you. Not after Victory. I would have been killed, and then you would never get to know the truth."
Greatness sank to her knees. Agony rushed through her. So Victory really was gone. And this girl - Victoria - had been her best friend.
"But I don't understand," Greatness whispered. "Why did Victory not fight back? She didn't have to fix the tunnels. She could have escaped the fortress. She didn't need to let Scarlet torture her and let Peril kill her."
"No, she did need to." Victoria was avoiding Greatness' gaze now.
"How do you imprison an animus?" Greatness said desperately. "How? It's not possible."
"It is if you threaten her sister's life."
"What?" Greatness started to feel sick all over again. Bile rose in her mouth. "What do you mean?"
"Victory would do anything to keep you safe, Greatness. You were her sister. She loved you."
Greatness sat down. Her heart was shattering.
I really did kill my sister.
Victoria seemed to take pity on her. She reached out, taking Greatness' shaking hand and lifting her up. "Come. I'm going to finish what Victory started."
Greatness stared at her. "What do you mean?" she rasped out. She could hardly breathe for pain.
"I'm going to set you free."