Chapter 229: The Final Poison

ANDY   The humming echoed off the stone walls of my cell, a cheerful tune that seemed obscenely out of place in the dungeon's oppressive atmosphere. I picked at the lead--lined cuffs around my wrists, not because I thought I could escape them -- Carol's work was too thorough for that -- but because the rhythmic motion helped me focus on the beautiful chaos I'd just unleashed.   My original plan had been so much simpler. Lake was supposed to rescue me, his devotion to Riley making him the perfect tool for my escape. The boy would do anything Riley asked of him, his obsession disguised as loyalty but really just another form of the control I'd taught him to crave. One word from Riley, and Lake would have torn open a portal right through these dungeon walls.   But Riley had ruined that plan when he'd told me about Lake's coma. The boy was unconscious, unreachable, useless to me in his current state. For a moment, I'd felt genuine disappointment -- not at the failure of my escape plan, but