It's beginning to feel like Emerald's whole life is falling apart around her.
First, Cinder had vanished for months, leaving her at the mercy of Salem and the other members of her inner circle. Then, just as Cinder had finally returned and Emerald had proved her loyalty to her again, she'd been struck down and killed. And now Mercury, the closest thing she'd thought she'd had to a friend, is ready to abandon her as well.
Mercury hadn't even seemed to care when she'd told him that Cinder was dead. He'd said that it didn't matter anyway, that it was high time they moved on, that allying themselves with Cinder hadn't been getting them anywhere. He'd even had the nerve to suggest that Cinder didn't really care about either of them. Including Emerald.
Which—is entirely not true at all. Cinder had cared about the two of them, Emerald is sure of it. She'd been the one who'd raised them up from ashes and given them a place at the table with Salem. She's the only person that has—had really cared about Emerald in a long, long time. There's just no way that all of that was a lie, right?
But still, a tiny part of her mind can't help but wonder, deep down. If Cinder cared about you so much, why didn't the power of the Fall Maiden fall to you when she died, whispers a traitorous voice in her brain. Why did she always yell at you and shove you aside when you needed her?
Who had the mantle of the Fall Maiden fallen to, anyway? Who had been in Cinder's final thoughts, if not Emerald? She doesn't know. And clearly, Salem and the others here don't know either, or they'd be sending someone after the new Maiden to track her down and capture her.
It's not like it'll necessarily be easy to figure out the new bearer of the Maiden powers, anyway. For all they know, the power could have gone to someone random, a complete stranger that none of them have ever met. Any young woman in Remnant could have inherited Cinder's powers. The search for her could take ages.
Or—maybe not.
The gleaming metal of the Lamp of Knowledge catches Emerald's eye. Ever since her conversation with Mercury, she's been wandering the twisted hallways inside the whale (shudder), completely lost in thought. She must have stumbled across the room where Salem has been storing the Lamp by accident.
The Lamp, which might be able to help her answer some of her questions. It's the Lamp of Knowledge, after all. It should have all the knowledge in the world, stored inside, just waiting to be accessed. It could tell her who the new Fall Maiden is, and how to find her. It could reassure her doubts about Cinder.
All she has to do is figure out how to unlock the power it contains. And Emerald is a thief. She's good at accessing things that aren't intended for her.
Although she's pretty sure that her illusions can't help her in this particular case.
Just as Emerald has made up her mind to snatch up the lamp and make a run for it, another figure flits out of the shadows and picks up the lamp.
It's Neo.
Not wanting to alert the others to her plan, Emerald doesn't bother to call out, but steps forward, ready to pull the lamp out of Neo's hands before she can make it too far. But Neo sees her coming, and is ready. Before her eyes, she shifts into Cinder, and Emerald's heart stops.
It's an illusion. Emerald knows that. She's an illusionist herself. But the wound of Cinder's death is too fresh for her to think rationally about. She freezes, drawing back her hand as if burned. She pauses just long enough for Neo to take advantage of.
She grins sadistically at Emerald before dropping the disguise and bolting past her. Gritting her teeth, she forces her muscles to unlock and dashes after her.
She's getting her hands on that lamp, no matter what it takes.