o_18vdqvms01tdp1ck54q91frg17mg2d.pdf

T
D
V
L
D
Z
S
I
Some had lines and x marks next to them, but for the most part the message was incoherent.
Mia noticed my scrutiny.
"It's probably a janitor thing," she said. "Or maybe some gang did it."
"Probably," I said, still studying it. The others shifted restlessly, not understanding my
fascination with the jumble of letters. I didn't understand my fascination either, but something
in my head tugged at me to stay.
Then I got it.
B for Badica, Z for Zeklos, I for Ivashkov …
I stared. The first letter of every royal family's name was there. There were three D names, but
based on the order, you could actually read the list as a size ranking. It started with the smaller
families—Dragomir, Badica, Conta—and went all the way up to the giant Ivashkov clan. I
didn't understand the dashes and lines beside the letters, but I quickly noticed which names had
an x beside them: Badica and Drozdov.
I stepped back from the wall. "We have to get out of here," I said. My own voice scared me a
little. "Right now."
The others looked at me in surprise. "Why?" asked Eddie. "What's going on?"