User blog comment:HazelQuill7445/RWBY Volume 4 Dead Pool/@comment-27404492-20161003203543/@comment-5430952-20161003210802

If Emerald starts to waver, I imagine Cinder will "take steps" to insure she remains to loyal to her. Doubtful anything rash will happen to Mercury, not unless he's completely defeated by Yang, then he's in line for a You Have Failed Me speech before getting immolated. Emerald, she'd have to willfully betray Cinder before she's in danger of dying, though I can imagine Cinder sending Emerald to her death if she becomes too "troublesome." None of them realize that they're nothing but pawns in all this, and I fear they won't until it's too late. Fools.