I worked my tongue around my mouth and drew a deep breath, praying to any gods that were listening that I looked calmer than I felt. “Perhaps if you told me what this was, I could explain.” Somehow my voice came out level.
“The Sleep.” Her nostrils flared and she paced away as though her anger made standing still impossible. “You have discovered there is an object that will end the Sleep and that Dawn is after it, yet the first I hear of it is from your assistant.”
The air flew out of me like she’d jabbed me in the stomach when I wasn’t prepared. Brynan. I’d left him to report to her in my absence. He must have mentioned it, not realising I was waiting for confirmation before informing her.
“Until today, I knew nothing but a faint whisper. I didn’t want to say anything until I had details.”
She turned, one sharp eyebrow rising. “Today? What happened today?”
“We decoded the message I intercepted in Albion.” I explained the note’s contents, and her shoulders inched down until finally she looked like she wasn’t about to put me in the dungeons.
When I was done, she leant back on the table, gaze on the window and the dark sky outside. “Find it.”
“What?”
“This Circle of Ash. Find it. I want all your resources on this.”
“But Hydra Asc—”
“All of them.” Her gaze shot to me. “I’m not afraid of some children with a pot of red paint. If my cursed Sleep can be ended, I want it done. Do you understand?”
I blinked at her, understanding all too well.
She wanted the relic to end her own Sleep, not just to keep it out of Dawn’s hands. What about the balance between us and them?
No, she was just angry. This information was still fresh. Once she took the time to think about it, she’d realise this Circle shouldn’t be used by either side.
As for Hydra Ascendant…
It wasn’t just vandalism. They weren’t just a few kids with a stylish insignia. They were recruiting, spreading. And they hadn’t only reached the city—if my hunch proved right, they were coming for the palace.
Meanwhile, within the palace we had Dawn—close enough to attack Gael. Connected enough to plant a changeling in the human court.
All of these things needed the Serpent’s resources. Any one of them could rise up and bite us in the arse.
But my queen lifted her chin, imperious and unwavering. “Bastian?”
I swallowed and found an answer that wasn’t a lie. “I understand.”
31
Kat
The week after our return fell back into a routine. Exploring the city （and its jewellers）。 Training with Faolán a couple of times a week. Attempting to learn some control over my magic… and failing.
Rose kept up her hopeful smile, but I sank deeper into despair. I hadn’t been able to make contact with any power inside me. I could only unreliably affect the stains on my fingers.
At least Bastian wasn’t avoiding me. Not deliberately, anyway—his work just kept him busy, so we only tended to see each other for dinner or lunch.
This all disappointed Ella, who seemed convinced that somehow us spending time alone together on the road would’ve resulted in us sleeping together. “You, him, a campfire… One cosy bed in the hayloft. I have no idea how nothing happened, to be honest.”
I was just glad to have her back, even if I had to force myself to sit on a separate settee so I didn’t forget myself and touch her.
By the time the ball arrived, Rose and I had visited every jeweller in the city. No one admitted to making the necklace, so my investigation hinged on Caelus. He’d be there tonight—I’d managed to get that piece of information out of Brynan.
Outside, the sun dipped towards the horizon as I slipped a hip flask of arianmêl in a thigh garter and dressed in deep, glimmering purple, close to black. It almost matched the stains on my fingers, I realised as I patted raspberry-toned rouge on my lips.
Ari had given me a little pot of powder that disappeared on the skin until it caught the light in iridescent gold and violet, and I dusted that over the high points of my cheeks and my collarbones. A few specks caught in my hair, and I laughed as I watched the effect in the mirror.
I almost looked fae.
Tugging on a pair of sheer black gloves with lace cuffs, I headed into the sitting room. I looked the part. Gods willing, I’d be able to play it, too.
My stomach bubbled with nerves, and I poured a glass of brandy to settle myself. Except Bastian only kept regular spirits in our suite. No little drunken buzz for me.
I was putting the decanter back when a knock sounded at the door. Urien strode in, carrying a large case. “Clothing delivery. A lot of clothing.” He raised his eyebrows, and I suddenly felt self-conscious, so when he offered to take it to my room, I declined the offer.
As soon as he left and I tried to lift the case, I regretted it. Ari had mentioned she was throwing in “a few extras”—she and I had very different definitions of “a few.”
I was bent over, half carrying, half dragging it towards my room when the door to the antechamber opened and Bastian appeared.
His eyes bulged, and when I looked down I realised why—my cleavage was… very cleavage-y—almost escaping my gown’s low neckline, in fact.
He cleared his throat as I straightened. “Hiding a body?”
“Just one.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Oh, well, in that case.” He shrugged like it was no big deal and came closer. “I’ll take care of it.”
I wasn’t sure if he was still talking about the fictional body or the case.
“I got you something. Somethings, actually.” He pulled a flat box from his inside pocket.
“You didn’t—”
“Are we really going to have this conversation? ‘Bastian, you didn’t have to.’ ‘No, Kat, but I wanted to. That’s how gifts work.’” He cocked his head. “Anything more to add?”
It seemed the Bastian I knew from Albion had woken today. I wasn’t sure what to call him. Playful Bastian? Intimate Bastian?
Devastating Bastian?
Somehow I swallowed and raised one shoulder like he wasn’t quite so devastating in his perfectly tailored jacket that he’d left unbuttoned to reveal the sheer black shirt beneath.
“Only thank you.”
Inside lay a pair of gloves that matched my gown—sheer, blackened purple with flecks that glittered in the light. “How did you…？” I blinked up at him.
“I have spies everywhere. It wasn’t so difficult to find out what you planned to wear, and Ariadne owed me a favour, so…”
I removed the black gloves. “I’m sure you could’ve used the favour on something more worthwhile.”
“I’m sure I couldn’t have.” He kept his tone light and teasing, but an undercurrent ran through it, and I pulled on the first glove, giving it far more attention than needed. “Before you do.” He covered my hand, stopping me donning the second glove.
I stilled and stamped down any other reaction to his touch. He’d already eased my poison at lunch time, so this didn’t resonate with magic. And yet…
It was Bastian. The one I knew. The one who tangled me up so fucking easily.