“Ah, here we are.”
She placed a wooden toy in my palm, similar to the souvenirs on display. It was rough-hewn, ugly, and in the shape of a signet ring, the letter S carved crudely on the face. A twinkle lit her eyes.
“You know about the ring?”
“Of course. Once, I would have done anything for my brother, including finding that ring, but not anymore.”
“Your brother?”
She smiled again and I couldn’t avoid seeing the resemblance. They had the same forehead, the same curve to their chins.
Alastair’s sister.
If she were his sister, she had to know more about the ring, if it would help.
Céleste began tossing knickknacks into the empty hatboxes two at a time, packing up.
“Are you heading to the hotel?” I asked.
“Is Yrsa still there?”
I gave her a terse nod.
“The witch vowed to burn this shop down with me inside if the hotel ever came back. No, I’m not going to the hotel, and I’m not sticking around to find out if Yrsa will make good on her promise.”
Out the windows, the streets were busier than they were earlier. It wouldn’t take long for Yrsa to walk here, or Sido. I could hear Bel’s voice in my ear. Don’t be a fool, he would tell me. Get out now while you still can. But if anyone could give me answers, Alastair’s sister could.
“Can you spare a few minutes?”
“Heavens, no.” She darted around me to pluck a book off a dusty shelf. “There’s no time. I’m leaving and you should, too.”
From her words in the painting, I didn’t expect her to open her arms and tell me everything. So on the walk here I thought through how I might convince her to help. I considered an outright lie, but I couldn’t come up with anything better than the truth. When she reached for a hatbox, I shut it, forcing her to look at me. She made a grab for the handle, but I pushed the hatbox out of reach.
“Everyone might believe your brother keeps magic safe inside his hotel. But he also keeps his staff imprisoned with their contracts,” I said, and Céleste cringed.
“I’m sorry, truly, but I can’t help—”
“He threatened my sister’s life if I fail to draw a map to that ring,” I said, cutting her off. “He took . . .” My throat thickened. “He took four of her fingers and he gave one to Yrsa, who turned it to porcelain.” I touched the finger in my pocket to remind myself it was still there. Céleste gripped the counter with her gloved hands, clearly bothered. Good. “No one can stop him. I don’t know you. I don’t have any reason to trust you, but believe me when I say you’re my last hope. If the signet ring removes magic, I want to use it to nullify our contracts. Which means I have to find it first. Will you help me?”
Céleste’s eyes darted to the door. “Anyone follow you?”
My muscles twitched with nerves. “Not that I saw. Does this mean you’ll help?”
“It’s not a simple request. I could tell you what I know, but that would take hours, and I’m heading out soon.”
Her suitcase was still half empty. “Then tell me as much as you can while you pack.” She opened her mouth to protest, and I knocked a fist against the counter. “Clearly you left everyone behind. If you know anything about the ring, you have to tell me.”
Her face pinched. “Fine. I’ll give you as much information as I can, but then you have to leave.” Overwhelmed with relief, I opened my mouth to thank her, but she held up a hand. “Tell me what you know about the hotel. And hurry.”
I went over the contracts, the infinite ledger. Then I told her about finding the book in the map room, that the hotel once housed a society for suminaires.
She nodded. “The building was only a hotel on the outside when I first arrived.”
“The outside?”
“Yes. I found it by accident. It was a sweltering day in Champilliers. I was walking home with Alastair and he was thirsty. That building looked like any other hotel, so we wandered inside to a small empty lobby, hoping for something to drink. On the front desk sat a sign that said the hotel was full. I stood there, drumming my fingers, waiting for someone to show up, but no one did. Not until I reached down to press a bell and it levitated to meet my finger. That wasn’t the last of the magic we saw that day, not by a long shot.”
“I believe it,” I said, remembering the moment I’d arrived with Zosa. How the feeling of being inside thrummed through my blood like a drug. “But surely patrons wandered in just like you had. What if they’d discovered the place housed suminaires?”