One side of his lips curled up as he dropped his hands. “Come. There’s stew left on the hearth. You need to eat more.”
“Yes, Mother.”
Kieran snorted as he led me down the short, narrow hall, past two more closed doors. I looked behind me, hearing no movement. “What’s it look like outside?” I asked.
“Mist is fading, here and at higher points in the city, but it’s still thick in the lower areas.” Kieran entered a candlelit kitchen, picking up a bowl from one of the shelves along the wall. “Sounded like they’re still dealing with the Craven. If they’ve realized any of us are missing, they’re not out in full force yet.”
“That’ll change soon enough,” I said, scanning the wide chamber. Blinds covered a large window behind a table and chairs. Several daggers were scattered across the table’s surface. “How long do you think we have?”
“Probably the rest of the night and maybe the day.” He went to the pot at the hearth. “We’ve got to make our move before nightfall.”
Made sense. We wouldn’t have to deal with the knights then, but the Revenants? Another story. Isbeth may not be leashed to the moon like the Ascended, but she wouldn’t dare to come out during the day and risk exposure.
I glanced at the entryway again. “Where is everyone?” Namely, where was my fucking brother?
“The mortals—Blaz and Clariza? They’re asleep.” Kieran ladled a small lake’s worth of stew into a bowl. “Good people. Did Poppy tell you the woman’s a descendant?”
“She mentioned it.” I took the bowl and spoon, stomach rumbling at the herb-heavy scent. The bowl felt a little strange in the four-finger grip, but it was something I’d have to get used to.
Kieran went to the small table, taking a seat. I stood since I’d spent enough time on my ass. “The draken’s snooping around outside, hopefully keeping himself unseen and not burning anything.”
My brows rose as I chewed the chunks of vegetables and chicken. Something Poppy said came back to me. “Did he really try to bite you?”
“Fuck, yeah, he tried.” Kieran’s jaw hardened. “He isn’t real keen on social skills. You’ll probably find him amusing.”
I grinned, swallowing the thick stew. The grin faded, though, as Kieran watched me. I didn’t want to ask because if the answer was one I didn’t want to hear—that my brother wasn’t here—I’d lose my shit. But I had to know. “Malik?”
“Asleep in the front room, passed out on the settee.”
I felt something. Didn’t know if it was surprise or relief.
Kieran leaned forward. “He helped you when you were in that cell?”
“Saw him once. He got rid of the infection.” I lifted the remaining fingers on my left hand.
“Only once?”
“He made it sound like it was a risk to me to do so,” I told him between mouthfuls.
“You believe him?”
“Don’t know,” I admitted, my stomach souring. Still, I kept eating. “You?”
He rubbed his chin. “He says he can secure us a ship. That we can be smuggled on and make our escape that way.”
“Is that so?” I went to the hearth, refilling my bowl only because the sooner I was back to normal, the sooner I could care for Poppy’s needs. “And you trust him that much—trust him with Poppy’s safety?”
“There are only a handful of people I trust with her safety, and he sure as fuck isn’t one of them,” Kieran replied. “But he helped us get you out. He hasn’t tried to leave, and he could’ve alerted the guards we saw when we were scoping out shit. He didn’t. He’s risking a lot, and he knows what will happen if he’s caught.”
I thought it over. “I don’t think he’s going to betray us.”
Kieran nodded.
“But he’s a huge liability,” I said, lifting the stew-heavy spoon to my mouth.
“The Handmaiden.”
“If she really is his heartmate, she’s leverage that can be used to control him. Probably already has been.”
“Only if Isbeth knows,” Kieran countered. “Do you really think she’d still be living and breathing if Isbeth did?”
“Yes.”
He frowned. “Why do you think that?”
“I’m about to blow your mind.” I finished off the remaining stew, setting the bowl beside me. “Millicent is Isbeth’s daughter. Her father is Ires. She’s Poppy’s sister.”