The end result: an entrance that all but murders intruders. Stroke of genius.
“This is delicious, Essi. Thank you,” I say, taking another bite.
“Of course. Glad you like it.”
Understatement. She knows her buttermin loaf is my favorite. No idea what she puts in it, but damn, it’s good.
“What’re you working on?”
“A diamond cap for your tooth,” she says, etching away. “I’ve been trying to find an ore dense enough to withstand these fiddly runes. Freak accident, but I discovered diamond works. Oh!” Hand poised, she flashes me a wide-eyed glance that’s so full of life it renders me breathless—no doubt high on whatever thought just threaded through her spectacular mind. “Did you get my lark?”
“Mm-hmm.” I tuck my hair behind my ears and make for the oddly shaped stone basin that caught all the bits I pushed through the chute earlier. “I got blood on it but did my best.” I set the plate aside to rummage through my belongings. “What does the diamond crown do?”
“Emits an invisible, impenetrable barrier around your head and chest without cutting you in half.”
Hand stilling, I look over my shoulder at her. “Without cutting me in half? You mean … my body?”
She nods so fast her hair’s a sanguine churn. “Took me a bit to figure that out. Promise it’s good now, though.”
Right.
“Glad you’re thorough,” I say, gripping the bag.
“Always. It’s almost done. A few fine runes with that new etching stick and it’ll be ready to activate. Figured it’s a good time to attach it since Rekk Zharos is hunting you.”
“See you’ve been reading my messages again.”
She shrugs, adjusting the scope of her looking glass. “It flew through the window after you left. Bumped against the sill until its nose was squished. I put it out of its misery by unfolding it.”
“And reading it.”
“My eyes slipped.”
They have a habit of doing that.
I shake my head, sliding the bag across the table for her to rummage through. Flip side of using so much blood in the active runes etched around the window, the parchment larks sometimes think the window is, well … us. Ergo, the source of Sereme’s eternal frustration whenever she can’t get ahold of me.
Essi pulls her head from the bag, her face a tad paler. “No spangle poo?”
I blink at her. “I’m sorry, what?”
“From Yeskorn, the Undercity librarian. He’s got a pet spangle. Is it in your pocket? Please tell me it’s in your pocket.”
“There’s no shit in my pocket, Essi. Why do you need spangle poo?” She opens her mouth to speak, but I swiftly cut her off. “Remember my brain’s not as big as yours. If you start talking about biophysics, I’ll perish.”
She opens her mouth again, closes it, seems to think for a bit, then starts to talk. “The stone they eat is rich with a special ore that’s otherwise hard to find because it forms in minuscule drops that never grow larger than a pinhead. It doesn’t break down in their digestive tracts, so it’s the most effective way to gather it. It’s a creamy color, and it melts at a much lower temperature than most other ores, making it the perfect adhesive for binding runed caps to your teeth.”
“You’re joking.”
Her brows crush together. “For the first time in my life?”
All the warmth drains from my face, my hand whipping out to steady myself against the table. “That’s what you used to bind the other activation cap to my tooth?”
She nods.
“Spangle shit?”
“I rinsed the actual feces off, then sterilized the ore. But yes. It had been … shat.”
Creators.
I shove my tongue to the right side of my mouth, feeling around said cap. “Let’s file that under Things Raeve Doesn’t Need To Know,” I mutter, making for the cabinet where I pull out a mug.
Ever.
“Noted. I, ahh …” I glance back to see her shuffling in her seat, scratching at the back of her head. “Given Rekk’s renowned accolades, I was hoping to get it attached …”
“There’s no rush.” With this new, rather revolting information, the least amount of rush ever.
“What if he targets you?”
I lift the jug of filtered water from our icebox, filling my mug. “I’ve been instructed to lie low, and we both know Rekk can’t get me here. The only way we’ll clash is if I accidentally run into him on my way to pick up my handsaw and accidentally slit his throat, accidentally going against Sereme’s direct orders and accidentally saving the life of one of my comrades.”