Page 254 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue

I fisted my hands. The Fair Isles loved nothing more than profit. To stall it, even temporarily, was a grave omen.

War was indeed coming–and we would be dragged into it, whether we wanted to or not.

I approached his workbench, not bothering to hide my bewilderment at the state of it. He had an oil can right next to a candle. That was a hazard waiting to–

My nose rose in the air as I caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Herbs. Sweet perfume. Cat hair.

“Why was Elysia here?” I asked.

“Damn those senses of yours.” Calyx huffed a laugh. “She checked up on me. Brought me tea. We commiserated. She could have left that cat of hers at home, the beast tried to eat my begonias. It’s too curious for its own good.”

Guilt ate at me. I’d only visited Calyx twice since the wedding massacre, too caught up in my own life, while he’d been leftalone to stitch himself back together. He’d refused to stay with any of us, though we’d all opened our homes to him.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been here more often,” I said.

He shrugged. “You have the crater and your Huntress to worry about. I just have my tinkering and plants to focus on. And these damn runes that won’t cooperate.”

I licked the inside of my cheek. “You know, there was one person rumored to be very good at runes. A person you’ll have to meet one day, whether you like it or not.”

That cousin of Allie’s was said to be a menace. Only rumors, of course. As much as her twin brother liked to give himself to the world, she liked to stay as far away from it as possible.

“No rush to have a Vegheara brat walking on my last nerve. And I can manage very well without help. I have other things I can give you.” Calyx waved around the crowded room as if anyone else could make sense of it. “Spikes, chains, a golden sword that can whisper pretend curses.”

“What can I do with a sword that pretends to curse?”

He grinned again. “Make your enemies soil themselves before you kill them.”

“I already do that.” I narrowed my eyes, cocking my head to the side. Calyx had always had a joke waiting on the tip of his tongue, but this felt off. There was a tension in his brow, a jitteriness to his fingers. “What’s wrong?”

He averted his gaze. “Apart from our entire Clan risking obliteration and an unknown force attacking us from the shadows?”

“Calyx,” I said, a warning bite on my lips.

“Fine, but you won’t like this.” He sighed, his shoulders caving.

He grabbed his crutch and thumped to the back of the workshop, where a grey metal box waited on top of a cabinet. Ashe opened it, icy smoke poured down the sides, an acrid stench following it.

Calyx cursed and delved his hand inside. “I’ve done every single detection test I can think of. Even chucked curses at it, buried it in the ground at the full moon, spent hours slashing through rock. They all say the same thing.”

He took out the cursed dagger I’d pulled out of Alaric’s back. It looked as untainted as on that day, despite the waves of magic which had washed over it at Calyx’s hand.

The star jewel resting in its pommel caught the light. Not a glimmer, but a deliberate glint, as if it recognized me.

“This belongs to you, there is no doubt,” Calyx said, crumbling my world. “And now you have to find a way to tell The Huntress one of your daggers killed her father.”

THE END