She’d told Baron the truth, and as he fastened the cloak and pulled the hood up, he didn’t miss the opportunity to tease her—dipping a curtsy and asking if he looked like a queen.
“Oh, hush.” Aria laughed.
“Don’t tell the twins I wore the queen’s attire for an evening. Leon would never let me live it down.”
“I’ll tell him you made a stunning queen, and I’ll enjoy it every time he calls you ‘Her Majesty.’” She sobered. “Are they all right, do you think?”
“Safer than we are. I worried Corvin would try to follow us, but I’ve not seen a crow, and I take that as a good sign.”
“It wouldn’t be hard for a black crow to disappear in this dark.”
“Harder for him than most. Don’t tell him I said this, because it’s my main method of keeping track of him, but he’s very fond of thatcaw. He makes for a louder-than-usual crow when transformed.”
She had thought Baron’s crow quite vocal from the start. She smiled fondly.
A gust of harsh wind caught her hood, and Aria pulled it snug, angling away from the wind. As she moved to remount, Baron stepped closer in the lantern light.
“There’s something you should know. The woman with blonde hair you mentioned is my stepmother. I had my suspicions when you first told me of her, but it was confirmed when I sent a letter to Northglen. Her only response was to invite me to join the movement.”
He scowled into the wind, face set in hard lines, and for a moment, Aria was stunned, both at the bitter fate and at seeing Baron truly angry for the first time.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “for my family’s involvement in what’s happened to you.”
She shook her head. “Family or not, you’re not responsible for her actions.”
“No, but when I see her, I’ll demand an honest answer.”
They remounted and continued up the steep path.
No matter how Aria had rehearsed, preparing her words and steeling her nerves, the moment she stopped before Morton Manor, she found herself shrinking within her cloak. A particularly strong blast of wind extinguished her lantern, and it seemed to her an omen of everything about to come.
Despite the late hour, the mansion was lit, cold rays of light flaring from the windows into the night. The main door opened, and a broad-shouldered man stepped onto the covered porch.Aria recognized him by description only—Richard Langley. Stone Caster.
“I’ve come to speak to Widow Morton,” Aria announced loudly. The wind still snatched half her words. Her fingers felt like icicles around the reins.
Mr. Langley eyed them both, then stepped aside without protest, holding the door.
Though it felt very much like walking straight into a trap, she and Baron entered the mansion.
Baron had never visited Morton Manor before. The square building was all hard edges and imposing pillars, pale as exposed bone, without any of the greenery marking his own estate. The front entry led to a long hallway with branching doors, and it might have been a maze for how identical each door looked. Widow Morton had posted her supporters like sentinels.
Walking with one hand on his sword, Baron scanned the grim faces lining the hall. Richard Langley escorted them past four branded Casters, including Weston Knowles, who looked away under Baron’s gaze. There was no sign of Sarah.
Langley led them to a ballroom where Widow Morton stood, dressed in full black, with a slanted veil that shadowed her eyes.
Baron felt a momentary pang of sympathy. Though he’d abandoned his own mourning attire, it did nothing to erase the loss of his father. He could not excuse the woman’s actions, but he understood the quiet madness of grief.
Widow Morton spoke with a flat, emotionless tone. “You’ve roused my entire household, Highness, so I assume it’s for good reason. A special event, perhaps? I believe we could all be persuaded to attend a royal funeral.”
Pushing his thumb against the guard, Baron lifted his sword an inch from its oiled scabbard.
“Stand down, Reeves,” Morton snapped. “I have no desireto fight my own, no matter how questionable their choice of company.”
“You’ve fought me from the start. Every action you’ve taken these last months has only harmed Casters.”
“And the actions of our country’s leadership has done you greater favors?”
“Yes, actually.” Baron glanced at Aria, who looked pale but determined. “At least one of them. I suggest you hear her out.”
