11Yes,thatSnow Queen.
She lives on the other side of the veil in Faerie and rules the Winter Court on her own now. Were one to inquire of Gideon about his mother, and were they successful in receiving a sincere answer, he might admit that a supernatural barrier between realms was still not enough parting them.
The author does not recommend asking Gideon Blackthorn about his mother.
12Bengali slang for something wrong or fishy.
Fishy of course being suspicious—if your seafood soup can be described as gondogol, do not consume it.
13Edmund Burke is often cited as saying this, but there is no evidence in accounts about him, and this phrase does not appear in his writing.
Mark Twain also did not write this, despite the common tendency to attribute anything profound or witty to his pen.
Somewhere, in some realm, an anonymous writer is quite put out.
14Deisdamnatus (Latin): Literally, damned by the gods, or simply, “Damn it.”
15A rather nuanced string of curses and expletives in Latin one might make to an ex-lover. Roughly translated: Damn! Let fate itself perish. Not that damn woman. Anyone else is more preferable than her. Deceitful!
It is not the first time such an exclamation had been uttered in Latin, and judging by various questionable decisions made by various religious organizations, it would not be the last.
Chapter 4
Saga
Didn’t your shift end like anhourago?” Shai lingered on the word “hour,” teasing it as she leaned back on the counter.
“We’re out of lemon tarts,”16 Saga explained from her crouched position by the oven, glancing from her watch to the now gently golden-brown crusts inside the tartlet pans. The café oven always ran a little under the designated heat, so simple timing never quite did the trick. But a watchful and experienced eye? Perfection. She donned the oven mitts and retrieved the shells, setting them on the surface to cool.
“And this was pressing because…?”
“My grandmother lost her best friend last week,” she answered in a clipped tone. “I wanted to bring her some.”
A deep scarlet flourished over the eighteen-year-old’s face. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
Saga shook her head to dismiss the concern she immediately regretted causing. “Lemon is uplifting for the spirit, can lower blood pressure, and draws happiness.” She removed the mitts and used them as a fan, first on the steaming tart shells, then on herself.
“Is she all right?”
