He might not be wrong, Kit thought.Especially once?—
Dentarius’ heavy sigh broke through her thoughts. “Why are you all hanging about in the middle of the corridor? Get over here,” he said, voice rife with irritation.
Kit stared daggers at him as she closed the distance between them.
“Lady Ravenswing,” Dentarius said, the lightest warning in his voice, “allow me to introduce Lady Tempus and Sir Gilding. With their arrival to Kingshelm, it seems our delegation is finally complete.”
Though Kit tried very hard not to let out the snort of disbelief that immediately bubbled up inside her, Dentarius’ stiffening posture told her she hadn’t succeeded. Aladyand asirindeed. Even if Master Tartanis had somehow conned titles out of Lord Corlyn for his minions to wield, Kit did not believe for a moment they were legitimate. And she would not give them the respect of addressing them that way.
Thankfully, Kit was spared from overt refusal by a silky voice.
“Please, call me Sephone,” said the woman, her mouth curving intoa close-lipped smile. The spikes on her cuff glinted in the lamplight as she extended a thin hand in greeting.
When Kit pointedly did not accept it, Nox stepped forward, taking Sephone’s hand and dipping their chin before releasing it. “Welcome to Kingshelm, I suppose,” they said lightly.
Kit swallowed her indignation and turned to face Dentarius. “Where’s Barcroff?”
“It was the damndest thing,” Sephone replied. Her eyes—so dark they appeared black—lingered on Nox with an appreciation that soured Kit’s mood even further. “He came out to greet us the moment we landed in the courtyard but had to scurry off mere minutes later—some sort ofroyal emergency. Thankfully, Lord Jaen soon found us, and I was just expressing my deepest apologies for being so greatly delayed.”
“Yes, we have been on pins and needles in anticipation of your arrival,” said Kit. “Since learning of your existence, of course. An unfortunately recent development.” Behind her, Jocelyn coughed.
“Many unfortunate things seem to be happening lately, don’t they?” Sephone said, an air of amusement in her voice that Kit did not appreciate. “Just look at Luminaria.”
Kit blinked. “The Lost City? What about it?”
“It is not quite so lost anymore,” Sephone said, her smile sharpening, “and precisely the reason for our long delay. We had intended on meeting you here much sooner, having departed from Coralith at the same time as you all did from Aerithia. The command came from Lord Corlyn to stop by Luminaria, since we would be passing by en route regardless. King Lachlandris wanted a report on the state of the city since the completion of the Crucible.”
Kit recalled her wonder at the transformation Castle Lumin had undergone upon their emergence from the Celestial Sanctum. Even in the half-dead state she’d been in, she was awestruck at how the crumbling castle and ruined city had been brought back to life, as though completing the Crucible had lifted some great curse.
“Humans have moved into the city in droves.” Gilding’s voice was deep as he chimed in, still shifting nervously on his feet. He turned his head, and Kit saw for the first time that the telltale earring was missing from his other ear. In fact, a significant part of his ear in general wasmissing. It was as though the entire pointed tip had been shorn clean off.
She glanced at Sephone, who did indeed have two beautiful, pointed ears, fully intact and both proudly displaying Tartanis’ mark.
“The humans work quickly, I will grant them that,” said Sephone, the mockery clear in her tone.
“Have they broken the accords?” Nox asked.
“No,” Dentarius said quickly. “There is nothing in the accords that prevent or prohibit them taking up residence in the Midlands, and that includes the former Lost City.”
“Then what does it matter?” A lock of silvery hair fell into Kit’s face, and she brushed it back. “I don’t see why their presence in a previously uninhabited city would warrant such a detour.”
Sephone let out a derisive laugh. “Were the situation reversed, do you think the humans would delight in knowing thatwehad taken up residence in the former capital of Arcanis? Thatwewere populating the streets and homes where those who ruled the entire continent once lived?”
“I am very aware that there are few humans who would ever delight in anything we did at all,” Kit said. “That isn’t an answer to my question. Why should we care? Your delay has kept us from being able to act upon the things we actually came here for.”
“We were simply following orders,” said Gilding.
“But whose orders?” murmured Jocelyn.
“Perhaps the full tale is better kept for when the human king and his council are present,” said Sephone. “We have several questions that King Lachlandris will surely be eager to have answered.”
Kit resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the blatant way Sephone kept dropping the king’s name, as if Kit needed to be reminded of who he was. As if he wasn’t the same man who had changed Kit’s diapers a century and a half ago.
She folded her arms across her chest. “My uncle,” Kit said, emphasizing the words, “would also surely want all members of this delegation to be kept aware of any and all information pertinent to our presence here.”
“Yes, but all members of the delegation are hardly present, are they?”
As if summoned by the words, the sound of pounding bootstepsand laughter echoed down the corridor. A few seconds later, Ollie and Thraigg rounded the corner, both with matching expressions of glee, the faint smell of ale and magic piercing the air.
