“I don’t know,” she moaned. “I don’t know. But she has the Pearl, and she fulfilled thefuckingprophecy—”
Oh, Daughters, no,please, he was so tired of this.
“What bloodyprophecy?”
Adeline sighed.
“The storm will seek out peace and calm, beneath a magic-bearing palm, all power resting in her icy hand.”
“But we knew that. We knew whoever had the Pearl had the power.”
“We did,” she said. “But now it’s done, there’s only one way to undo it.”
She paused, and Ger rolled his hand at her impatiently. Honest to fucking Goddess with the dramatic pauses.
Adeline bit her lip.
“Now only traitor's truth can see,”she went on, still in that intone that suggested a recital,“the one who sets the rivers free; and all within Her ancient, bless'd plan.”
“So someone has to betray her?”
“Someone has to unveil some devastating truth. And we have no way of knowing who orwhatthat is.”
Ger stared at her. Paced to the fire and turned back on his heel to pace back to the armchair.
“Why does it have to be in verse?!”
Adeline flapped a hand up, an exasperated half-shrug. She scooted forward in her seat, urgency tensing her shoulders.
“Ger, we need to talk to the others. Imogen, and Marry, and Kai. We’re not going to get anywhere like this, passing scraps of information back and forth with each of us missing half the context.”
Ger reached for the back of his neck like he could rub away the foreboding prickling at his nape. But he nodded all the same.
“We need to get everyone in one place, alone. Maybe tomorrow night, to give us some time to—”
“Ade,” Ger cut in, then winced. She stared blankly at him, so he dropped to his haunches and laid his hand over hers. “Tomorrow is Kai’s wedding night. He won’t be out of Avette’s sight.”
She blanched. Not a single expression passed over her face, but when she spoke, her voice was hoarse.
“Tonight then. Find a way to tell the others.” She swallowed, and Ger could hear the harshness of it; the pain. “We meet tonight.”
It was after midday by the time Ger managed to slip a message to Mareda—Lady Imogen had been sleeping, oddly enough, but the princess had promised to pass the word on, and whatever reservations he’d had about this whole thing, hedidbelieve that. Reaching the Merrow King was harder; he’d gotten away with it last night only for all the chaos following their return from the cavern. Jack was probably his best bet, but the porter wasn’t in the kitchens when Ger headed down for lunch. It was strange, the way his hunger evaporated with a quick glance around the room. How easy it was to decide he’d eat later, after he’d changed out of the rumpled clothes he’d slept in and into his armour.
He’d come back then, and maybe Jack would be there.
Not that it mattered.
Except, he reminded himself, it did, because he needed him to deliver Adeline’s message.
Goddess, he wasn’t even good at lying tohimself.
For the whole walk to the Queen’s Gard’s quarters, Ger was so preoccupied with his internal bickering and thoughts of Jack—whomay or may notbe in the kitchens later—that it took him afull thirty seconds to absorb the sight of him standing in the long hall of bedrooms. Right in front of his door.
Jack wasn’t in the kitchens because he was here.Now.
“Jack?”
The porter turned, soft brows arched in surprise—that quickly gave way to a smile.
