Partner.The word tasted like bile on my tongue, and I curled my hands into fists. I knew she didn’t mean it, but… My nails bit into my palms. Not enough to draw blood, but enough for me to feel the swell of power. To make me consider summoning a blade and… Irrational anger came easily on the breath of red shadows sneaking beneath the familiar onyx tendrils.
“You’ll start to deteriorate. Quickly.”
Eryx was right. Slowly, I let my hands relax by my sides. We needed answers, and we needed them fast. I hated the lack of control, the swell of emotions that didn’t feel wholly mine. Thedreams. As if the person who’d placed the bounty was somehow contorting my mind and stirring up feelings like a grand puppeteer.
I wasn’t a toy to be fucked with.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let out a heavy breath. “Calem, go check on her.”
Monstrous willow trees marked either side of Midnight Jester, and their dangling leaves tangled in Calem’s hair. He brushed them aside with an annoyed look. “Give her a minute. She’s fine.”
Kost adjusted his glasses. “I should have arranged for her stuff to be moved long ago. An oversight on my part.”
I waved off his apology. “There was hardly time for that.”
“Yeah, besides, you somehow pulled off shopping on her behalf before we went to Ortega Key. Does she even know?” Calem smirked. “Careful, she might find out you like her.”
Kost went straight into defensive mode. “It was the most prudent course at the time. I would gladly offer my assistance toyou, but why waste the effort on someone who can’t tell the difference between amaranth and magenta?”
Calem blinked. “Wait, are you referring to this?” He pointed to the pop of color lining his neck from beneath his black, fitted tunic. “It’s red.”
“Not even close.”
“What are you, master of the color wheel?”
Kost pursed his lips. “Details matter.”
Calem shook his head. “They only matter if they’re relevant. Telling me my collar is amaranth instead of magenta means nothing to me. Especially when it’s really just red.”
Kost ground his teeth. “Pointless.”
Gaige chuckled, but otherwise kept his thoughts to himself. He stared at the weak light casting sunspots at the base of a few trees lucky enough to soak up the rays. The jeweled-yellow Charmer’s symbol snagged my attention.
“Gaige.” I nodded at his hand. “Is there a beast that can fix this?”
Calem and Kost stilled, gazes riveted to the Charmer. Gaige grimaced. “There’s always a Gyss, but that’s a dangerous bargain.”
A Gyss. Winnow, my beast, would be unable to grant any wishes for nearly six months, but Leena also had one. Wishes weren’t granted freely, though, and the price was always high. My Gyss wish had made it possible for Leena and me to be together, but it’d also resulted in her being taken prisoner by her own people. And the damage Wynn did to her… My mind traveled back to that day we’d stormed the clearing in Hireath. To the moment I’d laid eyes on Leena’s weakened frame, thanks to Wynn’s charm. To her cloudy eyes and hollow cheeks. I hadn’t known about the scars on her legs then, but I did now.
I’d never risk something like that again.
“Too dangerous,” I agreed.
“I’ll grant Leena permission to read my bestiary with fresh eyes. If she were on the Council, the others might be inclined to share their knowledge too.” His fingers snuck beneath his collar to extract a book-shaped locket the same size and shape as Leena’s. It was hard to imagine someone else’s bestiary could hold more knowledge than hers.
But I knew why she’d hesitated when she was first offered a seat on the Council. She didn’t know who to trust. Leena suspected a Council member—most likely Raven—had placed the bounty, based off Wynn’s murmurings while she was under his control. Not to mention that Raven’s marking had a similar shade to that of the culprit. I didn’t have the opportunity to dissect every color variation on the battlefield or get close enough to examine Raven’s hand in the throne room after. Perhaps if Kost had gone with us, what with his eye for detail, he would have known for sure.
Still, I was inclined to believe Leena. Her conviction was strong. And yet, if she could play along and join the Council, either find a beast or find proof of Raven’s treachery, we’d have a chance at removing this oath once and for all.
“I’ll talk with her about it. For now, let’s—”
The sunspots loitering by Gaige’s feet were thrown into abrupt darkness, and a flurry of shadow-clad bodies exploded from the edge of the forest. Gaige instantly dropped to the ground, barely dodging a glittering blade to the jugular, but a second set of hands swiped at him. He screamed as knives tore flesh.
Kost reacted in an instant. Leaving my side, he dove into darkness to reappear in front of Gaige. With a strong upward swipe, he rooted a shadow blade in the skull of a slender man. His hooded chestnut gaze and scarred neck were hauntingly familiar.Viktor.One of the assassins who’d left with Darrien.
Calem and I joined Kost, encircling Gaige with our backs to each other. Shadows ripped through the daylight, and six assassins bled into existence. I catalogued their faces, recalled their positions within our home, and cursed. All warriors before their death, all capable of wielding a blade with unearthly precision. Darrien was nowhere to be found.
My hand quivered, and Zane’s blood screamed to be released. The blood of the first assassin and guild master, ready and waiting to exact punishment. “I gave you free passage, and this is how you repay me.” Rage scraped my throat, and a surge of red infiltrated the shadows in my vision.
