I poked at our heartbond for the first time in a handful of days.
Ass,I thought to him.
His gaze flicked to me.Letting me in again?
Only when I deem necessary.
A deep chuckle sounded from within the recesses of my mind.I could knock down your defenses with a gentle prod.
Would you?I thought back.
Silence stretched between us for a beat.No.
“I’ve always wondered, why the push?” Seville said, drawing my focus back to her. “So many of us are already within Death’s grasp, thanks to the blight. Perhaps Issa would be better off on her own.”
Issa frowned. “You misunderstand. Iwanta heartbond.”
“And I want her to end up with someone better than Orin,” Ossanna said pointedly. “If Issa wanted no one, I would support that life for her, too. All I really want is for her to be healthy and happy, as any parent would.”
“If only we could permanently eradicate blight and make that life a real possibility,” Seville mused. “I imagine you’d give anything for that to be Issa’s reality. Flix’s. Yours.”
“What are you getting at, Seville?” Ossanna’s brows had drawn sharply together.
A knock sounded from the door, grinding their conversation to a halt, and an attendant entered pushing a silver cart laden with food. She immediately swept into a deep curtsy and tucked her chin to her chest. “Pardon the intrusion, but I was informed that you’d be taking breakfast here this morning.”
Seville smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Yes, thank you.”
We waited in tense silence as she pushed the cart farther into the room and began arranging flaky croissants, fruit, and an assortment of breakfast meats on the coffee table before us. Then came a carafe full of coffee, several gleaming cups, and a small stack of cloth napkins. I’d hardly seen our personal attendants who were supposedly assigned to our quarters. We’d left so quickly the evening before that I hadn’t been introduced, and I’d been on the brink of unconsciousness when we returned. My only interaction with this woman was this morning. She’d been in our room waiting for Seville to return with me in tow and assisted with drawing my bath. It was then that Seville had told her about breakfast, and she’d left without any complaints.
She was a curvaceous woman with thick brown ringlets piled loosely in a bun atop her head. With a gentle swipe of her hand, she brushed a few stray hairs out of her face, and I blinked. Shook my head once. It was such an innocuous action, and yet, for a moment, it’d been like part of her went hazy, like the chestnut shade of her eyes had grown darker. Glamour, perhaps? But she was human, and if she was glamoured, Seville and Rorik would’ve noticed.
“Please let me know if you need anything else,” she said sweetly, and then she was out the door. Once her footsteps faded out of earshot, Seville reached forward and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“What do you know about Death’s whereabouts?” Seville asked.
“What a strange question. Why does it interest you?” Ossanna plated herself a croissant and then handed one to her daughter. She seemed unbothered by the sudden shift in conversation, but her eyes remained sharp.
“We know the story of how Rebellyn met Death at a four-way stop.” Seville sipped her drink, never once letting her gaze fall away from the pair. “But we also know that the fable has simplified over time.”
“And you think I have the answer?” Ossanna tut-tutted before tearing off a small morsel of her pastry.
“I think it’s interesting that you don’t immediately deny having such knowledge,” Seville said.
“If I gave an immediate no, I wouldn’t be able to learn your intention. I am erudite, after all, and information is power.”
Rorik finally shot her a harried look. “You mentioned something once about water being the boundary between life and death.”
She let out a forced chuckle. “Maybe it’s a good thing you weren’t interested in Issa. You’re as dense as they come if you couldn’t recognize a threat like that.”
“Ossanna.” Rorik folded his arms across his chest, and magic trickled to life down our heartbond. Heat baked the room, and vines erupted from the soil of the plants to snake over the pots and across the floorboards. One halted a breath before Ossanna’s ankle. “The truth.”
“You’re threatening me?” She settled into the couch, unperturbed. “Odd tactic when you want something from me.” Still, her gaze cut to the vine at her feet and then to her daughter. A slow, saccharine smile spread across her lips. “Fine. I’ll admit there’s more to that statement than I let on. But it is a family secret that I passed on to Issa, and information she can share with her heartbond, if she desires.” There was an undeniable lilt to her voice, and her gaze flicked to Rorik.
Rorik glowered at her. “That’s not happening.”
“Must not be very important to you, then. Whatever do you need it for?” Ossanna popped another piece of her croissant into her mouth and chewed slowly. Beside her, Issa did the same while casting a furtive glance toward Rorik. A flicker of irritation sparked to life in my chest, but I squelched it quickly. Rorik could do as he pleased.
“So that we can confront Death.” Seville delivered her words so bluntly that Ossanna could only blink.
