Page 301 of Sky’s Edge

Arnaud’s expression openly showed his surprise, and she had to draw in another steadying breath, because if she’d told him once, she’d told him a thousand times, he should hide his reactions.

Yes.

Even from his mother.

Especially from his mother, for he knew better than anyone she was someone from whom you should always keep your innermost thoughts.

“We went after the Makepeace chit, two males in an alley against a lone female, and she somehow survived,” Arnaud reminded her.

Even all those months ago, this was a concern.

One of those assassins had been deliberately disposed of (though, when he took the task, he didn’t know that).

The assassin she’d sent actually to perform that task had shared some human had thwarted this effort, using weapons he’d never seen before.

He’d vowed to best this challenge the next time she’d sent him.

He’d failed again, got caught, and she’d not only lost an assassin, albeit a poor one (obviously, though he’d come highly recommended), she’d also lost his compatriot, and an important mission went unaccomplished.

“And we used trolls, for fuck’s sake,” Arnaud went on. “Then they massacred the lot of them.”

With hindsight, she could see now she’d been too ambitious with that one.

And too impatient.

That said, she’d been waiting for well over three decades.

She’d wanted to take them all out in one fell swoop.

Of course they’d have their defenses up, something she’d factored in, so she knew the trolls wouldn’t survive. But she thought they’d take out at least one royal in the process (though, as noted, she’d wanted them all).

They got none.

They hadn’t even wounded any, for Lucifer’s sake.

In times like these with her son, Tatra knew her best recourse.

Deflection.

“I’d like to understand why you murdered that little girl,” Tatra stated.

Her son refused to meet her gaze.

“I told you, she was being annoying,” he mumbled. He lifted his eyes to hers. “She thought she was already queen and was acting like that.”

Considering she was twelve, and he’d asked her to marry him, Tatra was not surprised she’d gotten uppity.

“And she wasn’t a little girl,” he spat. “Our beings had taken younger when we were as we should be. Actual demons.”

“It exposed you. I needed you in play,” she snapped.

“The trolls exposed me, Mother,” he returned, achieving a rarity.

Being right.

“How you expected me to remain in play after you sent trolls to the Midnight Masque of all events for the gods’ sakes, I can’t imagine,” her son continued.

“You would have been fighting alongside the rest of them,” she retorted, though she had her doubts about that.