Page 73 of A Divided Duty

“He’s not,” she said, sullenly. “He’s not here, he’s not a part of my staff, and you’ll leave them alone, October Daye! If you’ve ever been the girl I helped raise you to be, you’ll leave all of them alone!”

“I think you lost the right to scold me about being the person you were hoping for when you shoved a knife into my guts,” I said. “You don’t get to stab me and then turn around and tell me that I’m doing things wrong. That’s not fair.”

“You’re a fine one to talk to me about fairness,” she muttered. “No monster ever came and snatched your child from her bed. If he had, maybe you’d have a bit more sympathy for those of us who do what must be done.”

“Or maybe I’d have more sympathy for people who didn’t turn themselves into monsters trying to get revenge for what they’d lost. Where is he, Melly?”

“He’s not here.”

“That’s not good enough!”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Then tell me where he is.”

“He’s at Muir Woods, serving the Queen! I’ve only met him twice, but he’s not here! He’s not hiding in my staff, please! They had nothing to do with this. Leave them alone.” She put her hands over her face, muttering more softly, “Just leave them alone.”

Her shoulders were slumped, and it looked like she was crying behind her fingers. I couldn’t help feeling bad about that. This was a disaster decades in the making, and she hadn’t made it on her own.

“Stay here, Melly,” I said, and turned to open the main door, not waiting for her to reply.

The entire kitchen was silent when I emerged, the various staffers staring at the pantry door like they thought it was going to do a trick. Maybe it was, in a way. Their eyes got even wider when they saw the blood on my shirt and the knife in my hand. I closed the door behind me, then threw the latch, sealing Melly inside.

“No one lets her out,” I said, into the silence. I could hear the fire crackling at the hearths, and the stews bubbling atop the stoves. Not letting go of the bloody knife, I walked toward the kitchen door, pulling the phone out of my pocket as I went.

Etienne picked up on the second ring. “October? Chelsea and her mother have just sat down to their morning meal, but I can interrupt if you—”

“I was calling for you.”

He went quiet.

“Melly is locked in the pantry of the main kitchen. I need you to come get her before her staff lets her out. I don’t think they’ll be able to resist for long if she starts begging. She’s unhurt. I let her stab me so I could take her knife away.”

“You let her … You know what? I am not even going to get into it with you right now. I’ll be right there. Don’t move.”

The connection didn’t even drop before the kitchen door was opening and Etienne was stepping through, looking at the bloody knife and the hole in my tank top with a single sweep of his eyes. He finally focused on my face, lowering his phone as he sighed heavily. “Could you try, perhaps, to go one visit without getting yourself stabbed?” he asked. “Please? For me? My daughter spends a not-inconsiderable amount of time in your presence, and I’d prefer she not start thinking this is a reasonable way to behave. Let Chelsea remain committed to keeping her blood inside her body.”

“I’m the one who got stabbed, not the one who did the stabbing,” I protested, flipping the knife around so I could offer it to him handle-first. “Melly really didn’t want me leaving the pantry.”

“And why, pray tell, was she so opposed to your departure?”

There wasn’t any easy way of saying this. “You’ve heard that Raysel’s missing?”

He scowled, taking the knife from my hand. “Everyone has heard that she’s missing. October, you must—”

“That’s what I’m doing. And she’s missing in part because Melly figured out what Luna was intending to do and told the remaining Riders in Blind Michael’s land when she and Raysel were likely to be vulnerable.”

Etienne took a half-step backward. “I assumed she was with the Duchess. Are you saying that she’s not?”

“She was. But because the Riders knew where to find them, they’ve been separated. I’m not sure what Melly did was actually a crime. But it was definitely a violation of her oaths, and an offense against this house. She needs to be held until Sylvester is in a condition to deal with her.”

“I … What do you want me to do with this knife?”

I looked at it, red and shining in his hand. “That’s my blood. I know he’s never been much for blood-work, but if he licks the blade clean, he’ll be able to see my memories of the conversation I had with Melly. That should help him decide what to do with her. Getting stabbed hurt, but not badly enough to mess with him, I don’t think. Let him make the choice to use it or not. If he doesn’t want to use it, wash the knife and put it back in the kitchen, okay?”

“I … You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” I said. I waved one last time to the pantry door. “Just get her someplace safe, all right? And be gentle with her. She’s grieving.”