Page 25 of For the Ghastly and Beautiful

Ecaeris shakes with anger. “Can you name the scent?”

“It reminds me of the general store,” she explains. “Whatever herbs they have hanging in the windows are strong and cling to your clothing. The general store should have been closed hours before they—” She stops.

“Jumped you,” Ada finishes, and Rin nods.

“I know the scent she’s talking about,” Imy says. “It’s also in some of the gardens, but it’s not as strong before they dry it.”

Connak links his fingers together, hiding the fine tremble. “Everyone that goes into the store smells like ginger and jasmine for hours after they leave. It lingers forever.”

“No.” Rin says. “This wasn’t the same. Whoever it was had to have bathed in it to smell that strong.”

“Or spent hours in the store,” Ada suggests.

“Or that,” Rin agrees.

I note the glance the girls share. Ada’s mind is calculating, but it’s not clouded like ours. The Mongrel tribe is small compared to where she’s from, so we know everyone. It’s hard to imagine having a conversation or sharing a handshake with the person who hurt Rin.

“You think it’s strange that they ambushed her at the same time a beast was attacking?” I guess, knowing it will sound unreal to the guys.

“It is weird,” Ada remarks. “It’s not a coincidence.”

Ecaeris holds his hand out to stop us. “I don’t understand what the two have in common.”

“Did the beast attack another hunting party?” she inquires, though she already knows.

“Yes,” I affirm.

“You have a leak. Someone knew that the queen’s top guard was getting off duty around the same time the hunting party had grabbed their extra gear in the catacombs.”

Rin nods at Ada. “I passed them as I was leaving.”

“We suspected a leak with the Shade attacks,” Imryll mutters. “But this is different, Ada.”

“How so?” she challenges, and I don’t have a suitable answer.

“The beasts can’t be controlled by man,” Connak mentions, almost as if he’s saying it to himself. “They roam free and do as they please.”

Ada watches us, the look of determination sharpening her features. “Who says it’s a man?”

“What?” Connak blurts.

Ecaeris points. “Rin did.”

“No. Rin said men attacked her. The hunting party saw a beast. The Shades have been attacking at random, but always know where the hunting parties will be. You already knew you had a leak. I know it’s a leap, but what if the Shades are controlling a few select beasts?”

“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Connak mumbles, but he’s thinking about it now.

“I do,” Rin states. “I feel like you’re on the right path, Ada. Someone has to be controlling them for there to be any organization behind the attacks. And even if the beasts weren’t being controlled—”

“Someone still knew there was a beast nearby,” Ada finishes for her again. “In the same area that the hunters would be. They only needed to wait for you to pass by.”

Rin is out of breath, but she continues to fill in bits of the conversation we missed. “They dragged me away from the town, toward the edge of the forest.”

Ada nods. “They were hoping you wouldn’t be able to walk away. Either they planned to make your injuries appear to be from the beasts—”

“Or they were hoping the scent of blood would draw the beast to me.”

“Aren’t you two getting a little ahead of yourselves?” Ecaeris suggests, but I disagree.