Page 65 of Reap & Sow

Fane’s eyes flitted about the street, as though searching for something. When his gaze passed over Eda and Kit in their shadowed doorway, Eda’s breath cut short. But he did not know Kit, and his eyes glanced over Eda altogether. The mantle was ugly and uncomfortable, but right then she could kiss Robin square on the mouth.

The crowd flocked around the bishop. They cried in thanks, kissed his hands, grabbed at his cloth. He let them. “Good people! The Lordfather has spoken to me. He has revealed that it is my sacred mission to rid this city of the plague upon it. The Faithlessness that has long ravaged Blackbridge brings these creatures upon you, but fear not. In two days hence I shall hold a grand sermon, and every evening thereafter. If you wish to share in the same protection granted to me by the Lordfather, you must prove yourselves Faithful servants to His will. Come to the Great Templehouse and make your pledge to Him. For the good of your children, you must come. If not, these creatures will only grow in number. Lordfather bless and keep you.”

The crowd surged forward, like moths to flame. The bishop knelt by an injured woman and helped her to her feet, seemingly heedless of the admiration heaped about him.

Eda’s anger hardened, magma crystallizing to blackest obsidian. Whatever the Lordfather truly was, he was real to many. Their faith was a comfort as it had never been to her, and Fane had twisted it to suit his own selfish purpose. He was making fools of them.

Kit did not have to pull her away again. Eda spun on her heel and marched against the flow of people. She didn’t much care if he followed. “I’m done wasting time,” she said. “The sermon, two days from now—that’s when we’ll get Ben and Lawrie back.” She was beyond politeness as she shouldered people aside.

Kit hung like a menacing shadow at her back. People saw him coming just fine and were quick to get out of his way. “What of the bishop?”

Eda’s mouth twisted. “I’m going to make him sorry he ever crossed our door.”

“I never agreed to help you with that.”

“I’m not asking for your help. Once I have my brothers and the mirror, our Pact is done. Then you and I needn’t ever see each other again.”

Eda refused to look at him. She expected him to say something belittling. To snipe, to laugh, to tell her she was mad. She didn’t feel mad. She’d never been so clearheaded in her life.

Perhaps Kit sensed that, too, for in the end all he said was, “As you say, darling.”

Eighteen

Eda was glad of Kit’s inability to talk as they rode from the city. She doubted they’d have much to say regardless. Dismounting beneath the shade of the great oak tree, she couldn’t meet his eyes. Eda stalked off to the relative safety of the Oriana. She had no desire to discuss anything that didn’t directly pertain to her brothers’ rescue, and least of all with him.

Autumn harvest drew near. So, too, did Ben and Lawrie’s demise.

The next day was little better. An illusion of reprieve was swiftly dashed when Kit decided to grace them with his presence after luncheon. Might you be so kind as to piss off, she wanted to say, but that would involve acknowledging he existed.

Robin must have picked up on the stifling atmosphere. She accepted Eda’s retelling of yesterday’s events as explanation enough—it had been a harrowing trip. “How comes the planning?” she asked, nodding at the layouts on the table.

Weak sunlight streamed through the Oriana’s portholes. Water knocked against the hull. Eda tried to let it soothe her nerves as she studied the papers. She’d pored over them long into the night. “The sermon Fane mentioned will mean lots of Blades stationed at the Great Templehouse. With these, I know exactly where those left behind will be posted.”

She glanced at Kit. He’d slipped inside to lounge upon the steps beneath the cabin doors. He rolled a copper across his knuckles, offering neither insight nor derogatory comment. His silence should have been welcome. Instead, it made her uneasy. Eda had been rather harsh in her criticism, there on the street, but she did not think her argument without merit. She couldn’t bring herself to apologize.

Robin met her eyes and mouthed, Sulking.

Eda nearly smiled. Powerful demon lord he might’ve been, but Kit was still male. She knew well how men could be when a mood struck them. Ben and Lawrie had given her quite the education. And they say women are the more emotional sex.

Robin leaned in to look. “The cells are belowground.”

“Yes. It’s a straightforward enough walk from the main entrance to the lower levels, which, according to these sheets, are always guarded. The mantle should help.”

“It won’t protect you if you deliberately draw attention to yourself,” Robin warned. “The mantle is a clever illusion, but it’s no cloak of invisibility.”

“I know. I can’t just muscle past. I’d still need a distraction.” She looked pointedly at Kit.

His eyes didn’t leave the coin he played with. “Are you asking nicely, darling?”

Definitely sulking. “Do I need to? The entire reason I made this Pact was for your help.”

“Manners cost nothing.”

“Then I’ll politely suggest that you be the distraction I need.”

“Causing a ruckus on the street is all well and good, but it isn’t likely to draw out the interior guards.”

“I suppose you’ll have to cause a ruckus inside, then.”