Page 131 of The Hearth Witch’s Guide to Spite & Spellwork

Avery shook her head. “I am not sure. Hingley’s wife had just had a baby when he was murdered. Perhaps it was revenge on behalf of that boy?”

“I didn’t realize Mercy Radu still engaged in her people’s occupation.”

“I understand she occasionally makes exceptions.” Avery could not look at Roxanne. She felt too guilty knowing this meant the girl was out another parental figure. “There was still evidence I wanted to review—that I would still like to review before interrogating her. The sealed trial, if possible.”

Fiore looked pained to do it, but they agreed with Avery. “Given the past few days, I am not sure who it would be protecting anymore, Your Lordship. The unknown murder weapon has been identified and will be shortly collected, the coconspirators have been regrettably dispatched, and our vigilante in custody. If something can be learned by looking at the trial in a new light, we best do it.”

“Have Emerick and Sigrid returned?”

Fiore produced a brushed-gold pocket watch. “Sigrid as of this morning, and Emerick should have arrived five minutes ago.”

“Good.” Gideon looked at Roxanne, and she shrank back under his gaze. “Go to the archive and bring us the recording for the trial of Abigail Rhyder. We will be in my chambers.”

The poor girl was shaking as she nodded. “Yes, sir…” She closed the office door and quickly walked down the hall, too nervous to look back.

Gideon flicked a hand at the remaining sentinels, as if shooing dogs. “Fetch Magistrates Dubois, Baldróttir, and Loughty, and have them join us in my chambers. We will be moving forward with removing the seal.” The way he was looking at Avery so intently now gave Saga the sense he was avoiding looking at her specifically. “Avery, you may join us, but your companion must stay outside the magistrate chambers.”

“Gideon,” Avery protested with a snarl as the Archfey departed.

“That’s all right, Avery, I don’t think I’d like to see another one of those trials anyway.” Saga didn’t intend to sound disgusted, but even she knew her tone was not a neutral one.

“Perhaps you can still interview Abigail while you wait?” Fiore offered, then cut their eyes at Avery. “I would hope after yesterday an interview would still hold some vital importance.”

Avery acted as if she had not heard the dragon’s thinly veiled snark. “Lahiri, I know you don’t have the same jurisdiction here as you do with Scotland Yard, but would you mind accompanying her?”

Reza hesitated, looking at Saga for permission. “I have a friend in the sentinels, if you’d be more comfortable with someone else right now.”

Saga shook her head. “No, we’re fine, I just… I just don’t want to talk about the other stuff right now.”

His smile of relief felt like he also wasn’t ready to start discussing the emotional perils of Hudson family secrets. “Fine by me.”

“She may be more willing to talk now than she was at her trial,” Avery advised. “But most importantly, find out about her visitors—especially Velouette. How did she gain her trust to get a hold of her things?”

“Absolutely,” agreed Saga.

“When you’re done, we can meet back at Hygge and compare notes.” Avery hesitated, looking torn by this decision. “Be careful both of you. The last time we split up like this…”

“It’s different.” Saga took her hands in her own and gave them a squeeze. “We’ll see you soon.”

Avery nodded, her fingers holding Saga in place a little longer. “When this is over, I would very much like to talk about your plans with the town house.”

Saga’s eyebrows lifted. “All right?”

Another hesitation, then, reluctantly, she released Saga’s hands and walked in the same direction Gideon had at a determined pace.

Fiore, however, lingered in the hallway with them with a thoughtful gaze and the barest hint of a smile on their lips. “I wouldn’t mind Gideon,” they told Saga, taking a few steps toward her. “You just make him nervous.”

“I make him nervous?” It wasn’t polite, but Saga couldn’t help but laugh a little at the absurdity of the notion.

The dragon’s smile widened, but it didn’t feel like they were joining her in the joke. “Like your mother.”

Chapter 34 Avery

For all the fuss made over it, the most arduous factor of unsealing a file, at least as it appeared to Avery, was getting all five Winter Council members in the same room. Knowing magic, what happened was a great deal more complicated, but what she saw was five magistrates touching the document all together, then speaking in Faerie. It was more song than language, but what she understood of it was simple enough. Each magistrate would speak their name and release the object from bond.

As if the file itself had made an oath with them somehow to protect its contents from all eyes and knowledge. An oath it was now freed from. As the last spoke their emancipation, they sat down around the table and opened the record.

“The Winter Court vs. Rhyder, Aldridge, Paris, and Duffy,” read Gideon with disdain.