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Good. This was better.
I leaned toward her, hoping she’d give me some more answers. “So, what’s the deal with the coins? The game?” I motioned all around me.
“It’s not really a game per se. The coins are different things—but mostly representations of bargains. Different sizes show values. Small chips for people who put too many restrictions on their bargains or their standing in court is shit. Bigger for fewer restrictions, or if they’re powerful.” She leaned closer to me. “Ziriel and I keep an official tally of all bargains made across all the courts.” The words were little more than a hushed whisper.
That was interesting. Really interesting.
Did she know about my bargain with the pixie? The bargain was made on my land, not at any court, and she’d said court bargains. But maybe I was reading too much into her exact words.
Even if she really meant that she knew about all bargains, it would be stupid to bring up my bargain. If she somehow didn’t know about it, then my asking her might make her go find it. A few trades and Rayvien—or worse, Ziriel—could own my chip. I didn’t want that. It was going to be hard enough to get Ziriel to cut my lunar tie. If he had my chip, I’d already owe him something. I’d be doubly screwed.
No. It was much better if that stayed quiet. I needed to start fresh with Ziriel, but I had one other question. “The chip that Ziriel gave me yesterday? What was that?”
“Don’t worry. It was a courtesy chip. No bargain made by taking it, other than to know you were willing to play the game. But it’s not worth anything either.” She turned to look at the table next to us. “Look at them.” She motioned without pointing to the table, and I saw them watching us. Whispering and passing coins back and forth, and then they stopped.
I think I liked that even worse. “Why did they stop?”
Her eyes smoked up again for a second before they cleared. I wanted to ask what it meant, but it seemed rude.
She nudged me with her elbow. “They’re waiting to see what you’re going to do. If you’ll turn into a wolf? If you’ll yell at me. If I’ll yell at you. That kind of thing.”
Me? This was all about me? “Seems kind of silly that your conversation with a low-ranking werewolf would cause all of that.”
“Oh, you know that’s bull as well as I do. How could an ordinary wolf ever snag the impossible Cosette Argent?”
My mouth dropped open, but no words came out. Our friends didn’t even know about our relationship. How could Rayvien know anything about it? “I haven’t snagged her.”
“Isn’t that why you’re here? To save her? So that you can be her mate?” The I-know-everything smile on her face made me like her a little less. “Or have I gotten bad information?”
There was no point to denying it, not when admitting the truth might gain me an ally. “No. It seems like somehow you know everything. From Eli?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “He didn’t talk to me, but I have other sources.”
“Then you know what I need?”
She leaned closer. “Yes.”
I didn’t even care that her eyes had filled with smoke again. We were getting somewhere good. “And can you help with what I need?”
“Only Ziriel can, but he’ll only do it for a price.” She looked away, twirling one of her rings around her fingers as she thought. “It will be a very hefty bargain. Trust me on this. You don’t want him getting anything from you.”
I wasn’t sure I trusted her yet, but I wanted to hear everything she’d tell me. “Then how do I get what I want?”
“You have to find a way.”
Find a way? How? It was like she was giving me pieces of a puzzle, but none of them fit together.
This was some fey bullshit. If she would just tell me what I needed to do, I’d do it. All I needed was a plan of attack and I’d make it happen. But her vague advice wasn’t doing me any actual good. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me.”
“Don’t worry. You and Cosette will figure it out together.”
What was she talking about? “Cosette’s not here.”
“Is she not?”
A familiar laugh hit me.
Cosette. Cosette was here? No. It was another fey trick. There was no way—
