They're going to kill you immediately, a voice in my head snickers.
Make the first move. Attack them.
That would be suicide, and the voices know that damn well. I resist the urge to slip my hand into my pocket where my crystal waits.
Playing my cards close to my vest, I sit across from them and tip my head curiously. "Is Hearst engaged elsewhere?"
After all, no one but my quintet knows that he was killed. Hopefully, this will give them less of a reason to question me. But if they're grieving, none of the Immortal Quintet shows any sign of it as Natalya snorts softly and folds her hands on the desk between us.
"It hardly takes all of us to get the answers we want."
Her blue eyes begin to glow. I hold my breath, sending a silent prayer to Koa that my concealed talisman will work. He's the god of invention, lies and truths, and magic, among other things.
Natalya's lips pinch, and her eyes stop glowing. "I see you have a buffer to keep me out of your head. Something to hide, fae?"
I shake my head no, relieved that I can at least lie with body language. "I prefer to be the only one inside my head. It's not a pleasant place to be, courtesy of my curse."
Typically, I would never overshare like that, but I remember well the lessons my father taught me at a young age. He'd explained that we blood fae are at a disadvantage, being unable to fib—but that there were ways to bend the truth even without a bald-faced lie. Nonverbal actions, asking questions insteadof answering, redirecting attention…and offering information freely, so long as it isn't what is truly being asked of us.
My abrupt truthfulness regarding such a taboo topic has Del Mar raising an eyebrow. It looks odd on his semi-scaly face. He exchanges a brief look with Natalya, and I wonder if they're communicating telepathically, as some powerful quintets can. No one knows if the Immortal Quintet has that ability. I imagine anyone who has ever asked didn't survive to share the answer.
"Interesting," Del Mar muses. "I've heard some curses are hereditary, as it appears to be with you. Your parents' deaths were unfortunate. I always liked the Crane family of Arcana. Such a loyal lot."
Somnus scoffs as he stands beside Engela Zuma. "They proved quite useless in the end, ripping each other to bits like that."
I keep my eyes forward, pretending to ignore their conversation. But in my head, I can still hear the screaming and shouting as my parents turned on each other. I'd hid in the nearest coat closet so they wouldn't spot me and turn on me, too, and listened to the sickening sounds of them fighting to the death. They were the last of my parents' quintet after two died at the Divide and the Nightmare Prince drove Omar, their keeper, to suicide along with my uncle and several other random legacies.
I will never fucking forgive Crypt for his part in that.
"Very well. We shall be frank in our questions," Natalya says, her voice like a bell as she toys with the ends of her ruddy brown hair. "Where were you at dawn on the day of the Matched Ball?"
"My quintet and I were returning from a romantic getaway to a cozy small town," I reply, tipping my head. "Why do you ask? I've wondered what inspired the Immortal Quintet to grace us with your presence."
"Our business is our own," Del Mar replies coolly. "Don't presume to question us."
"Could it be a family visit?" I suggest, glancing innocently at Somnus.
His glare is laced with warning. "Say anything else bordering on impudent, and I'll gladly kill you to weaken that unmanageable prick's pathetic so-called quintet."
Evidently, he hates Crypt as much as he always has. I understand the sentiment.
"You were apprenticed to the Garnet Wizard, were you not?" Del Mar asks.
"I was."
"He's in good health, I hope?"
"As curmudgeonly as ever," I say breezily, avoiding a real answer.
That makes Del Mar chuff in an inhuman show of amusement before he nods. "I expect he's going to continue ignoring any correspondence we send his way. Natalya would have killed him decades ago if he hadn't proven so useful with charms and spellbinding."
I nod. Natalya is their keeper, and the Garnet Wizard cursed her name daily when I was under his tutelage. He made it no secret that he wanted the Immortal Quintet removed from power—but not killed. He never told me why leaving them alive was important, but he was very creative with his swearing when describing each of them.
"Moving on, then," Natalya hums as if bored by this small talk. "Do you know the real reason we're here at Everbound? Answer yes or no."
Yes or no questions are the bane of every fae's existence. My pulse picks up as I realize they're trying to back me into a corner. If they know that I know of Hearst's death, I'm fucked.
So, instead of answering, I feign deep thought as I study each of them and redirect to the most distracting topic I can think of. "Is it because the anti-legacy movement is growing more severe? Were they targeting the five of you, so you came here for shelter?"
