A faeyte.
Thelastfaeyte.
Something she may not have known, from the stillness of her body. Regret flickers inside my chest. “I have more questions.”
“I thought you might.” Her words are monotonous now, not an ounce of emotion within them. “Ask your questions then, Callan Edgeborn. I will decide whether they need a response.”
I consider her for a moment. The ship groans around us, lantern light flickering across her features. Our shadows stretch out, flickering against the wall asVolatusmoves beneath our feet and I shift with it to keep my balance. “Do you know how you got onto this ship?”
“No.”
My sigh falls into the space around us. “This would be easier if you were truthful.”
If possible, her body stills further. She could be a statue for the lack of movement. “I am.”
Leaning forward, I hold her gaze. “No, you are not.”
Dark eyes tighten a fraction, pulling together. “I was trying to get on board. Someone caught me.”
Truth.“Who?”
One shoulder tips up. She points to the chain in the wall, the cuff around her ankle. “I assumed you would be able to answer that. I don’t know.”
Damn.
The faeyte shifts back, bracing herself against the wall when I settle down onto the floor opposite her, raising up my knees and balancing my wrists on them. “Why was the Guild turning the territory upside down searching for you?”
One of your lot, the guard had said. She’s no Caelumnai, but they have never cared to tell the difference.
She doesn’t answer for a moment. “I escaped.”
“Are you a murderer?”
Starlit eyes on mine. “Yes.”
A quick response to a quick question. I can respect her honesty, at least. “Do you intend to hurt anybody on this ship?”
The silence stretches on this time. Her eyes drop. “No.”
I consider it. Not a complete truth. But not a lie, either. “Why are you here, Selene Amaris?”
Her back is straight. I watch closely for her response. There’s no change to her expression, not a hint of emotion on her face. But I sense it all the same, when she responds.
“I want to go home.” The words are quiet. “To Asteria.”
Sweeping my gaze over her again, I examine her words. Turn them over in my mind. “You realize it’s not the Asteria you knew. Not anymore.”
Her response is impossibly heavy. “Believe me when I say that I know that far better than you do, Edgeborn.”
Perhaps. Although she escaped the carnage of the Shift. I wonder what brought her to Terrosa, and when. Study, most likely. Merrick told me once that the faeytes used to send out students to the continent, to expand their knowledge and bring it back for the benefit of those who came to Asteria to learn from Hala’s priestesses.
Not that it matters. However she got there, she’s here now. Getting to my feet, I move closer to her, and she stiffens when I crouch to pick up the chain that holds her in place.
“What are you doing?” Her voice pitches slightly higher. Nervous.
I turn the chain over in my hands. Thick iron links lead to the copper cuff. “You cannot use your maegis with the copper on, correct?”
My eyes shift to her face again, examining it. I’ve heard many stories of Hala’s gifts, most of them from Merrick. I wonder how many of them are accurate.
