There was no magic here. There were no gods.
Shocked into numb motion, Elysia had crept inside a wooden vendor cart and listened in bleating panic to the sounds ofknives and swords meeting flesh. Through the slats of wood, she watched fresh blood spray onto the streets only to run dark as it mingled with Kava’s soot. A murky lake pooled beneath the vendor’s cart and stung her nose with its copper scent.
Elysia stayed tucked tight into that small cart long after the sounds had stopped clanging and squelching. She stayed until the cart was pried open and curious eyes swept over her sash up to her new mark.
Her heart was too tired to beat in fear. It whimpered on in a slow rhythm.
The stranger held out a hand, a sure kindness in his face. “Hello, little one.”
And with her hand in his, the stranger guided her past the woman with wanton steps with her throat slit so wide, out into the dark beyond that would become hers.
No, the Crown did not tolerate any sign or inkling of strange behavior that did not belong in this land, so Elysia looked up at Remy, and she lied to someone she loved for not the first time that day.
You have to make it real—you have to keep them safe,she coached herself.
She summoned real tears to coat her eyes and gripped her teacup a little tighter. “Work has just been so challenging lately. You know how he is...”
She glanced between them and bit down on her lip, registering their lack of conviction. The heat of the café and its coal powered ovens seemed to envelop her, but she remained cool, processing their reactions and adjusting her response. Her father was not an easy man to work for, but as far as they knew, she had by no means ever become the walking dead in her attempt to please him.
Well then, she’d come prepared for a moment like this.
She clinked the teacup down, lifted her chin, and dropped her voice down low. Tears still glittered in her eyes, adding a thickness to her voice. “Okay, the truth then. You know I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. This stays between us. Understood?” She paused, looking between them seriously.
Both women nodded. Remy’s the barest movement, her eyes focused. Daphne’s chin going up and down so fast she might hurt herself.
Elysia refrained from rolling her eyes. Daphne had never kept a secret in her damn life.
“I happened to do a little side work these past few months. While assisting my father, I kept overhearing all these strange accounts about women disappearing. They made it sound like the women reporting were just hysterical addicts. But something felt off to me. I couldn’t get myself to ignore it, and I ended up making a few folks... angry.”
A truth to set the foundation.
The slight catch in her voice was real as she admitted tensely. “The people involved threatened me. They—they sent me a bloody, chopped-off tongue.”
One more truth to hold the walls.
She knew they would know what she was talking about. Everyone in Relaclave did by now.
She looked her best friends in the eyes and spat out the rest. “I’ve been terrified. Can’t eat, can’t sleep. I’m not supposed to tell anyone while they try to find out who’s threatening me.”
And a lie to cover them all.
Daphne’s already alabaster skin became gray. She latched onto Elysia’s arm, the stone of one of her rings digging in. “Have they hurt you? Have you been given a guard? Are there any leads? It’s their job to protect the court of the Crown!” Her fingers dug in deeper with each frantic question and her eerie eyes grew round.
Elysia kept her own features dismayed and gently pried Daphne from her arm. “No, Daph, they haven’t found anything yet. That’s why I haven’t been around.” Never mind that the threat had only occurred a few hours ago.
She looked back up, her eyes blazing with one last truth. “I would never want either of you to be harmed because of me. I had to turn in what I found, but you don’t deserve to stand in the wake of my decisions.” There was a razor-edged fierceness beneath her words. Their friendships were complicated, but so was every relationship in Elysia’s life—it didn’t mean she didn’t care.
Remy, calculating as ever, tipped her head and tugged on a tight curl. The curl sprung back, but she didn’t say a word, and Elysia internally heaved a sigh of relief.
Daphne remained confused. “Why haven’t you moved back into the castle then? A death threat is the perfect opportunity to end your littleI’m so independentstreak. No one could possibly blame you for such a poor decision like moving out when they’re busy feeling bad for you. Besides, then you can stay with Toppall the time. I know I would.” She unleashed a dazzling smile, laughing at her own joke while nodding encouragingly, as if she hadn’t just insulted Elysia ten different ways in one breath.
Elysia shook her head and sorted through the plate of tiny cookies, searching for a chocolate one. “Daph, I can’t bring that danger into the castle, and my father wants me to act as if everything is as normal.”
Remy flashed a ruby-red smile. “Then we can expect you to start showing your face again? To stop holing up in your flat all the time?”
Elysia forced herself to sit still even though the question made her squirm. “Only if you promise to tell me all about your latest string of suitors.”
Daphne snorted. “You should ask her about the fisherman.”
