She put her hands on her hips. “As aperson, then?”
“Consider it part of your initiation.” He grinned. “Things are rarely as they seem, especially down here. You always have to be looking for what someone or somethingis, rather than what theyappearto be.” Ducot brushed past her, walking with confidence down the pathway. “Now, come along. You don’t want to keep the Specters waiting.”
“Specters?” Eira murmured, mostly to herself. She didn’t expect Ducot to answer. Which was good, because he didn’t.
They ambled down the pathway and through the hovels. More than one person glanced her way. The sensation of eyes on her was suddenly oppressive. She didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed when she’d first walked in. But stares and glances were everywhere now.
Men and women lounged in the rafters, half-hidden by the sailcloths, loaded crossbows in their hands. With a turn of their wrists, the men throwing daggers could skewer her through. The women practicing with their rapiers didn’t bother stepping aside as she passed, their movements nearly nicking Eira’s sleeve.
Everyone was aware of her presence, and they weretolerating her for now. That was the message she heard loud and clear from all of them. She had no doubt that if that message had reason to change, she’d never see daylight again.
Magic whispered from unseen mouths grazed her ears. Eira worked to keep her powers bundled and close, never letting them linger on any surface or object for too long. She needed to keep her focus and, moreover, wasn’t sure if she wantedallthe information this place held. She might hear a few things that would only make the darkness within her all the more thick.
The hall sloped down in the back, the buttresses connecting into archways that grew smaller and smaller like the ribs of a mighty beast until they trailed down a tunnel Eira imagined as the throat of the proverbial monster that was the Court of Shadows. She wondered what awaited her at its head.
At the end of the tunnel was another door, this one also locked. But Ducot didn’t take out his iron bar. This time, he lifted the simple knocker, striking three times slowly, then two fast.
“A special knock,” Eira whispered, her chest suddenly aching. She’d never hear Marcus’s knock thrumming against her door again.
“Yes. It changes frequently, so don’t bother memorizing it. If you’re initiated then we’ll let you know it…when we feel like it.”
“I get it. My brother and I had one.” The words slipped from her mouth before she could think better of them. They did nothing to alleviate the ache she felt. If anything, they made it worse.
Ducot arched his brow at her.
“A secret knock…so we’d always know it was us.”
He pursed his lips. Eira regretted telling him instantly. She should have kept her mouth shut. Luckily, the conversation ended there as the door opened and revealed another one of the lizard-like men Eira had seen in the main room.
“Bring her in,” the man said with a soft and surprisingly high-pitched voice.
The room beyond was what she could best describe as a war room. Three large tables were filled with all manner of notes, parchment, and papers. The center one had a map of Risen spread across it. Small figurines were positioned at various points. Notes had been scribbled directly onto the map.
Compared to the main hall, this room was almost blindingly bright. A chandelier glowed overhead, illuminating the six people already gathered. Eira only recognized one—Deneya.
“Seconds, leave us. Ducot, you may stay,” she said with an air of authority. Three of the people shuffled out, leaving just Eira, Ducot, Deneya, another elfin man, and a morphi woman. Deneya waited until the door was shut to speak, a grin curling her lips. “Welcome to the Court of Shadows, Eira. Is it everything you hoped for?”
“And then some,” Eira admitted. “It’s a much larger organization than I imagined.”
“You can trust everyone here with your life.” Deneya picked up on Eira’s unspoken worry. “So long as you’re willing to give them yours.”
“We’ll see about that.” The woman to Deneya’s right snorted and tucked a lock of amber hair behind her ear.
“Not like she has a choice.” The man at Deneya’s left picked dirt out from under his nails with a knife. He looked at Eira through his dark eyelashes. “One way or another, now that you’ve seen this place, you’re giving us your life.”
“I knew that before I came.” Eira focused on Deneya. “Good thing I didn’t come empty-handed.” Eira took the dagger and laid it on the papers covering the table between her and the three Specters.
“We have daggers plenty.” The man rolled his eyes.
“This one spoke.”
“A talking dagger?” he quipped. “Now I’ve seen everything.”
Eira continued to speak only to Deneya. “It spoke with Ferro’s voice.”
The air shifted. The man slowly lowered his hand and returned the knife to a hidden sheathe on a bracer he wore. The woman glanced between Deneya and Eira.
“This is the power you told us about?” she asked.
