The smug smile Merrick shot in our direction was enough to raise my hackles, and I gestured for Penny to drop back so I reached the group ahead of him. Levitt turned as we arrived, his expression conveying apologies he clearly didn’t feel it was safe to vocalize.
“I didn’t realize we were expecting company this morning.” I kept my tone casual despite the anxiety prickling up my spine.
“No, I imagine you thought you were being rather clever,” Merrick said.
It took all my self-control to keep my face impassive. “I’m not sure I catch your meaning.”
The Shroud Warden straightened his shoulders and looked down his nose at us. “You’re suspected of using this forge to craft and stockpile weapons in order to stage a coup.”
My bark of laughter made him scowl. He wasn’tcompletelywrong; I just knew well enough that weapons wouldn’t get me the outcome I was looking for. An armed, violent coup wasn’t the way to destroy the Bone Men, and would only result in whatever small faction remained coming back stronger than they were before. I wasn’t about to make martyrs out of them.
Penny scoffed from behind me. “That’s ridiculous. Have you seen the stack of orders we get every day? When would we have time to craft weapons?”
Merrick’s lip curled in a sort of snarl. “There have been reports. Suspicions. There are some who believe thatthis is the reason you’ve returned, Kitingor. We’ll give you one chance to admit what you’re planning, or we’ll be forced to search the premises. Should we find proof in our search, things won’t turn out well for either of you.”
Penny stepped up even with me and crossed his arms over his chest. The hand closed around the spine of his sketchbook was trembling, but a glance at his narrowed eyes and set jaw made it clear that it was with rage and not fear. Across from us, Luca and Matina closed ranks around Merrick at Penny’s approach as if he posed a threat.
It was hard to imagine him as menacing after he spent several hours the night before gushing over how cute Rosie’s kittens were and about how moths were his favorite insect to draw because of their fuzzy antennae. He was a gentle soul, but I was quickly learning that he wasn’t without a bit of steel. I liked that about him.
“Reports from whom? Who’s spreading unfounded rumors?” Penny asked, his raised voice starting to draw attention from the other shop owners.
Merrick’s gaze darted around. His face betrayed momentary pleasure at causing a scene before he schooled his features back into a mask of superiority.
“I cannot divulge that information. All you need to know is that it’s a reliable source.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Penny was quicker.
“Why,” he asked, “because the source is you? I shouldn’t be surprised. It’s the same as it was with Father. Always running to tattle and get me in trouble. Get me sent away.” His chest swelled through a deep breath. “I’m not leaving this time.”
The elder Oliver lurched forward, bringing himself almost nose to nose with Penny as his composure gave way. “How dare you speak to me this way!”
“This isn’t about Kit at all. It’s about us,” Penny spat. “About the farm. Spite me if you have to, but leave Kit and his work out of it.”
I grabbed Penny’s shoulder and eased him back, stepping between the brothers. “I’ve got this, Pen.” I met Merrick’s furious eyes and waved for the gathered group to enter the forge. “Search whatever you’d like. We have nothing to hide.”
“Don’tinterfere,” Merrick snapped. “It’ll only make things worse for you.” He spun on the Sentinel guarding the door, his ridiculous robes billowing out behind him. “Come, Klaus.”
The Sentinel dipped his head and stepped aside, following Merrick in with Luca and Matina bringing up the rear.
Levitt lingered outside a moment longer, then gestured for us to step inside as well. I wanted him to speak up, to call Merrick out for targeting us and trying to plant seeds of distrust in the other residents. Levitt had a backbone, and I’d seen him make use of it before. But I understood the unfortunate situation this put him in, and we all had to tread carefully to ensure Merrick didn’t garner any more support among the Death Watch than he already had.
Curling my fingers around Penny’s wrist, I tugged him in under the canopy. I tucked us out of the way inside the door and didn’t release my grip, fighting the urge to slide my hand down to his and hold it. He was practically vibrating with indignant anger, and as much as I knew that would shock him out of it, the present company was bound to make assumptions if they noticed.
“This is absurd,” he said, low enough that I knew he only meant for me to hear.
“Just let him get it out of his system. There’s nothing for them to find.”
Levitt remained in the doorway, watching the otherfour rifling through tools and upturning cups of leatherworking implements across Penny’s worktable.
They moved through the shop like a force of nature. They pushed over stacks of iron and steel ingots and dug through them, dumped the bin of charcoal and scattered it everywhere, and ransacked the rack of incomplete orders until every last item was in a heap on the floor.
It was a feat of will to remain impassive as they destroyed my space, each new mess adding fuel to the rage growing in the pit of my stomach. No matter how much Merrick played it off as business, this was undeniably personal.
Penny’s face was flushed red, and his chest rose and fell with rapid breaths. I could practically hear his teeth grinding as he glared at his brother with enough fury I was surprised his gaze didn’t burn a hole straight through him.
Eventually, Klaus tossed aside a spare apron and unearthed the knife I’d made for Penny, then held it up for everyone else to see. Matina snatched it from his hand and marched it over to Levitt as Merrick stepped up beside her with a satisfied smile.
“See?” he said. “Weapons.”
