In the months since her execution, good news was precious. Norsomber was sacked, those decoy ships bombarded by cannon fire from Korosans. Refugees flooded the rest of the nation, but the cities were only just recovering from the famine; no one had the infrastructure to support many thousands of newcomers. Every day there was a procession of pilgrims working their way to Hadria, but I wasn’t sure what awaited them there. It was unlikely they’d be allowed through the gates of Pontarena without money for the toll, so the poor would have to remain on our half of the isthmus.
On top of that, a strange illness began to spread in the more populated cities. My parents wished to study it, but I could notlet them go into such danger, so we had a few patients shipped in for examination. It was a morbid ailment that stopped the flow of blood into the infected’s extremities. Their limbs had to be amputated, and if they survived that, there was more to come. Mania, spasms, hallucinations. The sick lost control of everything before they went, and I ordered my parents not to bring any more of them in. There were too many limbless husks being hauled out to pyres, any one of them running the potential of getting all of us killed.
“Why do you suppose she did it?” Nicolas asked, thumbing circles on my waist. “Florence, I mean. Did she truly despise us all along?”
“She never gave it away if she did,” I answered, laying my head on him. Trefor’s reaction to the curse had been so different from Nicolas’. I’d begun to realize how fortunate I was to have encounteredhimout in the woods; what number of other men might have taken it as an opportunity to force themselves upon me? But Nicolas just…didn’t have it in him.
Which meant that Trefor did.
Maybe there was a reason Angharad drank.
I wished I could look into the souls of men and see which ones were tainted with that same deviation. I would have them all purged.
“But she was always rather mysterious,” I continued, reeling myself back to the conversation at hand. “We might as well have brought the Lord himself into our court.”
“This is all my fault.” He pulled his hand away. “Half of Antier’s failing because I brought that sorceress into court and let her die. I…”
There was no finishing that admission, nor was there any way for me to comfort him. He lowered his gaze.
I smiled weakly, adjusting Juliana so that only my left arm held her. My right hand took his.
“Quinn wrote,” he started, thumbing over my skin. “He’s returned to Navarro.”
“Do you hate him?” I asked. Nicolas raised a brow at the question, so I clarified. “Heleft because he loved me.”
“I know, Alana.” Nicolas met my eyes with a renewed intensity, like tinder catching flame. “But you’remine. He had enough honor to leave, so he shall always be my friend.”
He tried to take me with him,I almost said, but thought better of it. In all likelihood, I would never see the viscount again. This was my life now. And that was fine. Better not to add insult to injury with the finer details.
“We should addressthis,” I said, nodding to the sky. Below us, lords, ladies, and servants alike gathered in the courtyard. “Altaigne will come apart if people believe the Lord of Night Himself is looming over them.”
“Is He not?” Nicolas asked. We descended the tower, joined shortly by Marcy.
“I would feel Him. He’s no moreup therethan anywhere,” I replied. Nicolas would fall ill if he knew the truth, though: since Florence’s death, the god’s presence was thicker than ever. Nowhere felt entirely devoid of His presence, and in the full moon, I took to hiding in my chambers ‘til sunlight. The shadows made Him whole; every month, He’d made an appearance in my room, standing at the foot of my bed with watchful, glowing eyes. Like He was waiting for me to do something, but I wasn’t surewhat.
With the whole of Gallae addled by magic, the Banewights left us at last. Taran believed witches would flood the country now, drawn to the mana. He went to Witchfall Keep, near Baselia, to seek reinforcements.
Sahra did not go with them, though. She planned to stay here a while, to re-evaluate her future before moving on. Then she made herself small…but on occasion, I did witness the peculiar sight of her training with Siere Marceline in the yard.
“I’m tired, Alana.” Nicolas squeezed my hand like a lifeline. “It’s my duty to guide us through this, and I don’t know if I can, or if I should.”
“Do you trust me?” I asked, guiding us down another flight of stairs. We made for the main entrance.
“I do.”
“Then let me shoulder the burden. Share your control, Nicolas.” I stopped at the threshold, watching the crowd turn their attention to the sky. “Let me be the figurehead of the apocalypse.”
Nicolas pried his gaze back up—not to me, but to the horrified assembly ahead of us. His throat bobbed.
“You’re not alone.” I offered Juliana to him and he took her. Her little blue eyes opened briefly before she went back to sleep. “And you need my help.”
“What will you do?” he whispered.
I cupped his cheek and gently turned him to face me. “I’m going to ensure that this court remains loyal, even in the hardest of times.”
Nicolas furrowed his brow. I turned to Marcy and nodded, and she withdrew her knife, holding it toward me.
“And how will you do that?” he asked.
