ASTRID
Torben and I traverse an overgrown walkway toward a sprawling boarded-up building. “Welcome to my home,” Torben says with a tired sigh. “The manor house of Davenport Estate.”
I grimace at the peeling paint, the walls smothered in ivy, the shrubs that have nearly taken over the front stoop. Madeline purrs on my shoulder. Her siblings and Mama Cat are asleep in the crate Torben carries. I frown at him. “This is why we came to the Spring Court?”
“Not exactly.” He sets the crate and two suitcases down at the bottom of the front steps, then strides up to the immense double doors. Wrapping his hands around one of the wooden planks nailed to the doorframe, he yanks it free in a single pull. “It’s more that we need a place to stay. One that doesn’t require payment. All charges made to the Alpha Council make our location easy to trace. Now that we suspect Queen Tris, we must evade even the Alpha Council knowing where we are.”
I huff. “Oh,nowthat we suspect Queen Tris? I’ve suspected her all the while.”
He says nothing in reply, only yanks free another board.
“If we can’t use the Alpha Council’s funds, how did we afford the train fare?”
“I had Madame Desire exchange a small amount of credit for opal chips. But we must spend them sparingly, hence why we’re here and not some posh hotel.” He glances over his shoulder as he frees the next board. “Are you asking because you find such accommodations beneath you, Your Highness?”
I burn him with a glare. “Don’t you dare call me that again. And no, I find these accommodations just fine.” To prove my point, I climb the first step toward the doors, keeping my palm underneath Madeline to prevent her from getting launched off my shoulder. Torben gives an amused smirk, then returns his attention to the planks. I take the opportunity to cast a wary glance at our surroundings. I have no qualms about staying in an abandoned manor. It’s the safety of such a place I’m more concerned with. But as I look around, I find nothing more sinister than an unkempt lawn, unruly trees, and shrubs that have grown too wild for their own good. On our coach ride here, I saw very few homes, only gorgeous green countryside punctuated by pink and white fruit blossoms. The coach let us off a mile down the road, and we came across only a few country cottages between there and here. From where we are now, there’s no sign of any other houses. No nosy neighbors to spy.
I can’t help feeling exposed regardless. Then again, I’ve felt that way ever since Torben told me we were going to Spring. “Are you sure we should even be here? If all the fae royals know your true identity and past, then Tris must know about Davenport Estate. If she was responsible for doling out your punishment, then she probably knows more about it than anyone.”
“She more than knows about it.” His words end in a grunt as he frees the final plank. “She owns it.”
My mouth falls open. “She what?”
With the pair of doors no longer boarded up, he turns one of the handles. When it doesn’t budge, he throws his shoulder into the door and tries again. Finally, it swings open. He stares into the darkness beyond, making no move to step inside.
Tugging Madeline off my shoulder and cradling her against my chest where I can better hold her, I march up the remaining steps and burn Torben with a glare. “How is it a good idea to stay in a house Tris owns?”
He continues to stare into the dark foyer, hands curled into fists, shoulders tense. “She may own it,” he says a bit absently, “but that’s only because all my properties were seized when I gambled more money than I had. Since my debt and punishment fell under her jurisdiction, the deed to the estate automatically went to her.”
“That still doesn’t explain why we’d be safe here.”
“She doesn’t use this property,” he says. “She hasn’t done a single thing with the estate since it was transferred to her name.”
“How are you so sure?”
His jaw shifts side to side. “She told me as much when we made our second bargain.”
I swallow hard. “What second bargain?”
Finally, he turns his gaze to mine. “Our first bargain was that she’d end my sentence as Huntsman in exchange for me bringing her your heart. Our second bargain was that she’d return Davenport Estate to me if I handed over my Chariot once I finished my mission. She knew it was my goal to buy back the estate once my debts were paid and my punishment was served. When we made our second bargain, she confessed that she’d yet to do anything with the estate aside from having the manor boarded up. She promised I’d have it returned to me without me having to buy it back if I gave her my Chariot.”
I give him a pointed look. “So that’s the real reason you were so upset over losing it.”
“Yes.” He retrieves our luggage and cat crate from the base of the steps, then enters the house. “If anyone comes to find us here, she’ll prove her guilt. If Marybeth truly is serving her, then she’ll already have reported back everything that happened in Irridae. Tris will have guessed we’d suspect her by now. She might also guess we’d come here. If she’s smart, she’ll know better than to show her hand. If she isn’t and sends someone after us, I’ll deal with them swiftly and have even more proof to stack against her.”
“That’s not entirely comforting.” I hold Madeline tighter as I follow behind him into the manor. Dust fills my nostrils along with the smell of mold. I imagine it must smell far worse to Torben. Fighting back a coughing fit, I say, “Also, that’s not much of a plan. Please tell me you have a better scheme to prove my innocence than just using us as bait for my stepmother.”
“I do have a plan.” Torben continues down the foyer, and I keep as close to him as I can. Our only source of light is the meager glow peeking in from the boarded-up windows. Open doors line the halls, revealing a parlor, a large dining room, and a study. The rooms are mostly empty, aside from a few sparse pieces of furniture, all of which are draped in dusty sheets. The foyer opens to a wide space flanked by two immense mahogany staircases. He motions for me to follow him up the right side.
I stare daggers at his back as we climb the steps. “Care to share that plan, Huntsman?”
Each step he takes is slow, tense. He keeps his voice low. Probably to stop it from echoing so eerily. “I must make a report to Queen Tris as soon as possible. When I do, I’ll try to get the proof we need.”
“How? Isn’t that dangerous? If Marybeth used the Chariot to get back to Fairweather Palace, Tris already knows we’re working together. I told Marybeth you were helping me prove my innocence. If Tris thinks you suspect her, she could kill you at once before you get a chance to gather evidence against her.”
“It’s a risk,” he says, “but she’s too clever to act so brashly. She’ll want to try and seem innocent for as long as she can. When I speak to her, I’ll keep my senses open and smell for lies. I’ll state things that should evoke an emotional response from her. I’ll choose questions that require her to try and deceive me if she’s guilty. If I’m successful, I’ll get a confession from her.”
“What if it doesn’t work?”
