“Thank you, Kiffin, that means a lot,” Bones offers, his tone warm and appeased.
I realize then that he’s still trying to hand me a peach. I take it, not sure what else to do. Bones stares at me like he’s waiting for me to take a bite, but he’s going to be waiting forever, because I’m sure as fuck not eating it. I meant it when I said that whatever happened between Bones and Kiffin before me was none of my business, but that doesn’t mean I have to eat the bitch’sfuck mefruit, and that’s exactly what this little fuzzy orange thing is.
Pass.
Kiffin offers me a genial smile, but I’m not there yet. She doesn’t seem deterred by my lack of response in the slightest.
“Please sit,” she encourages, and I drop back down to the arm of the chair I deemed was safe to sit on earlier. “Enay should be here any minute.”
As though conjured by her name alone, a statuesque woman pushes through the doors and surveys the room and its inhabitants. Her skin is as dark as night, her lips full, and her almond-shaped, dark brown eyes assessing. At the ludere, she had a stunning array of locks arranged in an updo, dripping with jewels. Today, she’s abandoned the gowns and finery and instead has a bright white tunic on and a pair of amber leather pants. Her black locks are now stunning braids that fall around her shoulders, and I count at least ten blades tucked on her person, which means she’s probably carrying thirty.
The Order of Vulpi is ancient. Their craft and the way it has shaped parts of fae history is legendary. Many of the masters at the ludere speak of them with devout worship, and for the first time, I’m starting to see why. The Vulpi have been referred to as Realm Breakers because of the kind of influence they carry everywhere. Having the support of their Order in anything is like a magic wand that opens doors and makes things happen. I looked for evidence of that designation at Tilleo’s feast, but all I saw were rich, extravagant, polished fae who enjoyed stroking Tilleo’s ego. But as Enay walks confidently into the room, I see it.
She’s a fucking Realm Breaker.
“Scorpions, thank you for coming,” Enay greets as she moves to stand next to Kiffin. “Myrka and Mayden left a short while ago to help secure the informant,” she explains, and then she strides over to me.
I stand, and even though I’m by no means short, Enay is easily two heads taller. “We’ve yet to be introduced. I’m Enay, the leader of the Order of Vulpi,” she tells me, as though there could be any confusion as to who she is.
I take her offered arm, gripping her tight around the forearm as I do.
“I’m Telson, the newest member of the Order of Scorpions,” I reply, and I don’t miss the almost imperceptible way that Scorpius goes still.
It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud, and I know the declaration has shocked him. I could have simplified things and maybe saidI’m Telsonand that’s it. It would probably be wise to give myself more time to be sure about what I’m doing and committing to. But as I look into Enay’s piercing gaze, as I take in her no nonsense demeanor and her matter-of-fact countenance, I know that claiming my place right now is crucial, that it’s significant. I won’t let fear guide me down a different path when the one I want, the one Ineed, is right in front of me.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Telson. I hope our relationship will grow with trust and esteem just as it has with the other members of your Order,” Enay professes, and I offer her the warm smile that Kiffin was hoping for.
“Me too,” I agree, and with a firm squeeze of my arm, Enay moves back to Kiffin’s side.
I feel as though I’ve just passed another test, but I have no idea what it was.
Kiffin sits in the chair opposite mine, and Enay claims the end of the sofa that Skull dropped himself onto earlier. Scorpius stays standing behind Bones, but this must be normal, because no one says anything or objects to his looming over the rest of us.
“So,” Scorpius starts, as though he’s the one to call this meeting and not the Vulpi. “What’s going on exactly?”
“It seems that the Vulpi we sent to procure the informant have noticed a tail,” Enay starts, leaning back into the sofa and putting her feet up on the large oval ottoman that sits at the center of all the seats. “Now, whether that tail is related to the Vulpi or the informant, we haven’t determined as of yet, but we’ve holed up in Porrin longer than we initially intended and called in reinforcements.”
“Mayden and Myrka?” Skull confirms, and Enay nods.
“Do we know who they’re bringing back to us?” Scorpius asks, and he starts to pace behind Bones’s sofa.
“His name is Hatus Orill, he’s the brother of Lord Daeral’s stable master, and he was there the night Lord Daeral and his whole house were slaughtered,” Kiffin answers, and the words drop like a boulder in the middle of the room.
Shards of questions explode everywhere as the Scorpions express their shock. A pit opens in my chest, and disappointment and confusion plummet in its depths. The informant witnessed a murder. That’s the information he’ll be sharing with us. Not that he knows anything about me. My feelings were so jumbled, so fragmented about what this mystery person might know or say. There are no answers for me here, and I feel stupid for thinking there would be.
“What was he doing there?” Scorpius asks at the same time Bones questions, “How did he get away?”
Kiffin holds up a hand to slow the barrage of demands.
“Mr. Orill was passing through on his way to visit his wife’s nephew. All we know right now is that it was an unplanned stop and no one knew that he was sleeping on a pallet in a stall that his brother put together for him. He wasn’t willing to tell us any more than that until he felt safe, which is why we decided to bring him here,” Kiffin explains. “From what I understand, Mr. Orill watched from a stall as a group murdered everyone inside the house. He stole a mount and fled.”
“And the fae responsible didn’t hunt him down?” Skull questions. “They didn’t seem like the type to not notice someone fleeing the scene of a massacre.”
“He’s been hiding with family and friends. We only found him because our network included the cook at one of the houses he holed up in for a while. She’s the one who convinced him that we could help him,” Enay answers.
“So why do you think whoever is following his collection party isn’t the group responsible for killing the lord and his line?” Scorpius queries, his shrewd gaze studying Enay.
“Because they’ve had opportunities to tie up loose ends, but they haven’t. Like you said, Skull, the original hunt wasn’t disorganized, which means whoever it was that executed it should have capitalized on the first chance they got to slit Hatus Orill’s throat, but he’s still alive,” Kiffin tells us.
