“Moron,” Karmen coughed.
“Teagan,” Murdock growled. “I just said we-”
“No, I'd like to answer him, Councilman Murdock,” I held out my hand. “I believe I'm the only one in the room who has first-hand knowledge of being an extinguisher.”
“Please, by all means, Princess,” Murdock smirked.
He'd seen the Seren show before. So had Teagan, for that matter. He should have known better than to buy another ticket.
“The reason why extinguishers don't carry these 'fairy guns',” I said coolly to Teagan, “is because we are not assassins. We do not take down a target from a distance. When we're given an extinguishment order, we approach the fairy and inform them of their crimes first. They're given the opportunity to dispute the charges, and in some cases, the order is reevaluated.”
“But what if you were attacked by a group of fey?” Teagan was undeterred. “Wouldn't a crossbow help you?”
“It might,” I agreed, “but it also has a greater potential for harming innocent bystanders. A sword is more precise. And frankly, Councilman, if an extinguisher can't fight his way out of a fairy attack with only his sword, he doesn't deserve the title of Extinguisher.”
The rest of the council applauded.
Teagan gave me a respectful nod, “I concede.”
“Good, now can we get back to the fairy-killing arrows?” Bress growled.
I made a derisive snort and Bress looked to me in surprise.
“Sorry,” I waved to him, “that wasn't in response to you. I just realized the negatives of being half-human.”
“We can be poisoned by either arrow,” Killian whispered.
I didn't even think about it, I just reached over and took his hand. Killian was the only person who could truly understand me. He had been a blend from the beginning, and now he was less human than he'd been when he was born. We had a lot in common, but a shared weakness could bind you more firmly than a shared strength. We stared at each other, and something passed between us. A fortitude that we offered one another. Our vulnerability made us more determined to see this through. And to stand together.
Murdock cleared his throat.
I blinked, realizing what it must look like to everyone. To Tiernan, who had gone quiet behind me. I let go of Killian's hand and glanced back at my ex-boyfriend. Tiernan was scowling, staring at the empty spot between me and Killian, where our joined hands had been just moments before. He lifted his eyes to mine, and I saw a shocked understanding there. Tiernan swallowed roughly, and then gave me a crisp nod. I looked away. I wasn't ready for any more proof of where my heart was heading.
“Ambassador Killian,” Murdock cleared his throat, “we'd like you to head over to Mr. Morris' shop, and see if you can find anything we missed. It was ransacked before we searched it, but maybe you can sense something.”
“Sure,” Killian agreed. “I'll take the Princess with me.”
“We'll all go,” I agreed.
“Thank you,” Murdock nodded. “Now, you said you made some discoveries in Iceland?”
I sighed and then launched into our own report.
Chapter Twenty-Two
San Francisco has everything. Including a forge, evidently.
I was impressed with the one-man operation. Once you looked past the overturned barrels and scattered paperwork, you saw the evidence of an orderly workshop with everything necessary to make medieval-style, as well as modern, weaponry. It was a shame Mr. Morris would never return to it.
“Why'd they have to ransack the place?” Conri stuck his hands deep into the pockets of his leather jacket. “This is just rude.”
“It's a crying shame that they shot such a craftsman to begin with,” Killian hefted a longsword aloft. “What a damn waste.”
“They were looking for something,” I toed some papers out of my way. “The question is, what?”
“Alright,” Gradh waved her hands to the rest of the Star's Guard, “let's get going. We need this floor cleared.”
They started collecting everything, putting things in piles on one side of the room, as Killian began touching every object he came across. Killian scowled as he roamed the room, picking up item after item, before putting them aside with an air of frustration. I went to help my Guard clear the debris, leaving Killian to his work. Bress even helped. After an hour or so, we had most of the floor clean. Then Conri called me over.
