Lux continued to paint whorls onto Viktar’s narrow chest, using her intact pinky finger to blend the lines. Another image rose from her memories with her movements: of a broader chest, one peppered with stab wounds rather than an invisible attack. She didn’t think of it often—that night she’d met Shaw dead upon her table—but when she did, it caused a visceral reaction. The idea of him taken from her forever… That he nearly had been…
It vexed her that she’d lost the way of the carriage, but maybe someone downstairs would know something. With each passing day, she became more determined to discover who hadpurchased the horrific harvests of the late Bartleby Tamish. Not only discover them—but destroy them.
The lifeblood itself. And the deep pockets behind it.
She pressed her fingers to Viktar’s fixed eyes.
“You’ll apologize when this is done, mark my words.”
Chapter eight
Luxbattedatthehands shaking her awake. “Devil’stits,get off!”
“Wake up then, would you?”
Lux squinted open one eye. “Sven?”
“What happened to you? Is this regular?”
Lux glanced about the room: Sven standing worriedly above her. Lars staring slack jawed. His mother’s mouth pinched. She lurched upward when she spied Viktar in the corner, buttoning his shirt with shaking fingers.
Her head spun.
“I—” But she didn’t know how to answer. Not even when she was a child, not even when consumed with fear and grief over her parents’ deaths, did shefaint.
“I can’t believe you can really do it.” Lars couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Sorry for thinking you were a lying fraudster only out to hoard your coins because you’re an uppity pile of—”
His strangled cry came about by Magda’s hand slapping the back of his head. “That’s quite a gift you have,” she said.
“It has its uses.” Lux pushed to her feet, waving Sven away. She decided immediately she wouldn’t tell them. Not about how this was quiteirregular.And certainly not about how strange her insides felt at the moment. She flicked her gaze to Viktar’s.
And the man promptly broke down in tears.
Not gasping sobs, but cries, nonetheless. His puddled eyes locked with her own. “I’m awfully sorry, girl. I wasn’t thinking. I mean Iwasthinking, but not about you. You were only a purse. And now here you’ve gone and brought me back.” He breathed a ragged breath. “I can’t help but feel I don’t deserve it.”
Lux began to reply when he cut her off, his confession incomplete. “Devil take me. You weren’t the first I’ve done this to. I keep doing it. But I can’t seem to stop. I can’t quit seeing the possibility of help, only the money or whatever they can give me, and not the person. I don’t care if they’re old, infirm or a little girl. I’ve got ten children! Four of mine and six of my sister’s who’s disappeared and probably gone for good, and I’ve got a bad heart. A bad heart chopping lumber. Who will take care of them when I’m dead?”
His cries did turn to heaving sobs then, and he collapsed to his knees, head buried in his hands. Sven rushed to his side. “I didn’t know. Saints above, I didn’t know it was so bad. I’ve been wondering why we weren’t picking our marks a little cleaner lately.” Sven glanced at Magda, and Lux could plainly see the accusation he failed to hide.
“Viktar, I need to speak to you. In private.”
Four sets of eyes found Lux’s.
“Sure as anything,” he said. “You can do anything you want.”
She could sense they all were loath to go, save Lars, but she didn’t give them any attention as they filed out.
“Could you sit?” she gestured to the bed when they’d gone, then turned back to the desk. She opened her pack to tugThe Risenfree.
Lux pulled at the leather cord, working the wrapping away. She still felt odd, her fingertips tingling and mind abuzz, but this seemed more important. She turned with the book tucked in her hands.
Viktar’s glance flicked from her to it and back again.
“How long have you felt this way?”
“Like I’m drowning on dry land? I don’t know. Ever since she left them behind, I suppose. Half a year?” He squinted at the book, bending forward to read the metal plate embedded in the cover.
She stopped him with a palm to his forehead. She winced at how similar to ice it felt.Drowning on dry land.She knew the sensation with terrible familiarity. “What if I might be able to ease it?”
