"You want me to do what?" Remington asked, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at Ianthe.
"There's no one else I would trust more to guard my daughter and my ward," Ianthe told him, slipping the warded metal gauntlet over her wrist and wriggling her fingers. Magic tingled across her skin from the charms laid into the cold steel. She would need every advantage she would get, and she wouldn't need to concentrate very much in order to activate the gauntlet's inset wards. Only direct a trickle of sorcery through it.
"I'm not quite certain what that says of me, that you see me more as nursemaid than a warrior."
"I see you as someone I trust with something more important than my own heart," Ianthe replied, leaning up on her toes to kiss Remington's cheek. "I have to go. Drake has few enough allies as it is, and someone needs to guard Lucien's back. Be kind to Thea, please. She's had a rough week."
"Haven't we all?" Remington drawled, but he looked quietly pleased with her statement.
That said, Ianthe turned to the armchair in the corner. Louisa held Thea's hand, her pretty amber eyes troubled.
"I shall be back as soon as I can," Ianthe promised. "Thea is going to take care of you, and so is Remington. Nobody shall get past the two of them, I promise. You'll be safe as houses."
"I don't want you to go." Louisa lowered her head, her eyes shining.
Ianthe hesitated. She knelt down, taking Louisa's hands in hers. Her heart felt like it was going to tear in two. "Louisa—"
"I'll go," Thea blurted instead.
"What?"
"This is partly my fault," Thea insisted, hurt flashing in those hazel eyes. "I should never have delivered those letters! I should make amends."
"You can barely unknot a rope with your mind!" Ianthe protested. "No, you're not going. It's too dangerous for you!"
"But—"
"She's right," Lucien said softly, stepping forward into the room. All eyes turned to him, but he went to Louisa, kneeling down so that he could take her small hands in his. "I know you've been through an ordeal, Louisa, and you're scared that if your mother goes away, she won't come back. Is that true?"
Louisa nodded.
"Ianthe has to go," he said, squeezing her little fingers. "Morgana is very dangerous, more so now she has the Blade, and there are not enough of us to stop her if Ianthe stays. If I could, I would shoulder her burden and do her duty as well as mine." His eyes darkened. "But I cannot. I am not strong enough, not at this time, to stop Morgana before she comes after us. I will promise you this though: I will bring your mother back to you."
Louisa bit her lip and whispered, "Okay."
"Good girl." He stroked her cheek, then caught Thea's gaze. "You have amends to make, you say? Then this is your task. Look after Louisa and help her wait for us. We should be back before sunset. Once this is done, your penance is over. You have no more debt to Ianthe, do you understand?"
Thea nodded too, slipping her hand inside Louisa's.
"She hurt my mama and papa," Louisa said.
"Yes." Ianthe stroked her face and the smooth baby-fine cheek. "Yes, she did. And I will make her pay for that."
"Are you going to hurt her?"
"I am going to make Morgana wish she'd never set eyes on either of us."
Louisa took a long time to think it over. "Good." A single tear slid down her cheek, but Ianthe kissed it away.
"When I get back, you are going to come and live with me and your father. We can show him how to take tea with Hilary and Sir Egmont. Would you like that?" She held her breath for a moment.
A mixture of happiness and nervousness lit over the little girl's face, as though she did not dare dream it would happen. "Yes. Yes, please."
A little girl, so like herself. A little girl who feared to believe in her dreams. Ianthe pressed their foreheads together, cupping Louisa's nape with her hand. If Lucien had only just begun to teach her to hope that the dream could come true, then she would in turn teach Louisa the truth too. "I'll be back for you. I'll read you your favorite story tonight, before you go to bed."
Louisa smiled shyly. "Goodbye, Mama."
It was the second time Louisa had called her that. Ianthe's heart broke in her chest, and it took every ounce of her willpower to walk toward the door. It felt wrong to leave her daughter behind when she was walking into danger, but there was no choice. Not only did she have amends to make, but if they did not remove Morgana as a threat now, before the other woman grew too powerful, then the danger only escalated. Morgana had two of the Relics Infernal. She only needed one more to topple Drake, and there was no way Ianthe could protect Louisa from the other woman if Drake fell and Morgana came to power. No doubt the other woman would demand a reckoning from her, as Ianthe had not exactly obeyed the letter of Morgana's demands last night.
