“You think these two incidents are connected?”
Seren gave her the most theatrical side-eye possible. Deryn smiled.
“You always thought I was a dumbass, so spell it out for me. Since you’re so very smart and plugged into everything.”
Seren stopped and kicked a pebble before lowering her voice. “Things started going haywire when Rhy arrived. All the little accidents, seemingly happenstance, here and there. Pictures of her dead ex. Dead crows began showing up out of nowhere. Not innocent, because for fuck’s sake, who kills birds? But everyone acted like it wasn’t terribly alarming. At least Rhy did. Until she had to unleash the power of a monsoon to save Prudence’s life. So, not innocent at all. Because, but for the grace of our lady Rhiannon Elizabeth Crowhart, who the hell knows what would’ve happened to Pru?”
Deryn took another deep drag, her lungs protesting the long-forgotten feeling of smoke.
“You never did determine where the fire started, did you, Ren?”
Seren shook her head.
“John Moss is acting like the break-in was just kids playing. Paloma seemingly takes it more seriously. I’ll have to ask her tomorrow what she meant in that cageyCawinterview.” Derynstopped speaking abruptly, realizing that Seren was staring at her in disbelief.
“Okay, not you too, Ren. Yes, theCawis right. Paloma and I are a thing. Will you focus on what’s important?”
Seren stubbed out her cigarette and extracted another one. Deryn lit it wordlessly. When the cloud of smoke around Seren’s face dissipated, her face was still astonished.
“Okay, I guess I should’ve read theCawthese past few days. You and Paloma Allende? Also, screw theCaw. My baby twin sister is dating the hottest woman on the island, and I am like the last to find out about it?”
Deryn winced, grateful for once that her twin couldn’t read her thoughts. She hadn’t told Ceridwen the truth, and that was something that weighed heavily on her. But she just outright lied to Seren, and she had never done it before. They might’ve fought like cats as kids and like dogs as teens, but they never lied to each other.
“It’s not a big deal, Rennie,” Deryn mumbled and sent the remainder of the cigarette up in smoke in her hand.
“Hmm, not from where I’m standing. Does this mean you’re staying on Dragons now? Staying for real, not just till this entire curse fuckery resolves? Because Paloma?—”
“What the hell is wrong with everyone telling me the same damn thing? It’s not like I proposed to the woman. I’ll be leaving soon enough. There! Happy?”
Seren’s face was shadowed, the dusk deepening around them both.
“No. I don’t care if you stay or go, Der, I want you to mean it. For once, I want you to make a decision and stick to it.”
13
PALOMA, TIRAMISU CUPCAKES & LIBRARY BOARD MEETINGS (FRUSTRATING ONES)
FIFTEEN NEW TITLES CHALLENGED!
The Crow’s Nest Public Library is reeling! Over the weekend, fifteen new challenges to the library catalog were submitted. Councilwoman Ceridwen Crowhart has announced that the next meeting of the Library Board of Governors will be public, with all islanders encouraged to attend.
“This is a public emergency, and I am relying on the townspeople to answer the call. How long are we going to allow a coward who can’t even show their face or reveal their name to run our town’s business? The library is a treasure, and books should be protected at all costs.”
The Caw plans to attend the Board of Governors meeting, and so should you!
Watch this space and keep watch over the library.
—Crow’s Caw
“Ms. Crowhart!”
Paloma entered the pristine kitchens of the Astronomy Resort and looked around for the woman who had been rather elusive lately. She wondered if Deryn was beginning to question their arrangement. And she wondered even more why that thought brought about a sudden shiver. An entirely unpleasant one.
“Ms. Allende?” Reem stepped from the deep freezer, carrying some kind of box. She gave Paloma a strange look before pointing toward the other side of the space, where Deryn’s red head was bowed over a book, hands covered in flour. Next to her, a young man was paying very close attention to whatever it was she was reading out loud.
When she turned back to Reem, the usually stern-looking woman appeared flustered.
“Ma’am, that’s Khalid. I hope you don’t?—”
