The last word came out in a shrill wail. Though why would he be upset about Leonie being alive…?
Unless the Dauphine had worn her face for so long that he couldn’t remember what Jeanne actually looked like. He’d been hiding underneath Leonie’s body in the pit—but perhaps he had no idea who she was.
:Play along,:I told Leonie.:It’s possible he thinks you’re the Dauphine, still wearing your face, or even resurrected.:
“Who said I was dead?” Leonie asked.
“I felt you die. We all did.”
“That’s very interesting,” she drawled, twirling a coil of hair around her finger coyly. “Because here I am, alive and well.”
“But she…” He looked back at me, his thin, pasty lips twisting into a grimace of pure hatred. “She killed you. We felt your pain. We saw her face. So we’d know where to deliver retribution.”
Leonie laughed, shaking her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. She saved me. I’m only here because of her.”
“Arrêt,” he mumbled, his head jerking uncontrollably. “Arrêt d’urgence.”
:Urgent stop,:Guillaume said.:Or kill switch.:
“Yes,” Leonie drawled. “Repeat the arrêt d’urgence steps as I instructed you.”
“Fourchette,” the thrall said.
:Fork,:Guillaume translated.:Like a fork in the road. Perhaps she gave separate groups of her Blood different instructions.:
Like Esetta, when she’d sent each of her Blood to different Houses to lie in wait for me to find them.
“Chasser. Tuer. Mutiler. Ressusciter.”
:Hunt. Kill. Mutilate. Resurrect.:
“Ressusciter,” Leonie repeated. “Who? Me?”
“Tendre un piège. Elle est ressuscitée.”
:Set the trap,:Guillaume said.:She is resurrected.:
Cold dread made me shiver, and Leonie leaned harder against me.:Jeanne can’t be resurrected. Can she? We destroyed her body.:
:You could have resurrected her before Despoina stripped that gift,:Guillaume said.:Any body would do for a queen like her.:
:Not helping,:I grumbled to him.
:Do any other queens have the power of resurrection?:Rik asked.
:I don’t know,:Guillaume admitted.:General? Have you Seen any other queens with such power?:
:It’s not a common gift, but if a queen could resurrect, I’m not sure that I would have Seen such magic,:Sekh replied.:Most likely, it would’ve been done inside her blood circle.:
“Who?” Leonie asked. “Who is resurrected?”
“Elle est ressuscitée,” he repeated.
:Ask him how many Blood you have,:I told Leonie.
“How many Blood do I have?”
“Légion.”
