“For some of them, yes.” She smiled tensely. “Perseus carries with him an aura of fear, just like Callisto feels like violence. It’s extremely…unnerving.” Suddenly, she blinked and quickly said, “But don’t tell them I said that. Please.”
“Not a word,” I assured her.
“Also,” she said, dropping her voice to a whisper, “we Maidservants, you know we listen. And Perseus has just returned from Gailfean. I thought you should know.”
My muscles tensed. Gailfean.Kalen.“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because you need to return to his side,” she hissed.
I searched her flashing eyes, taken aback by the intensity of her words. She seemed more than just a bystander, a maidservant caught up in the games of the gods. But my need to find out what I could about Kalen drew my attention to the drawbridge—just for a moment—and when I turned back to the girl, she was gone.
Frowning, I tossed aside my curiosity and hurried after Perseus. If he was returning from Gailfean, the God of Fear would likely meet with Andromeda and give her an update. She’d want to know where Kalen was. Did they let him go? And if they did, would Kalen attempt to come here? He’d sounded defeated when I’d agreed to Andromeda’s vow. Did he suspect, like I did, that our bond with each other was more powerful?
As much as I wanted to return to his side, I hoped to the sun above he would stay away.
Because Andromeda would kill him.
With that thought in mind, I took the curving stone steps leading into the North Tower two at a time and ducked inside the door. I quietly shut it behind me, my eyes readjusting to the dimly lit interior. Voices drifted toward me from around the corner. I’d recognize Andromeda’s melodic timbre anywhere. She must be speaking to Perseus about what he’d found in Gailfean.
I strained to hear them, but they were too far away for me to make out their words. If I rounded the corner, they’d see me.
Sighing, I looked around. There were a few coats of arms hanging along the walls, but nothing more substantial to hide behind. Even if there was, it would do me little use. I needed to get into the next corridor.
That only leftup. I tipped back my head. The ground floor had a high hammerbeam ceiling with carved hanging pendants in the shape of winged horses. Every so often, short vertical posts painted a brilliant gold mortice into the arches, though the spaces between each post were fairly substantial. One could hide up there in the rafters.Could, I repeated to myself,if one were stealthy enough.
A heartbeat passed before I flared my wings. I had to hear this conversation.
I beat my wings as quietly as I could and lifted into the air. Soon, I reached the beams overhead. I grabbed ahold of the wood, crouched, and folded my wings into my back, straining to listen.
Only silence greeted me. No sound of alarm had been raised.
Breath shaking, I leaned forward, grabbed the next beam, and swung into the arch where the corridors met. Halfway down the hallway, Andromeda and Sirius—notPerseus—were deep in conversation. Seeing Sirius again with his crimson hair, his towering form, and his glowing red eyes made my soul buckle with fear. The last time I’d seen him, he’d gotten into my head and showed me the future the gods craved. I’d seen exactly what destruction they would loose upon my world.
He whispered to Andromeda, and the scowl on her face sent a tremor through my belly. And her words, at long last, were loud enough for me to hear, though just barely. “If this is some kind of joke to provoke me, I’ll have you locked in a sarcophagus for a hundred more years.”
Sirius stiffened and turned my way. I pulled back, digging my fingers into the wood to hold myself steady. A beam blocked me from view, but my breathing was ragged, and my heartbeat thundered like a Gailfean storm. With my legs bent awkwardly beneath me, my muscles shook, spasming in pain. But I didn’t dare move. If he saw me, I’d never hear the rest of their conversation.
“What is it?” Andromeda demanded. “Answer me, Sirius.”
“Nothing,” he said. “I’m just tired of being the go-between with you and Perseus.”
I clutched the beam tighter. Now, without his wicked rage bearing down on me, Sirius sounded less like a rotten, hollow thing and more like a weary father who wanted to put his feet up on the table and drink a barrel of ale.
“Don’t try to change the subject. Is it really true? Swear to me, Sirius.”
The God of Pestilence sighed. “I’m afraid so. Your new toy and the Mist King have a marriage bond. Her vow to you can’t keep her away from him, though she must not have realized it. Otherwise, she’d be long gone by now.”
I fought the urge to suck in a breath. Perseus had discovered the bond when he’d been in Gailfean. But if he had, then…I closed my eyes and ground my teeth, hating the first thought that entered my mind. If they knew about the bond, then—
“Did Perseus kill him?” Andromeda asked.
“No, he let him live.”
She huffed. “And the gemstones? Did he find them?”
“Two of them. They were right where you thought they’d be. We’re ready now to—”
A bell clanged from somewhere in the tower, drowning out the rest of Sirius’s words. My relief was a churning sea within me, and I nearly choked on it. But I forced myself to focus as the bell rang. If the sound of it covered their voices, it would hide my movement in the rafters. I took the opportunity to unfold myself and swing around the corner. Every muscle in my body ached, but I didn’t slow until my boots landed on the stone floor just out of sight.
