“That’s the biggest load of Pegasus shit I’ve ever been told.”
“The true Black Rose’s birth indicates that the time of the twelve Astrals is coming to an end. The prophecy describes heras a dancer with dark hair that burns red in sunlight. She is a twin to the one who will sacrifice her in order to bring about the new era we’ve been waiting for.”
“Tell me this prophecy,” I demanded. “Now.”
With a resigned sigh, he hung his head and recited under his breath, “But first a dance to catch his eye, and signal to all followers the last blood is nigh. From a rose so dark with hair burning red, she will steal man’s hearts and remain unwed. Through this dance her thievery concealed, whilst her true target of stone be revealed. From her twin shall her divine sacrifice be made, for him to return by his sistered blades.”
I pondered his rhyming words. “Is that how Basil fits into this supposed prophecy? He’s her twin, who must sacrifice her?”
“Basil…” Kole cleared his throat. “He was all too eager to join me at Serpentine. His job at his family’s shop provided the perfect cover—he often travelled, so he would cite that as an excuse when he was actually spending time with me and learning about our cause. I knew from the moment I met his sister that she fit the criteria of the Black Rose, better than anyone else had in a long time.”
“Is he still alive?” Gregorios had confirmed Basil’s death through his tarot cards, but for Rahzlyn’s sake I found myself hoping they were wrong.
Kole glanced away. I could have sworn sadness filled his eyes. It was worth a shot.
“What made you so sure that his sister was this prophetic Black Rose?”
“They’re twins, and her name had Rose in it. I knew Basil suspected that she fit the criteria too, but it wasn’t until I mentioned it one night that he grew livid for suggesting such a thing. He was always protective of her. Obsessively so. But he could never say no to her. He tried to keep her away from us?—”
“Us?” I prompted.
“My sister. She befriended her so we could keep an eye on her, and Roselyn was so desperate for love, all it took was a few pretty words and my tongue down her throat before I had her wrapped around my finger.” He snorted. “Or should I say my cock.”
It took an obscene amount of willpower unlike anything I’d ever experienced to remain outwardly unbothered. Inside, I was seconds away from smashing a hole through that stupid, smug face of his.
“I didn’t press Basil, for at the time we had another dancer?—”
“Thusiah?”
His eyes narrowed. “Roselyn told you about her, too? That little?—”
“What happened to Thusiah?” I pressed.
He ran his tongue over his teeth. “She was eliminated.”
“Killed,” I clarified. “For not wanting to partake in your twisted plans?”
“For not being the true Black Rose. It wasn’t until I found out Basil was gifted with Sight that I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. The prophecy speaks of adivinesacrifice that must be made by the twin of the Black Rose. Roselyn was so desperate to dance and prove herself that finally getting her brother out of the way and bringing her to Serpentine was the easy part.”
I suppressed a growl at his lewd words. “What does anyof that have to do with stealing King Zephyr’s stone? Is that the sacrifice you’re referring to?”
“The only Black Rose dancers who have ever been employed at Serpentine are women who fit the description of the prophecy. Only now you’ve gone and ruined everything bykillingher!”
“Pity I put such a damper on your plans. Why did you blow up her apothecary?”
I was met only with his silence and the faint sounds of the flickering torch.
“If you don’t want me to start torturing your sister in front of you, you’ll answer the question.”
He peered at me with suspicion. “How do I know you really have her?”
“From what I’vegentlypried from her, your motherwalkednot long ago, didn’t she? Leaving you and your sister on your own, sending you into that dark place you mentioned? Terrible tragedy to take one’s life and free-fall to the Barrier?—”
“Roselyn could have admitted that,” he hissed. “Before youkilledher.”
“Hmm. Perhaps you don’t need to see her. Maybe you need to hear her.” I turned. “She doesn’t need all ten fingers for knitting, does she?”
It was a truth I’d gleaned when Rahzlyn spoke about her friends, and that tiny kernel of information now came in handy.
