Authors: Barbara Ann Wright
“You saved me.”
Katya couldn’t look her in the eye. She didn’t know what her Fiend looked like, but she remembered her parents’ and Reinholt’s: the horns, the aura of menace, the burning cold, the claws, and the certainty of death. Katya covered her face as shame overwhelmed her.
Starbride’s arms went around her, and Katya leaned into the embrace as tears dribbled down her cheeks. Starbride rocked her for a few moments and hummed tunelessly into her hair. “I’m so sorry,” Katya said.
“Hush.” Starbride brushed the hair from Katya’s face. “This is wavier than I thought.”
“What?”
“All this pretty hair.”
“How can you even look at me, Star…Starbride?”
“Star is fine.” She glanced down at the settee, a light blush making her cheeks darker. “You’re the same as before.”
“A monster?”
“The same sense of humor.” She laid her cool palm along Katya’s cheek, the smoothness of it only slightly marred by the rough bandage. “You
saved
me. You did. Not the Fiend.”
“The Fiend would’ve hurt you.”
“And you didn’t let it.”
Katya snorted and nearly recoiled from the bitter sound. “Or my friends stopped me.”
“I don’t think your friends could have subdued you if you didn’t want them to, at least in part.”
“You don’t have any proof of that.”
“I’m studying law. I can argue until I turn blue.”
“What did Crowe tell you?”
“Enough.”
Katya didn’t want to press. Crowe had obviously filled in some gaps about the Aspect, and yet there Starbride sat, so close, as if she had nothing to fear. “Thank you for staying.”
When Starbride touched her hand, Katya turned hers over to clasp them together. There was one secret out from between them. Starbride sat so close, and the moment was so fragile, her eyes so warm and inviting. The flickering candlelight brought out the high cheekbones in her honest, beautiful face, and Katya leaned forward until their foreheads touched.
Katya ached to kiss her, drawn by the curve of her softly smiling lips, but it was too soon after the events of the day. They leaned against each other until someone cleared her throat from the doorway.
“I’ve had dinner brought in,” Averie said. “It’s in the formal sitting room.” She shut the door softly as she withdrew.
“Was that a disapproving cough?” Starbride asked.
“She just doesn’t like food getting cold.” Katya swung her legs over the settee and stood, reaching downward.
Starbride took her hand and followed. “My princess is always genteel.”
Katya’s heart warmed at the “my.” Tears threatened her again, but they were relieved tears. Starbride had seen Katya’s darkest side, and she hadn’t bolted. If she had any doubts, they were well hidden. “My parents made sure I had the best upbringing, including never leaving a beautiful woman unescorted to the dinner table.”
“A very important part of any education.”
Katya ate dinner in near silence and drank in Starbride’s presence. She wouldn’t try to convince Starbride to stay the night; their current relationship was too sweet to leave behind so soon. Even with Crowe present and Averie serving, they shared many a glance, but Katya didn’t try her usual tricks. No winks, no “accidental” meeting of the fingers over the saltcellar, no playfully long sips from the wineglass, just shy little smiles, and gestures that made her almost giddy.
In the past, when a lover had gotten too close, the threat of the Aspect had always ended things. She’d never found the courage to ask Reinholt or her father how they’d broken the news to Brom and her mother. She didn’t know how anyone could admit such a secret. Well, her cat had been let out of the bag in the worst way, and Starbride still sat with her, had held her and leaned against her. She’d made no demands; she’d offered only comfort and warmth.
Crowe decided it would be better if
he
escorted Starbride back to her room, and Katya had to agree. Starbride needed someone who could protect her without distractions. They said good night with just a quick glance, a soft laugh, and then Starbride was gone with Crowe. Katya sank down in her chair and sighed.
Averie’s hands settled on her shoulders. “I was worried you might have some repercussions from the transformation, but now I see you’re just lovesick.”
“Don’t tease me, Averie. Let me bask.”
“I’ll draw your bath. Bask in there.” She squeezed once before letting go. “I was worried about you.” She dashed from the room.
Left alone, Katya remembered everything unpleasant about the day: the cool of the bars, the smell of the man’s sweat, the knife against Starbride’s skin. Katya pressed her palms over her eyes and tried to shut the images out.
Left to its own devices, the Fiend would have torn Starbride apart. It wouldn’t have stopped until it ran out of targets, Katya was certain of that. The royal family was chained to the great pyramid during the Waltz for that very reason.
The traitors had known how to bring the Fiend out. Katya only hoped they had no idea she preferred Starbride to other women, that Starbride’s presence was
convenient
more than anything else. Katya prayed to Matter and Marla, spirits of perception, to hide their wisdom from the traitors’ eyes.
Would she have to see Starbride less just as she wanted more? Did the gift of clothing make her a target, or was it the invitation to tour the city? However the traitors found out about Katya’s actions, it was time to crack down. She’d given up almost everything for the Order of Vestra, but she wouldn’t give up Starbride, not yet.
She tapped her chin and supposed she
could
ask Starbride to move into the royal wing for safety, but that would set too many bells ringing through court. Besides, neither of them was ready for that. What they had was still too fragile, too newly born.
After her bath, she donned her large robe and emerged into her private sitting room to find both her parents waiting. Her mother’s expression seemed carved from marble, but her father waved in Katya’s direction. “See?” he asked. “Just as Crowe said, not a scratch on her. Isn’t that so, my girl?”
Katya nodded, smiling, but her mother’s expression didn’t change. “You were right, Ma. It was a bad idea.”
“Is that what you think I want to hear?” Her eyes narrowed, and the skin of her face seemed to tighten. “Did I come here to say I told you so, or did I come here to ascertain whether or not my daughter was injured after she became a Fiend and killed several people?”
A flush crept up Katya’s neck. Her mother had left out the part where she’d nearly let her friend be tortured, or maybe Crowe hadn’t mentioned that. Da drew a pyramid necklace from his coat pocket. “Crowe gave us this to give to you. It’s one of the spares. Saves you the trouble of carting around a larger pyramid.”
Katya nodded gratefully, but she couldn’t ignore her mother’s anger forever. She had the sense to realize her mother was as much frightened as furious. Swallowing her own temper, Katya said, “I’m sorry, Ma. It’s all I can say.”
Her mother’s face softened, but still she shook her head.
“My life will always be in danger.”
Da rested his hand on her shoulder. “We know that, my girl. My brother didn’t die so long ago that we’ve forgotten.”
Ma covered her mouth and turned away. Katya swallowed hard, knowing her mother had just pictured her dead. “I’m so sorry I scared you.”
Ma squeezed Katya’s arm hard, her eyes misty but her cheeks dry. “Be more careful.”
“I will, I promise.”
Da clapped her on the shoulder and wrapped her in a bear-hug until she wheezed. “Crowe is gathering the Order in the summer apartments.”
“I’ll go right after I dress.”
“Come on, Cat. Let’s leave our girl to her duties.”
When Katya reached her summer apartments, the rest of the Order was waiting. Maia’s face was pinched and expectant; Crowe frowned at the tabletop, and Brutal seemed sleepy with his drooping eyelids. Pennynail’s Laughing Jack mask had the same maniacal grin, and Katya had to restrain herself from ordering him to face the wall. It looked to be a long night.
“They were all dead,” Brutal reported as she sat down.
Katya didn’t need to ask who he meant. She wouldn’t mourn the deaths, just the circumstances. “How is Starbride?”
“I wedged a little pyramid above her door when no one was looking,” Crowe said. “It will alert me if anyone approaches her room with ill intent, unless of course that person is a pyradisté, and then it won’t be able to read his or her thoughts.”
“Can’t you use one of the defensive pyramids like in the royal quarters?” Maia asked.
“Oh yes,” Crowe said, “an exploding pyramid in the halls where everyone can pass is an
extremely
good idea.”
“Peace,” Katya said. “What happened to the bodies?”
“Being slowly digested at a pig farm.” Brutal jerked his thumb at Pennynail. “The people he knows.”
Pennynail tapped the temple of his mask and then laid the backs of his hands under his jaw, tilting his head coyly. “You’re not just a pretty face,” Maia said. He tipped her a salute, though no one laughed at the joke.
With a loud thump, Brutal dumped a bag on the table. “This was everything of significance that they had.”
Crowe leaned forward to sift through the coins and handkerchiefs, one belt knife, three masks, and a blood-spattered bag of sweets. Katya’s stomach rolled to the left. “The pyramid?” she asked.
“Darkened. We broke it just in case.”
Crowe nodded, finishing his sift. “And the shop?”
“Supposed to be empty. The owner was an elderly man, deceased. Most of the stock was his, but the traitors added a few things.”
“Articles embroidered with Fiendish script,” Crowe said.
Katya started in her chair. “Is that why…?”
“You felt compelled? Yes. I should have seen it! But it’s so hard to spot if you’re not looking for it or if you’re not…”
“A Fiend,” Katya finished. “Someone whose Aspect can present. I didn’t know what it was.”
“You cannot blame yourself,” Crowe said.
“Yes, I can!” She banged the table, making Maia jump. Her mother’s worried face streaked through her memory. “I was a fool! I made myself a target. I put Starbride in danger. I have underestimated these people time and again.”
No one responded. Katya forced herself to calm down. A headache began to pound through her temples, and her replacement necklace tingled against her chest.
“Isn’t that the best trap?” Maia asked at last. “The kind that fits in with everything else? The kind you can’t see, no matter how hard you look?”
“One thing is certain,” Katya said. “We need to get ahead of these people.”
Crowe glanced up, his expression grim. “You have something in mind?”
“Who knew I was going out into the city with Starbride?”
“Us,” Brutal said.
“Your parents,” Maia added.
Pennynail knocked on the table. When they looked at him, he made a shadow puppet of a horse on the wall. “The grooms,” Crowe said.
Katya pointed at him. “Right. And how could the grooms have known where we were going?”
“Well.” Maia rubbed her chin. “They knew you weren’t leaving Marienne. If you were going to the forest, you would’ve had water skins at the very least, maybe even a picnic hamper.”
“The royal grooms are supposed to have tight lips.” Crowe frowned. “They had to know you were riding out in the morning on the night before, so they could have your horses ready. The Fiend speech, however, could have been in the city for a long time, or someone could have put it up in a hurry. I have to wonder what these people were hoping to accomplish. Were they going to parade you through the streets once the Aspect had presented?”
Maia looked sidelong at Pennynail. “The masks made them feel safe.” He turned up his nose at her and crossed his arms.
“They expected to survive.” Brutal waved at the pile of goods on the table. “Not a decent weapon among them.”
Crowe’s eyes darted around the room as if searching for the answer. “So, they knew about the Aspect, but had no idea as to the capabilities of the Fiend.”
“They don’t care about the means,” Katya said softly. “If torturing Starbride hadn’t worked, they would have killed her, but look where they started. They didn’t even try hitting her; they went straight to maiming.”
Maia shifted in her seat, and Brutal’s serious face turned even more so. Pennynail was unreadable, but Crowe stared at her with sympathy. “You’ll stop them, and we’ll help.”
“You’ll interrogate the grooms by pyramid.”
Crowe sat back. “Are you certain?”
Katya kept her gaze steady. “Look for anyone the grooms spoke with about me as well as any gaps in their memories made by someone who used a pyramid on them before.”
“Do you recall the pyramid in the shop? Someone with that much skill will have covered his tracks. I’ll have to dig deep into the minds of the grooms if the pyradisté has hidden his presence. The danger to them is—”
Katya thumped the table. “This is where we start. Interrogate them one at a time, with or without their permission. Do it, Crowe.”