throbs and I realize I’m clenching my jaw so hard my teeth are grinding together.
My solitude comes crashing down on me. Where are Raven and Ash? Have they been caught? My empty stomach contracts at the thought of Ash once again thrown into a cell. Ash, with his head on the chopping block. Raven, sent back to the House of the Stone. Or worse—side by side on a matching block with Ash.
I squeeze my eyes shut and will the images to disappear. I don’t know anything and thinking the worst will not help. I press the heels of my hands against my eyes and a flurry of sparks appears in the darkness behind my lids.
The base of my skull begins to buzz.
I have a wild, fleeting thought that I’ve snapped from the stress before I remember the arcana. I gasp and struggle with the knot I made in my hair, so many lifetimes ago, when Annabelle was still alive, and I lived in the Duchess’s palace.
I finally tug it free, barely feeling the sharp sting when a few hairs come out with it. It rises in the air, hovering inches away from my face.
“Lucien?” I whisper.
His voice comes across immediately. “Where are you?”
“I . . . I’m . . .” I don’t know how to answer him. I have no idea where I am. “I’m in the Bank.”
“What happened? Why didn’t you make it to the safe house with the others?”
“I got—oh, Lucien, are Raven and Ash okay? Are they there?”
“Yes, but what happened to you ?” Lucien’s voice is clipped, impatient.
Raven and Ash are all right. They’re safe. My legs melt into the couch.
“We got separated,” I say. “And then I ran into a friend, another surrogate. Someone I knew from Southgate. I’m hiding in her attic.” I want to hold the arcana, cradle it in my hands but I don’t know whether touching it will end the communication or harm it in some way.
“What do you mean? Who is she?”
“I literally ran into her. I knocked her down in the street. I didn’t even know she lived around here. But she’s a good person, Lucien. She helped me. We can trust her.”
“Violet, we don’t know who we can trust.”
“Well, she was my friend and right now she’s all I’ve got.”
“She doesn’t have a key. You must always ask about the key.”
“Garnet doesn’t have a key.”
“Did you ask him if he does?”
“. . . no.”
There’s a long pause.
“What is your friend’s last name?”
“Deering,” I say. “Her name is Lily Deering.”
“Lily Deering,” he repeats. “I’ll find out where you are.” He sounds disgruntled.
“We did everything we were supposed to,” I insist. “Someone recognized him.”
“I’m glad you’re safe.” I can sense Lucien holding back what he’d really like to say, and again, I worry that he’d be happier if Ash had been arrested in that market. If that was what he intended all along. “We’ll speak again soon.”
“Wait!” After everything I’ve been through, I’m tired of all the mystery. I deserve some answers. “I’ve followed your orders. I’ve done what you asked, but you haven’t given me a single, solid reason why. Why is this worth it? Why am I worth it?”
There is another long pause.
“Are you happy with the way this city is run, Violet?”
“You mean, the royalty? You know I how I feel about them.”
Lucien sighs. “You are not seeing the larger picture. This is not just about surrogates. This is about an entirepopulation enslaved to serve the needs of the few. And it gets worse with every passing year. You have a power that you cannot even begin to comprehend. I am trying to help you realize that and do some good with it.”
“And yet, you don’t tell me what you want, or what that power is, or how I’m supposed to help. Let me help , Lucien.”
“Do you honestly think that all the Auguries are good for is making healthy royal children?”
I suppose I hadn’t really thought about it. I don’t like using the Auguries at all, so I never considered there could be another
My solitude comes crashing down on me. Where are Raven and Ash? Have they been caught? My empty stomach contracts at the thought of Ash once again thrown into a cell. Ash, with his head on the chopping block. Raven, sent back to the House of the Stone. Or worse—side by side on a matching block with Ash.
I squeeze my eyes shut and will the images to disappear. I don’t know anything and thinking the worst will not help. I press the heels of my hands against my eyes and a flurry of sparks appears in the darkness behind my lids.
The base of my skull begins to buzz.
I have a wild, fleeting thought that I’ve snapped from the stress before I remember the arcana. I gasp and struggle with the knot I made in my hair, so many lifetimes ago, when Annabelle was still alive, and I lived in the Duchess’s palace.
I finally tug it free, barely feeling the sharp sting when a few hairs come out with it. It rises in the air, hovering inches away from my face.
“Lucien?” I whisper.
His voice comes across immediately. “Where are you?”
“I . . . I’m . . .” I don’t know how to answer him. I have no idea where I am. “I’m in the Bank.”
“What happened? Why didn’t you make it to the safe house with the others?”
“I got—oh, Lucien, are Raven and Ash okay? Are they there?”
“Yes, but what happened to you ?” Lucien’s voice is clipped, impatient.
Raven and Ash are all right. They’re safe. My legs melt into the couch.
“We got separated,” I say. “And then I ran into a friend, another surrogate. Someone I knew from Southgate. I’m hiding in her attic.” I want to hold the arcana, cradle it in my hands but I don’t know whether touching it will end the communication or harm it in some way.
“What do you mean? Who is she?”
“I literally ran into her. I knocked her down in the street. I didn’t even know she lived around here. But she’s a good person, Lucien. She helped me. We can trust her.”
“Violet, we don’t know who we can trust.”
“Well, she was my friend and right now she’s all I’ve got.”
“She doesn’t have a key. You must always ask about the key.”
“Garnet doesn’t have a key.”
“Did you ask him if he does?”
“. . . no.”
There’s a long pause.
“What is your friend’s last name?”
“Deering,” I say. “Her name is Lily Deering.”
“Lily Deering,” he repeats. “I’ll find out where you are.” He sounds disgruntled.
“We did everything we were supposed to,” I insist. “Someone recognized him.”
“I’m glad you’re safe.” I can sense Lucien holding back what he’d really like to say, and again, I worry that he’d be happier if Ash had been arrested in that market. If that was what he intended all along. “We’ll speak again soon.”
“Wait!” After everything I’ve been through, I’m tired of all the mystery. I deserve some answers. “I’ve followed your orders. I’ve done what you asked, but you haven’t given me a single, solid reason why. Why is this worth it? Why am I worth it?”
There is another long pause.
“Are you happy with the way this city is run, Violet?”
“You mean, the royalty? You know I how I feel about them.”
Lucien sighs. “You are not seeing the larger picture. This is not just about surrogates. This is about an entirepopulation enslaved to serve the needs of the few. And it gets worse with every passing year. You have a power that you cannot even begin to comprehend. I am trying to help you realize that and do some good with it.”
“And yet, you don’t tell me what you want, or what that power is, or how I’m supposed to help. Let me help , Lucien.”
“Do you honestly think that all the Auguries are good for is making healthy royal children?”
I suppose I hadn’t really thought about it. I don’t like using the Auguries at all, so I never considered there could be another
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