Ruins of bone, p.46
Ruins of Bone, page 46
“The window?” He blinked rapidly. “Really, Miss Caldwell, there’s no need for that. Just allow me a moment, and I’m sure I can manage it.”
Once more he braced himself, and as he did, the strands of shadow abruptly withdrew. This time, when he slammed against the door, it flew open. “See now, all’s well.”
“Thank you, Dr. Fulton.” Jade charged out before me, and I hurried after her into the antechamber, where Dreda stood conversing with Lord West.
Her features held a slight glow of pleasure, the influence of his glamour clear. Yet the pendant at her neck pulsed with a green-gold light—was it protecting her, or had it failed before a superior force?
Languidly, Lord West turned to regard me. “Miss Caldwell, what a pleasure to find you here. I’ve enjoyed becoming acquainted with your companion. You never told me how lovely she was.”
Her flush deepened. Oh, please no—if I’d brought her to Withern to have her fall prey to Lord West . . . It was unthinkable.
“As it turns out, she’s just agreed to accompany me on a stroll,” he said.
Jade planted herself between me and Lord West, her fur bristling, and I drew myself upright. “I’m afraid she cannot join you. It would interfere with her duties as chaperone.”
“You’d deny her this small pleasure?” His obsidian eyes gleamed, mocking me.
“It is not for you to interfere with the terms of her employment. She’s obligated to fulfill her duties.”
When I spoke, Dreda became still, her gaze lowered—had my words wounded her? Never mind, I couldn’t consider it now. I must separate her from Lord West.
“I’m afraid I have her agreement on this as well as other matters. You might even say it’s binding.”
My eyes drifted to her upper arm. A mark of gleaming silver wove about it. And the sound of his voice fell away before the rush of my pulse.
I’d failed her. Riven had warned me that the only way to stop Lord West was to remove him, and I’d been so afraid of the cost that I’d hesitated. Now he’d claimed Dreda—for what purpose? I stepped between them. “I don’t suppose you’d consider other company instead?”
“Are you offering?”
“I am.”
“What an unexpected pleasure.” He held my gaze, his lips curving. “I’ve enjoyed far too little time in your company of late.”
Jade growled low. Don’t go with him.
I have to—I can’t let him hurt Dreda. Just tell Asrina to find Riven. He’ll come before Lord West can cause harm.
This time, perhaps—but there would come a day when Riven must go, and if I’d not dealt with Lord West before then, he’d certainly deal with me.
It is done.
Asrina darted away, and I smiled at Lord West. “I’d be pleased to take the seawalk with you.”
It was open to the public, and at this time of day, it would be full of passersby. Of all my options, it was the safest. I clasped Dreda’s hand and found it cold. Was she afraid? Could she sense something amiss? If I could just get her away from Lord West, perhaps I could help. “Do you mind?”
“No, Miss Jessa.” Yet her voice was a whisper. “I know my duties.”
Then she was hurt. I’d encouraged her to pursue other interests, and she’d no notion why I’d interfered between her and Lord West.
His lips curled upward in unpleasant amusement, and he extended his arm to me. “Come.”
I’d no choice but to leave Dreda’s side and take it, to endure the cold of his shadows snaking upward. My muscles tensed as they moved toward my shoulders. “Tell me what you know of this latest poisoning.”
“That’s a dark subject for a bright day.”
“Nevertheless, what do you know of it?”
“I know that mortals who meddle with what they don’t understand receive the due penalty for their misdeeds.” He continued to walk, slow and unhurried. “You shall come to the same understanding soon enough.”
It took all my effort to maintain a calm facade. Several paces behind us, Dreda followed, her feet dragging. She’d already suffered the afflictions of one Otherkind, and now something in their interactions had left her unlike herself. If only I could speak with her alone, offer reassurance and comfort. What had he forced her into? And where was Riven?
“Are you attending the ball at Holle Castle?” Lord West asked.
“My aunt has accepted the invitation.”
“Excellent. You’ll save me a dance.” The corners of his mouth lifted, baring white teeth. “We’ve much to discuss, and unless I’m mistaken, we’re soon to be interrupted.”
“I have no interest in dancing with you.”
“But you do have interest in the nature of my bargain with your chaperone.” He drew closer, the scent of ancient stone assaulting me. “After all, many have suffered dreadful fates at the hands of servants with divided loyalties. How unfortunate if that became your end.”
Had he coerced Dreda into acting against me? Or did he merely seek to inspire fear? If so, he succeeded. I sought a steady tone. “In the current circumstances, I don’t believe my death works in your favor.”
“Ah, my sweet.” A smile spread slow across his face. “I’ve not forgotten the promises I made you. There are things far worse than death, things that would make you willing to release Kilmere to me—indeed, grant any of my requests, in order to gain relief.” He bent lower still to whisper in my ear. “I’ve almost finished making my arrangements. Perhaps you think Riven will continue to protect you, but you’ll soon find out the truth. You must know, once he’s obtained what he wants, he’ll abandon you and return to his own world.”
Even as he spoke, Riven appeared from around a building, golden with light, Other surging about him like an oncoming storm. “West. You have something that belongs to me.”
“Ah, Lord Riven. I thought I’d see you before long.” Lord West released my arm. “I’ll give her back into your keeping—for now.”
When Lord West vanished, Riven wheeled to face me, his eyes kindling bright. “What possessed you to keep company with him? Even in public, it was a ridiculous risk.”
The words came sharp as daggers, and I flinched. “The alternative was Dreda. He said they’d made a binding agreement.”
Riven muttered an oath. “Miss Twells, come here.”
Instead, she shrank into the shadows, and I couldn’t blame her. Even with glamour veiling his power, he appeared ready to rend someone limb from limb.
“Riven,” I said quietly. “Perhaps a request might better suit?”
The storm charge to the air lessened. “Miss Twells, will you join us?”
Reluctantly, she stepped forward. “As it pleases you, Lord Riven.”
For the merest instant, his gaze flicked to the binding mark. “What did Lord West ask of you?”
“He . . . he wanted me to accompany him on a walk.”
“And what else?”
She pressed a hand to her temples. “I . . . I can’t recall . . . We didn’t talk long.”
“Don’t worry.” I gently touched her arm. “It’s only that Lord West has a tendency to cause trouble, and I was concerned for your safety.”
“Of course, Miss Jessa.” She kept her eyes lowered. “I must ask your forgiveness. I should never have allowed him to distract from my duties.”
I folded my hands in front of me, gripping them tight. She’d taken the wrong view of the matter, but without revealing the whole to her, I couldn’t correct it. Far worse, Lord West had snared her in some unknown bargain. “On the contrary. Were it another man, someone honorable, nothing would have pleased me more than to see you enjoy a stroll.”
At last she looked at me, some of the confusion leaving her eyes. “I understand.”
Yet we were no closer to answers on how he’d bound her. I pressed my lips together to keep them from trembling.
Asrina flittered to my shoulder and patted it with tiny hands. “Why are you upset? Riven’s here now.”
In return, I stroked her wings, their delicate silk beneath my fingers a reminder of how fragile we were before Lord West, all except Riven. “You did well,” I whispered.
But I, on the other hand . . . I’d told Dreda about the dangers posed by fae, and she’d trusted me to protect her. Instead, I’d exposed her to one far crueler than she could ever imagine—and I couldn’t abandon her to his keeping.
In the distance, Kilmere loomed, its dark form resembling a dragon now more than ever. Blight and rot, what else could I do but face it? With his hold on her, with the threats he’d made, I’d run out of time to consider alternate paths. Only one remained.
Riven closed the distance between us. “Shall we still visit the seawalk before your return home?”
“I’d like that.” Once we’d resumed our stroll and Riven had secured a glamour about us, I gathered my courage. “Riven, I . . .”
The words died in my throat, as the bitter, metallic taste of Kilmere, that of forged stone and old blood, rose to choke me.
“What is it?”
I swallowed hard. “If I intended to try to claim Kilmere, how would I go about it?”
He became still, silent. When at last he spoke, his voice was low. “It will require evidence you’ll be a worthy mistress, one that will enhance its power. If you showed it proof you’d fulfill the bargain on its behalf, it would concede more easily. Assuming that’s not what you intend, then you must impress upon it your strength. It’ll be your will against that of Kilmere. If you can overcome its tests, then you will have proved yourself.”
How could I possibly demonstrate the sort of power Kilmere sought, short of offering what it craved? I skimmed my fingers across the lichens on the wall, their stalwart song filling my ears. Though tiny, they made their home upon the rock, drawing from its strength, and I in turn pulled from theirs. “Whatever abilities I possess, they don’t come close to matching the fae lords and ladies of old. What possible impression could I make upon Kilmere?”
This time, Riven led us to the steps that descended from the seawalk onto the rocky shore, where the waves dashed ceaselessly against the stone. “When you see how it tests you, you’ll know the response that must be given. As you did in the heart.”
“And if I fail?”
He regarded me with darkening eyes. “Then I’ll do what I can to bring you out alive.”
Yet it wasn’t likely that Kilmere would release me. If I could not impress upon it my worth—as it judged such things—then it would want nothing more than to be rid of me. I turned to look out over the sea, feeling as battered as if the waves tumbled me over and over in their depths.
It was madness to consider this. Yet Lord West would never relent, and I’d nothing else at hand with which I might stop him.
Riven had seen this end from much earlier. But perhaps it need not be as bleak as I imagined. Perhaps I’d succeed in asserting a claim, and perhaps my claim alone would convince Lord West his cause was futile. Perhaps I need not use it as a weapon against him. Yet the cold sensation from my dream returned, that of its power rising in me, its hunger becoming my own. And despite the brilliant sun above, I shivered.
With Jade at my side, I forced myself over the sea-worn stones of the shore, seeking sure footing. Dreda remained on the seawalk, content to look down on us from a distance.
And Riven strode alongside us, his grace unimpeded by the jagged terrain. “Do you mean to act?”
“I see no other way. Lord West has some claim on Dreda now, and he implied that he’d soon find a way to bend me to his will.” At my side, Jade gave a low rumble. “I don’t know what he has planned, but I can’t let him take Dreda or anyone else. If he’s gone after her, my family could be next.”
“Then we should go tonight, after your family retires.”
So soon—yet it wasn’t wise to delay, however much I desired it. The scent of seagrass swirled amid the salt of the air. “I agree, but there’s other business we need to attend beforehand.”
“Yes. Not least of which is your chaperone. You’d be safest if you allowed me to compel her to speak of the bargain with Damir.”
“It’s clear she doesn’t recall it, and I’ll not see her hurt further.”
“Then you’re embracing unnecessary danger.”
“I’m going to Kilmere.” The words wrenched from me. “I’m doing as you wanted. Isn’t that enough? At least allow me the comfort of knowing her mind remains intact. If I succeed, her bargain with him likely won’t matter.”
But if I failed . . .
“Very well.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “There’s something else—the reason I left you. I went to find and examine the place where the last victim was poisoned while the traces of what transpired were fresh.”
I slipped on a slick stone, and Riven steadied me. “What did you find?”
“Signs of a basilisk.”
“Then it survived.”
He nodded. “But it left no trail coming or going. The only traces of its presence were at the scene, along with those of Tibbons. All evidence suggests he brought the basilisk there in stasis. Most likely, she compelled him to depart Withern afterward.”
“I see.” The jarring call of a sandpiper echoed across the rocks.
“I know you’d hoped otherwise,” Riven said. “But it’s better that we know the truth. Nikol is efficient. I expect he’ll soon bring Tibbons back, and with his help, we should be able to locate the basilisk.”
But what would remain of Mr. Tibbons after? The browns and grays of the stones beneath my feet blurred. On every side, Other hurt those I cared about—or those I was responsible for. I might not be able to spare Mr. Tibbons the reckoning to come, but there was someone I could preserve—Mr. Ellsworth. I turned toward Riven. “Before we go, we need to tell Mr. Burke that Mr. Ellsworth is innocent.”
“And why is that?”
“If we don’t, Mr. Ellsworth will die. His trial is set only a few days from now, and with his confession, they’ll certainly hang him. If we can spare one innocent life, we should.”
“Mr. Burke already knows too much about the Otherworld to be good for his health. You wish to draw him in deeper?”
“No, but I can think of no other way to spare Mr. Ellsworth from condemnation. And knowing what I do of Mr. Burke, this is the choice he’d make.”
“And you trust him?” Riven asked, his voice silky smooth.
Did he know something I did not? “He’s kept silent about my travels in the Otherworld, and he’s shown me nothing but kindness. I’ll grant it’s a risk, but I think it’s a necessary one.”
“Fine, but we tell him as little as possible. Keep Damir out of it—focus on the basilisk angle only.”
I couldn’t argue, since to all appearances, Lord West wasn’t involved in the poisoning—he only lurked nearby like a vulture, ready to prey on the advantage offered by the dead. “Very well.”
“I suggest you send a servant and invite him to tea in the garden or whatever you mortals deem proper.”
It wasn’t proper for a lady to personally invite a gentleman for a tête-à-tête, but to request a stratesman call for information on a case? Certainly it was more reasonable than visiting the Magistry. So I nodded.
“Make it four this afternoon. I’ll join you.” With that, Riven turned, and we began to retrace our steps.
Each one came slower than the last, as weariness took hold. I didn’t want to consider how Mr. Burke would react to the revelation of all I’d withheld. Could he be trusted to keep quiet the truth of the fae influence in Kilmere?
Chapter 40
“A stratesman here for you, Miss Jessa.” Another rap followed, this one firm enough to suggest it was not the first. “Miss Caldwell, do you hear me?”
I pressed upright, the bedcovers tumbling about me. In face of Aunt Caris’s concern after I’d come home and her insistence that I looked far too worn for her comfort, I’d agreed to rest, and when I’d lain down, I’d tumbled into deep, blessedly dreamless slumber. Could it be four already? A quick glance at the mantel clock confirmed it.
“Miss Jessa?”
I hastened to the door, where Mrs. Warren waited. “Please show Mr. Burke to the garden table and bring a tea tray. I’ll be out momentarily.”
When she left, I splashed cold water over my face to clear the residual muzziness. To bring true order to my disarrayed hair would take more time than I wished, since I didn’t have any great confidence that Riven and Mr. Burke could hold a cordial conversation. Mr. Burke had objected to Riven’s presence from the beginning, and Riven had only reluctantly agreed to confide any truth to him.
I wrapped a blue bandeau around the crown of my head to help restrain the effusive curls, brushed a few wrinkles from my muslin gown, and then hurried down the stairs.
I’d convinced Aunt Caris that I needed no caretaking, and she should follow through on her original plan to pay calls with Ada and Ainslie this afternoon. I’d further commissioned Ada and Ainslie to bring a note to Lady Cadence when they called on the Holloway family, warning her of Lord West’s connection to the assault in Avons. I didn’t imagine she’d believe me, but I had to try. Provided they took their time about it, I should be able to hold an uninterrupted conversation with Riven and Mr. Burke.
I slipped out the door. Within the gardens, a joyous rush of song greeted me: sprightly astilbe, vibrant wild rose, and decorous iris weaving together an enchanting melody. I glided toward the wicker table where Mr. Burke waited, and no sooner had I greeted him than Riven strolled around the corner of the house.
Mr. Burke’s shoulders tightened. “You asked Riven to join us?”
“He’s involved in what we must discuss.”
“I see.”
“Burke.” Riven gave him a slight nod before settling with grace onto the nearest chair. “Sit.”
Mr. Burke’s lips pressed into a line, yet he complied. “What’s this about, Miss Caldwell?”
