18. LONNIE

18

LONNIE

THE CUTTHROAT DISTRICT, INBETWIXT

" Y ou said Cross would be here," Scion spat, crossing his arms over his chest.

Ambrose spun toward him, anger flashing in his dark gaze. "I also told you he was going to move his people out of the city in a matter of days. It happened sooner than I anticipated."

I tuned out their bickering and instead turned in a slow circle, scanning the large room for signs of where Cross might have gone. Everything looked the same as usual, though perhaps a bit cleaner than was typical. I noticed that the large wrack of weapons that usually stood by the training ring was empty. I swallowed a lump in my throat, hoping they hadn't needed those weapons for anything more than practice.

"Well, now what?" I asked the room at large.

The silence that answered me was deafening. No one seemed to know what to do, including Ambrose, who'd I'd expected to invent another plan on the spot.

With little else to do, we moved to sit at the deserted bar where Cross, Scion and I had once sat planning how to capture Ambrose. A mostly silent hour later, we'd still not come up with a new plan.

I massaged my temples, feeling discouraged. I'd assumed that the jewel of Inbetwixt would be the simplest to retrieve—given that Cross possessed or at least had knowledge of every treasure in the city. Without his guidance, however, the city seemed enormous, and the task in front of us even more so.

"We could visit the Lord and Lady of Inbetwixt," I suggested half-heartedly.

"No point, love. They don't have the jewel anymore."

"Maybe they know who took it?" But even as I heard my own words, I realized how stupid a suggestion that was. There was only one thieve's guild in the city. If the jewel was stolen, either Cross had it somewhere or he'd sold it. Without him here to ask, there was very little we could do.

Scion glared at Ambrose, his lip curling in disdain. "That's it? You're out of ideas so easily?"

Ambrose set his jaw, looking like he was doing his best not to hit Scion.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes in frustration. I didn't know why I even cared. It wasn't my concern if they liked each other, or could even stand to be in the same room. Still, they'd been inexplicably getting along so much better for the past few days that I thought we might be on the verge of a real truce. Apparently the chaos of last night had put an end to that as quickly as it had begun.

"Does Cross have a vault?" I blurted out, more to interrupt the tension than anything else. "Perhaps if he stashed the jewel somewhere nearby we wouldn't need his help to find it."

"That's a good idea, rebel." Scion swung around on his stool to face me. His expression was perhaps slightly guilty, as if he realized that all the fighting was starting to get to me. "The only problem is I have no idea where it would be. There are thousands of miles of tunnels down here, and half the doors are hidden in the rock."

"I remember," I grumbled. "When we went through the sewers the last time we were here, I never would have been able to find the door without someone pointing it out."

Well, there went that suggestion just as quickly as it had come. I slumped back in my chair, drumming my fingers on the table.

Realizing he hadn't spoken in a while, I looked over at Bael. "What do you think?"

Instead of taking one of the bar stools, or even sitting at any of the small circular tables that took up a large portion of the room, Bael had decided to sit on the floor. He was leaning against the same wall where Scion had once nailed an incubus who had tried to attack me. Fortunately, the body had long since been removed, but I thought I could still see a hint of a blood stain.

At my question, Bael opened his yellow eyes and peered at me, half-lidded. "Were you talking to me, little monster?"

I frowned. He looked worse than I'd felt last night. Like he hadn't slept in days.

Evidently Scion agreed, because he walked around the side of the bar to get a better look at Bael. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Bael began. "…that you need to worry about right now."

I frowned. Clumsy technical truths were never a good sign. If he wasn't feeling well enough to think of a decent misdirection, something was undoubtedly wrong.

Before I could press him further, a heavy door at the end of the room flew open with a resounding bang, startling everyone in the room. In one swift and urgent motion, I was shoved behind the bar by Scion and Ambrose who stood protectively in front of me. Bael, who had seemed to be dozing off, was now wide awake and on his feet in an instant.

Part of me wanted to roll my eyes. I wasn't helpless anymore, yet they were all still treating me as if I was made of glass. Even Ambrose, who had no real reason to care what happened to me aside from the curse, didn't seem to be able to resist the need to shield me.

Maybe that was just fae males in general. Aggressive, over-protective, and too controlling for their own good.

Suppressing the urge to complain, I leaned in close to Bael's broad back and peered around him. My eyes fell upon a mysterious figure who had just entered through the doorway. The person was cloaked in a dark garment, concealing their identity. But as they pushed back their hood, revealing a familiar face with a mischievous grin, my heart leapt with relief.

"Siobhan!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with relief. "Thank the fucking Source."

Siobhan was the closest thing I had to a friend among the thieves guild, and had helped us on several occasions in the past. She was Cross's favorite daughter, and often acted as his right hand on missions for the guild. The last time I had laid eyes on her, she was in the midst of a battle with Ambrose's rebels. I couldn't help but wonder how she would react to seeing him again in this setting.

At my shout, Siobhan's face changed from an expression of suspicion to a relieved grin. "I should have known it was you all, again." she called, striding toward us. "What are you doing here?"

I darted out from behind the protective wall of princes, and hastened to meet her in the center of the room. "We could ask you the same. We thought you'd all left."

"We have," she replied. "But you don't think father would leave this place unguarded, do you? We're taking it in shifts to keep an eye on the base."

"Where is everyone?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Sorry, can't tell you that. Father specifically ordered me not to tell anyone."

"Oh, he did?" Scion drawled, his voice growing louder as he came to stand behind my shoulder. "That fucker. We're supposed to be friends, but he can't even tell me when he's leaving the city unattended."

Siobhan looked up at Scion and smirked. "Sorry, my lord. You can complain to him yourself the next time you see him."

My brow furrowed in annoyance but it had absolutely nothing to do with Cross or the missing thieves. Absurdly, hearing anyone else—particularly someone as pretty as Siobhan—use the phrase "my lord" had set my pulse racing. That was absolutely insane , I told myself firmly. I shook my head quickly. I needed to get a grip.

I looked up at Scion and found him smirking down at me, looking a bit too satisfied for my liking. Clearly he knew—or had guessed—what I was thinking. My cheeks burned.

"So, what are you doing here?" Siobhan asked, clearly unaware of the silent conversation going on between Scion and I.

"Looking for you all," I replied. "We need your help finding something."

Siobhan's grin widened. "Of course you do. Well, I'll help if I can, but I can't leave the den until Arson arrives and that won't be for another two days."

"Hopefully you won't have to," I told her. "Come sit, we'll explain everything."

Siobhan nodded, stepping around me to approach the bar when she stopped short. Her large dark eyes widened as she looked at Ambrose, then she spun back around to look at me. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

I tried to smile, but I was sure it came off more like a grimace. "Another long story."

To my relief, Siobhan merely laughed. "I can't wait to tell father."

It took the better part of an hour to explain nearly everything that had happened since we'd last left Inbetwixt. Fortunately, Siobhan located some food and drinks from a nearby store room, so we were able to eat while we talked.

"I was born there, you know," she said conversationally, when I explained how we'd escaped the Underneath.

I swallowed the sip I'd just taken from my wine and shook my head. "No, I didn't know."

"You didn't?" Scion looked sideways at me, a hint of his old judgment in his gaze. "How could you miss it?"

I scowled at him. "I don't know. Why would I ask?"

"Most wouldn't have to ask because I'm unseelie," Siobhan said. "I wondered if you couldn't tell, since you didn't react when we first met."

"When we first met I couldn't tell the difference between seelie and unseelie. I still can't, actually. You all seemed equally terrifying to me."

She grinned. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

"So why did you leave Underneath?" I asked, suddenly realizing I had no idea how old Siobhan was. She called Cross "father" which had given me the impression she was younger than him, but perhaps not. Among the immortals, age didn't matter much beyond maturity.

"My parents left when Gancanagh came to power," she explained. "Then they were captured and killed by the Lord of Inbetwixt. I was captured as well, but the guild broke me out of prison in exchange for joining up. I've been with Cross ever since."

I frowned. "That sounds like they pressured you. Pulling you out of prison and then demanding service."

"Oh, they absolutely did." She laughed again. "But I wasn't bothered. We find a lot of members in the prisons actually. It's where thieves end up, obviously, unless they have the backing of the guild."

Hmmm. I took another sip of my wine, mulling that over. For some reason, my mind conjured up the image of the young guild recruits I'd seen Cross training the first time we'd visited the den. There were children there barely older than fourteen. Did they also find themselves having to choose between a lifetime behind bars or a lifetime of service to the guild?

"Why did they hate Ganacanagh?" Bael piped up, jogging me from my thoughts.

Bael's tone was all innocence. He'd moved off the floor and seemed marginally better now that he was nursing a glass of whisky in one hand and an enormous tanker of water in the other. His expression was benign, as if his question didn't matter much. Yet I knew he cared about the answer very much–perhaps more than he should.

"Does it matter?" Siobhan asked. "From what I've heard he's not the king anymore."

Bael looked startled. "You heard that already?"

Siobhan looked at Bael shrewdly, and I immediately got the impression that he wasn't fooling anyone. She knew exactly who his father was. I supposed, if you'd ever seen King Gancanagh, it would be hard not to notice that Bael was his blonde double.

"Two months is a long time in the court of Underneath. From what whispers have reached me the entire court is in chaos. Without clear leadership, things have gone bad faster than you could even imagine."

Bael fell silent, looking troubled.

Sensing a change of subject was in order, I drew her attention back to me. "We heard Aine is still living with the guild."

Siobhan wrinkled her nose, looking annoyed. "Yes."

"You don't like her?" I guessed.

"I…she's what she is."

Abruptly, Scion laughed. "She's a bitch," he said in a tone that implied both admiration and affection for his cousin.

"Your words, not mine," Siobhan replied. Though, her expression said clearly that she agreed. "Father is quite taken with the princess."

Scion's grin immediately died, and his eyebrows shot up in mingled surprise and disgust. "Cross…and Aine?"

Siobhan laughed this time. "No, not like that. They're not together. Father merely thinks she's talented."

"Well that tracks," Bael interjected. "If she's finally using her magic regularly, her persuasion ability would be invaluable in the guild."

"It is." Siobhan looked sulky again. "The princess has quickly become part of the inner circle."

I raised my eyebrows. I had no particular strong feelings toward Aine. She was direct and often rude, and had never been overly kind to me. On several occasions, she'd clearly implied that she didn't think I was good enough for her brother or her cousin. However, she'd also wanted to accompany me to Aftermath and had fought the rebels on my behalf.

From Siobhan's tone, however, I didn't think Aine's character was in question one way or the other. I gathered that her resentment was really jealousy over whatever favor Aine had earned from Cross in these last few months.

"Oh," Siobhan said suddenly. "I forgot to mention. Your friend Iola is still living with us as well."

"Really?" I breathed. "Thank the Source. Is she doing alright?"

"Oh yes," Siobhan waved her hand in the air as if shooing invisible flies. "She's not much of a thief, but she gets along well with everyone. I think father may start using her in one of the shops we own as a cover."

I sighed in relief. "I'm glad. If you have a clothing shop, perhaps she could work there. She's a very talented seamstress. Who knows, perhaps you could turn a legitimate profit for once."

Siobhan grinned. "I'll pass that along."

I swirled the last sip of wine in my glass, trying to think what to say next. It was nice to catch up with Siobhan and to hear news of our missing friends, but still we couldn't pretend this was merely a social visit. We needed to find the jewel, and the sooner we did so and got out of the city the better off we would be.

Perhaps a direct approach was best.

"So what about the vault?" I asked. "Do you think we might find the jewel in there?"

Siobhan pursed her lips. We'd told her that we were looking for a lost Everlast family heirloom, carefully hiding the true nature of the jewel without directly lying. That much she seemed to believe, but she hadn't looked happy about helping us look for it. Now, she looked even less pleased.

"I understand what you're asking," she began, "and that this jewel belonged to you all to begin with. But I can't let you into the vault without father's permission."

"Tell us where he is then," Scion demanded. "I'll get his damn permission by tonight."

Siobhan shook her head. "I can't."

I put a hand on Scion's shoulder, sensing he was about to say something rash, possibly offending Siobhan enough that she wouldn't help us at all. He looked down at my fingers then up into my eyes, his expression unreadable.

"Where's the wine seller?" Ambrose said loudly

I jumped, and spun around to look at him. He was sitting cross legged on the floor, his back straight and his eyes half closed. He'd been almost completely silent since Siobhan had arrived, and now when I looked at him I once again saw that disconnected distant look on his face. Excitement bubbled up in my stomach. "Did you see where the vault is?"

He tilted his head toward Siobhan. "She visits there many times in the future."

Siobhan scowled. "By the fucking Source. I'd heard the Dullahan was a seer, but that's eerie."

I grinned. "So I take it he's right?"

She nodded, looking none too happy about it. "I should tell you though, I wouldn't go looking for the vault. It's warded against thieves."

"That's fucking ironic," Scion grumbled.

Siobhan ignored him, speaking only to me. "The traps are good, so even if you did manage to find your jewel you might not get out. And before you ask me to help you break in, I don't know how to disarm them and I don't use combat magic. So, even if I wanted to help you, which I'm not sure I do, I can't."

I sighed, feeling discouraged again. There was a long silence in which I could practically hear Scion's brain working, and Bael gnashing his teeth.

Siobhan sighed. "I suppose I don't have to be a seer to know you're going to try anyway so I'll show you as far as the door, but that's it. Then I'm done."

My excitement returned at once and I grinned, jumping up from my stool. "Thank you. You don't understand what you're doing for us."

"Don't thank me," Siobhan grumbled. "I'm probably walking you straight to your deaths."

"Is it that bad?" I asked.

"Oh absolutely, but even assuming you make it out I would keep one eye open. You might be friends but if Cross thinks you've stolen from him he'll slit your throats while you're sleeping."

To my surprise, Scion laughed. "I genuinely hope he tries. I could use the exercise."