Chapter 26 Ren Monroe

An incessant whisper brought her back to the waking world.

Ren groaned, turning over slightly, too weak to really push back to her feet. It was a surprise to find herself unbound. The ghost memories of her time being tortured on that remote farm last year threatened to surface, but this was not that. Still, unbound did not mean free. There were others in the room with her. At least six livestone creatures by her count—and their master, seated in the center of the room.

She'd never met Zell Carrowynd in person. Really, she'd never heard of the woman until Theo mentioned their family at the same party where he'd been exiled. Afterward, she'd been handed the post of warden instead of Theo. All so that Landwin Brood could publicly spite his own son.

Zell's family was a minor house connected to the Graylantians. Ren's research had turned up little beyond that. No romantic relationships. No close friends. She knew the woman was quite cautious, though. After all, Ren had been expecting this meeting weeks ago.

"Ahh," Carrowynd said, leaning forward in her chair. "She lives."

Zell was one of the tallest women Ren had ever met. Even seated, she appeared to be a giant in comparison with Ren. This effect was emphasized by a trio of stone mice that skittered around her ankles, fussing over the shoelaces of her boots. The gargoyle was there too, perched in an open window well above their heads. The last two livestone statues present were the tigresses. A younger version of Ren would have thrilled to see them. Now they looked a bit too menacing for her liking. The two guardians had prowled the docks all her life. Watching as boats loaded and unloaded. Ren remembered there was a running dare amongst Lower Quarter kids to see if anyone was brave enough to tug their stone tails. She'd never met someone foolish enough to try. It took Ren a moment to realize that the whisper that woke her was not from anyone—or anything—in the room.

It was coming across her bond. Theo had felt Ren's absence. That sudden departure from awareness would have been quite startling for him. She tried her best to communicate a feeling of comfort back to him. She was alive. She was all right. At least for now.

"You're Zell Carrowynd."

"And you're Ren Monroe."

Ren nodded, and immediately regretted it. Wincing, she touched the back of her head. The source of all that throbbing pain was there—though the blood felt like it had long dried.

"How long was I out?"

"A few hours."

"Did you really have to hit me on the head?"

Zell shrugged. "I'll only feel bad about that if you have the right answers to the questions I'm going to ask you."

Ren almost nodded again but caught herself. "Ask them."

"I was… approached. By an heir to one of the great houses."

Approached. Ren could tell that was a very carefully chosen wording. The warden of Kathor could not be hired or requisitioned. It would be illegal to ask an official servant of the city to serve the interests of one specific house—though Ren knew it happened all the time. She also knew exactly who had approached Zell. None other than Thugar Brood.

Ren felt the great satisfaction of a correct guess. Landwin Brood wasted nothing. He did not rule one of the great houses because he was a fool. Theo's appointment as warden would have extended their family's power to an entirely new sphere of influence. Ren knew he wouldn't sacrifice that entirely. It was clear to her then that he'd cut a deal with the Graylantians. He would deter Theo so that one of their candidates might replace him, but only if the Broods had access to them. It fit their family's cutthroat business mentality. Sacrifice a child's happiness for the family's greater gain. Ren was starting to enjoy how predictably conniving they were.

"And what was it that Thugar Brood wanted you to do?"

Zell's face gave away nothing. Her little mice had skittered all the way up one leg and were now racing one another across the straps of Zell's leather jacket.

"He asked me to destroy your bird."

Of course he did.

Ren felt indescribable satisfaction watching another piece of the puzzle click neatly into place. She'd researched Zell rather thoroughly. There really was so little on paper about her. Almost no news clippings at all. Balmerick had next to nothing in its records. The only real point of emphasis, then, was how disconnected she was from the rest of the world. Ren had figured out what Landwin Brood simply couldn't imagine: Zell loved stone more than people. She'd grown up training with statues—as Theo had with Vega—but her only friends had been the three mice who were now playfully looping in and out of her loose hair. Men like Landwin Brood saw the livestone creatures as tools. A number of previous wardens had seen them that way too. Not Zell Carrowynd. These were her friends.

"Which you didn't do."

Carrowynd sighed. "Of course not. The only time a livestone being should come to harm is in defense of the city—or if it goes feral. We've had to put them down before, but only as a last resort. Which brings me to my first question. Why would they want to kill your bird? Most houses view a livestone creature as a prized possession. Like enhancers. It gives them an edge over the others. So why would they make that request of me?"

"The answer is simple: Landwin Brood does not approve of my relationship with his son, Theo. He approached Theo about breaking our bond—and Theo refused. Then he offered me a position in another house to sever the connection—and I refused." Ren was providing these details because she knew it would make everything feel more despicable to Zell's sensibilities. "Killing Vega was the only other way. After all, she was the conduit for our bond."

Understanding dawned on Carrowynd's face. It was a shocking revelation, but not to Ren. She'd seen this moment coming like clockwork. Landwin Brood was too cunning not to notice. His scouts would have observed her usage of Vega. From there, Brood would have realized that the reason they shared a vessel was that it was used to perform the ceremonial bonding spell. A person could not fully destroy livestone. Banish it, perhaps. Wound it, yes. But only livestone creatures could kill other livestone creatures. Landwin Brood had followed all of this to the inevitable conclusion: he could command Carrowynd to order her statues to kill the bird on the Broods' behalf.

"I hope they at least told you a good lie," Ren said.

Carrowynd nodded. "They said you stole Vega from his son through dark magic."

"Dark magic," Ren repeated, smiling. "I suppose love can feel that way sometimes."

Hearing that, Carrowynd took her feet. She looked incredibly annoyed.

"Well, this was a colossal waste of my time. If you bonded through Vega, that means she chose you too. She's a living creature. It would have been well within her rights to reject your request. Which means Vega trusts Theo—and she trusts you. I refuse to destroy a living creature solely because it suits the whims of House Brood. You are free to go."

The gargoyle had watched in silence, motionless. Now it swooped down from the rafters. Ren watched the creature unfold its wings. Vega came tumbling out. Ren heard a mournful cry as the hawk righted itself and fluttered up to her shoulder. She couldn't tell if she'd forgotten the pain of having the bird there or if it was clutching tighter out of fear.

"You're safe now," Ren whispered. "Welcome back."

The gargoyle had trundled over to the door. It was reaching for the handle when she spoke.

"Wait. I have more to discuss."

Carrowynd turned back with suspicion. This was always going to be the delicate part of their transaction. Ren needed to ask something of her without appearing to be just like the Broods. Once more, she planned to appeal to the woman's sensibilities.

"What is it?"

"I want to make a trade."

"Oh? And what could you offer me that the Broods did not?"

"A livestone statue."

That drew a sharp look from Carrowynd. "But you can't give Vega up. Unless you're willing to sacrifice your bond?"

"No, I won't do that."

Ren fell briefly silent. She was surprised by the strength with which she'd said those words. She realized they were utterly true. No matter what happened, she was not willing to leave Theo.

"I'm not offering Vega."

Carrowynd looked even more curious. She sat back in her chair and signaled to the gargoyle. It took up a guardlike position, leaving the door shut to the outside world.

"Go on."

"I need information from you. In exchange, there's a statue that the Broods use for entertaining their guests." She'd seen it once at Theo's party—and again when she'd visited the Brood estate. "I've witnessed the abuses personally. If you filed the right petition, you could have that livestone's memory examined. There's a bylaw…"

"I know the law. Those petitions never work. The great houses wield too much influence."

"Because no one within the family is ever willing to admit malfeasance."

Carrowynd considered that. "You would go on record?"

"Happily, if you give me what I want in exchange."

The three mice were starting to titter and grow impatient. Ren saw that same impatience written in Carrowynd's expression. This was not a girl who suffered the company of humans very often. Ren needed to get to the point. Luckily, she'd been thinking about how to frame this question for a long time. Livestone creatures enjoyed riddles, and she had a good one for them.

"Ask your creatures this. Where does Landwin Brood not go? What stones has he built but never visited?"

The woman leaned back in her chair. Ren did not see her mouth move, but there was a whisper on the edge of hearing. An answering sound filled the air. Like feet shuffling over stone. Ren watched in fascination. There was all kinds of lore surrounding livestone creatures. Bonded as they were to the city's defense, Ren knew they could all communicate with one another. It was also rumored that they were bound, in some deep way, to every stone in the city. Not just the enchanted stones that walked and talked. They knew every building, every bridge, every tower. Her mother used to say, "If these walls could talk," and Ren suspected they could, and did.

After a time, the strange whispers ceased.

Carrowynd's eyes narrowed. "47 Farthing Road."

Not one of the Broods officially registered addresses. How very curious.

"And I trust that address will not be mentioned to anyone else?"

"If you give me the details about that statue, I will keep your secret."

Ren could not help smiling. It wasn't her secret. It was Landwin Brood's secret.

"Deal."