Chapter 29 Seraphine

Chapter 29 Seraphine

Seraphine burst into the cloakroom at House Armand without bothering to knock. Theo, who was hunched over the glass island, glanced up at the intrusion, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of her, drenched and shivering from head to toe.

‘What the—?'

‘Any luck with the bloom?' she said, between heaving breaths. She stalked towards him, leaving damp footprints on the polished floor. The island was scattered with crushed leaves, scribbled-on pieces of paper and all manner of tinctures and vials. Theo was holding a jar of grey dust in his hand. ‘Did you figure out the recipe for Lightfire?'

He stared at her. ‘Why are you soaking wet?'

‘I fell in a fountain,' she said, straining to see if he had made any progress. She was vaguely aware of her teeth chattering, but her heart was thundering so fast she barely noticed. She felt dangerously alive, like a lit fuse about to explode. ‘With a Dagger. And a monster.'

Theo set the jar down, very slowly. ‘Are you all right?'

Sera nodded. She was certainly alive. Her body was all right, but her mind was a different story entirely. It was still spiralling, trying to sort through everything – the sight of the monster kneeling at her feet; a helpless pawn… a willing soldier. Then the feel of its cold, mottled skin between her hands and that sigh of relief – so deep, so human – as she freed it – him – with her touch.

And then there was Ransom. Another puzzle she couldn't work out. His kiss burned like a brand against her palm. And saints damn her , she liked it. She wanted more of it.

Oriel, save me from myself.

Her breath quickened as she pictured his face inches from hers, the trail of his fingers along her cheek, the whisper of his worry as he said her name. Why was he worried? Why did he save her? Why did he kiss her?

Why did he look so achingly handsome soaking wet?

‘Seraphine.' Theo was in front of her now, his hands braced on her shoulders. ‘Sit down.' Sera sat, and he went to rifle through a nearby drawer. He returned with a sea-green sweater and soft grey trousers, both of which were far too big for her. ‘Put these on before you catch your death.'

She barked a laugh. ‘Death can't catch me,' she said, snatching them from him. ‘No matter how hard it tries.'

‘You sound… a little hysterical.'

‘I feel hysterical.'

He turned around, affording her some privacy, and Sera clawed back her senses while slowly peeling her sodden clothes off.

‘Start at the beginning. What happened to the monster?'

‘I destroyed it,' said Sera, as her sweater landed in a sodden heap at her feet. ‘Or the necklace did. I touched the monster and the darkness around it fell away. He turned back into a man.' She frowned at the memory. That poor helpless soul mangled by Mama's experiment. ‘Then the necklace exploded. It must have used up all the magic.'

‘So, the Lightfire is gone.'

‘Yes.'

Theo groaned.

‘There's something else,' Sera went on, as she wrestled with the laces on her boots. ‘Lightfire doesn't just destroy the monsters. I think it… calls to them.' She yanked the boots off, and they fell with a clatter. ‘I think the monster was drawn to me. Drawn to the magic in my necklace.'

‘What makes you think that?'

‘Before I killed it, it sort of… bowed to me.'

She watched him stiffen. ‘And what about the Dagger?'

‘The Dagger ran away with the monster's body.' Now, there was a sentence she never thought she'd say. She pulled her trousers off and told the story, deliberately leaving out the part where Ransom had saved her. Three times. Where she had saved him. That kiss. Saints, that kiss . ‘After the necklace exploded, I found a note inside it from my mother.'

‘Please tell me it contained the secret recipe for Lightfire?'

‘Now, why would she ever think to be that helpful?' Sera sighed. ‘She clearly thought she had more time. Or maybe she hid the useful part in my jewellery box, which went up in flames.' Sera pulled the trousers on and rolled them at her ankles, then pulled the sweater over her head, letting it swamp her. ‘Here. See for yourself.'

He turned around and she passed him the note.

‘ The monsters bow to the power of Lightfire, ' he murmured. ‘ Become the flame and destroy the dark .' He gestured at the mess across the island. ‘I've been working on the bloom all day. I can't crack the pathway to Lightfire. It's driving me up the wall.'

Just then, the door swung open, and Bibi and Val stalked inside. Val waved a bottle of brandy about. ‘We swiped this from Fontaine's personal stash, so you know it's like a thousand years old. It's going to be good.'

‘What happened to Cloaks not stealing from each other?' said Theo.

‘Dire circumstances.' Bibi set down four glasses. ‘Sera almost died tonight. Like, a lot .'

‘Drink up,' said Val, pouring the brandy. ‘I assume you've filled Theo in.' She looked between them. ‘So, what do we know for sure?'

‘That Lightfire kills monsters,' said Sera, drinking deeply. Though she had a sinking feeling that her mother's original intention had been to free them. After she used them against Dufort, presumably. But things had gone horribly wrong. By the time Sera had freed the monster in the fountain, his human body was too weak to survive. They had figured it out too late; the poison had burrowed too deep.

‘And it also controls them,' said Theo uneasily.

‘Why would anyone want to control them?' said Bibi, wincing as she sipped. ‘Ugh. I feel like I'm drinking poison.'

‘That means it's working,' said Val.

While the others talked among themselves, trying to unpick the mystery of Lightfire and its hold over the monsters of Fantome, Sera stared into her drink, tracing the whorls of amber.

Tonight had been a maelstrom of terror and confusion, but those parting words from Mama rang in her head now, and she knew at last, and for certain, what Sylvie Marchant wanted. It was what she had always wanted. To destroy Dufort's hold over her family, over this whole damn city.

Become the flame and destroy the dark.

Sylvie hadn't just made an army of monsters. She had found a way to control them, to direct them. She wanted Sera to take that army and use it to kill Dufort. Lorenzo had said it already: Sometimes, it takes a monster to destroy a monster . And Sylvie Marchant had made a whole lot of them, just to be sure.

Bibi waved her hand in front of Sera's face. ‘What are you thinking about? The monster or the Dagger?'

‘I've never heard of a Dagger this bad at his job,' muttered Theo.

‘Maybe he doesn't want to kill her,' reasoned Bibi.

‘No shit,' said Val, taking another swig of brandy. ‘He wants to screw her.'

Sera nearly spat her drink out.

‘You're drunk, Val,' said Theo flatly.

‘Look at her,' said Val, smirking. ‘Damp as a river rat and still drop-dead distracting. You know I'm right.'

Bibi giggled. Theo returned to his drink.

Val jabbed her finger at Sera. ‘And you're blushing.'

‘It's the brandy.'

‘Which is nearly gone,' said Bibi, pouting at the dwindling bottle. ‘Just like the Lightfire.'

‘Cheers, everyone.' Val raised her glass. ‘Looks like we'll soon be monster-fodder. See you all in hell.'

‘Speak for yourself,' said Theo, clinking her glass. ‘I'll be dancing with the saints.'

Sera drained her glass, coming to an uneasy realization. These monsters were Mama's responsibility. And now Mama was gone, they were Sera's problem. She hadn't just inherited a necklace, she had inherited a swarm of monsters. ‘Nobody's going to hell. We'll make more Lightfire.'

‘How?' said Bibi. ‘We couldn't find a single word about it in the library.'

‘That's because Lucille's journal isn't in the library,' said Sera slowly. ‘The Dagger told me it was buried with her.'

There was a sobering silence.

‘You mean it's in the catacombs?' said Val warily.

Theo snorted. ‘It might as well be in hell itself.'

‘Hell or not, I'm going down there.'

They all turned to stare at her.

‘Now, you're drunk,' said Theo. ‘How the hell are you planning to get inside Hugo's Passage?'

‘I don't know yet,' admitted Sera, and perhaps she would have felt uneasy – scared even – if the brandy wasn't warm in her belly, stoking the flames of her courage. If her palm wasn't tingling with the memory of Ransom's kiss.

But now she knew the Dagger wanted that Lightfire just as badly as she did. Perhaps that meant he would help her.

Seeing her friends' matching looks of horror, Sera stood up, plucking her damp clothes from the floor. ‘These monsters were made by my mother.' She picked up Mama's note, the weight of her task heavy in her fist. The guilt around what had become of this city just as heavy on her heart. ‘It's up to me to get rid of them. One way or another.'

Bibi winced. ‘Breaking into Hugo's Passage means crossing enemy lines, Sera.'

Sera almost laughed. After the way Ransom had looked at her tonight, after the way she had touched him, she was so far over enemy lines, she was nearly in Dufort's lap. ‘That's tomorrow's problem,' she murmured. ‘I'm going to sleep.'

A short while later, Sera was standing in the back garden, waiting for Pippin to relieve himself, when Theo appeared.

‘Hey,' he said, slipping his hands in his pockets as he joined her on the back steps.

‘Hey,' she replied, only now noting the dark circles under his eyes. ‘I thought you'd be in bed.'

‘I wanted to ask you a question.'

She raised her eyebrows.

‘You plan to destroy them, don't you?' he said. ‘The monsters, I mean.'

Sera hesitated. ‘What else would I do with the Lightfire?'

He frowned, and she knew they were both thinking of the note, of what Sylvie Marchant truly wanted of her. Not just to kill the monsters, but to first use them to destroy Dufort and his Daggers.

‘Don't worry about it, Theo,' she said, rubbing his arm. ‘You should get some sleep.'

But he lingered on the steps, both of them watching Pippin sniff around a hydrangea bush, pretending they weren't ruminating over the fate of Fantome. He sighed then, turning back into the house. ‘Just remember what happened to Armand Versini. Daggers never lose, Sera.'

Not yet , she thought as she watched him go.

But there was a first time for everything.