Chapter 64

Chapter 64

T he council summoned them a week after the Queen's death.

In politics, you can tell a lot about your enemy based on who they send to negotiate. If your enemy wants war, they'll send a general. If they want peace, they'll send a diplomat.

The council sent Sana.

"Did you know the front door to your building is broken?" Were Sana's first words when Fey opened the apartment door. "And the windows are all shattered?"

Fey knew. Alice had fit the window frames with wood planks, to keep out the elements, but the lobby and door were just as broken as they had been the night Alastair had come to find her. The night he had discovered what they were.

"I know," Fey answered. Her voice sounded scratchy. It still hurt to speak with the damage in her throat.

Sana licked her lips, looking concerned. "Is it safe for you to be here, with the door like that? Anyone could come in, Fey."

"Like you?" Fey asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Sana's answering frown was the closest to a scowl Fey had ever seen her make. It was almost endearing.

Almost .

"We're fine," Fey insisted with a smile. "Do you really think anyone would be stupid enough to break into this place? With the most powerful Witch in the realm living here?"

She'd meant it as a joke, but there was enough truth in it to make Fey immediately regret saying it aloud. Though the antidote continued to be dispensed to Witches in the outer octants, all the reports coming in were the same. Most Witches who had been given Allium had been cut off from a single element, and a handful had been found with three full powers. Joy fell into that category. With her antidote, her gift of Air had become even stronger, and now she could call on both Fire and Water.

But, as far as anyone could tell, Fey remained the only Witch aside from Princess Amalia who could control all four.

Merle made a break for the open door, trying to dash between Fey's legs and into the hallway. Fey sighed as she leaned down to grab him, hoisting him into her arms. Two days after they'd left the palace he had shown up, inexplicably, outside of their apartment door. When they'd heard scratching on the door and opened it to investigate, Merle had walked in like he'd been here a thousand times before. Like he belonged here.

Joy had been thrilled. And Alice was thrilled with anything that made Joy happy.

"Come in," Fey said to Sana, as Merle wriggled in her arms, struggling to get down. "Before you let this little monster out."

As soon as the door closed behind Sana, Merle lost all interest in leaving. Fey set him on the ground, stroking him twice. He arched his back against her hand and purred, all ideas of escape vanishing from his fuzzy little mind.

"Have a seat." Fey motioned toward the couch. "Did you want something to drink? Tea?"

"Tea would be lovely," Sana said, sitting on the couch, and folding her hands in her lap.

Fey set the kettle to boil and busied herself pulling two mugs from the cupboards, wincing at how the wound in her side stretched as she reached to grab them.

"How are you healing?" Sana asked .

Of course she'd noticed . Fey sighed.

"Fine," she said, simply. The wound from where Dameon had stabbed her had almost entirely healed now, but the area was still tender. And her voice had yet to recover from the damage Lilith had managed to do to her throat.

"I could have a look if you—" Sana began, but stopped, mid-sentence, her mouth hanging open. A moan came from the nearest bedroom. Unmistakably sexual.

The kettle whistled, and Fey hid her grin by turning away from Sana as she prepared the tea.

That had been Alice. She and Joy had been spending a great deal of time together in that room since they'd been reunited. After their first night back, when all three of them had fallen asleep basking in the comfort of being together, Fey had moved into her own bedroom to give them space. Privacy. She barely noticed the noises anymore.

Joy had forgiven Alice after all. Had forgiven all of them—Fey, for killing her last sister, and Lilith for her betrayal. Love came so easily to Joy, and Fey… Fey was starting to find it was coming easier to her, as well.

"You were saying?" Fey prompted, setting the mug down on the coffee table in front of Sana and taking a seat on the other end of the couch to watch her. She held her own mug with both hands, her face the picture of innocence as Alice moaned again, louder this time, from the bedroom. Joy's voice was too low to hear, but whatever she'd said made Alice moan even louder.

"I… I can't recall." Sana stumbled. Her face was beet red.

Embarrassed, yes, but something else was there as well. Priestesses were forbidden to take lovers, forbidden to indulge in the carnal arts, but Fey had always assumed it was a rule none of them really bothered to follow. For the first time Fey wondered if Sana were, in fact, completely naive to sex.

The look on Sana's face when she glanced at the closed door to Joy's bedroom wasn't judgmental, or disgusted. It was full of yearning. Envy.

"Why are you here, Sana?" Fey asked.

Sana fought to compose herself, picking her tea up from the table and sipping it .

"The council would like to see you," she said. "To see all of you."

Fey set her own tea down, fighting the flicker of anger in her chest that threatened to grow to an inferno. They'd expected this. Or, at least, Alice had. There had to be consequences to killing the Queen, she had said. Someday, probably soon, the council would demand someone be held accountable.

And the three of them would have to be ready to respond.

"And if we refuse?" Fey asked, her voice low and dangerous.

Sana shook her head, sadly. "This is not a demand, Fey, it is a request. From all of us. We want to put this behind us and move forward. For the security of the realm. They only want to talk to you, understand how everything happened."

"You know how everything happened," Fey challenged.

"Please don't fight us on this, Fey. The council doesn't want to be your enemy."

But we could be , was the unsaid warning behind those words. The threat that Sana, sweet gentle Sana, would never say out loud.

Merle rubbed against her leg, and Fey stroked him absently.

"When?" she asked.

"Tomorrow," said Sana. "Midday, if possible."

Fey nodded. "Okay," she acquiesced. Sana didn't need to know that they'd anticipated this. That they'd already agreed to be interviewed by the council if asked. "We'll be there."

The sounds from the bedroom were increasing in volume and pace. Fey continued to act as though nothing was amiss, as though there was nothing unusual about it.

And, from her point of view, there wasn't.

"Would you care to stay for lunch?" Fey asked with a wide smile, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the crescendo of Alice's orgasm. Merle hopped up to the couch, yawning, looking for a place to curl up and lay down. "I think my sisters are finishing up, if you'd care to see them as well?"

"No," Sana said, too quickly, standing so fast she startled Merle from the couch. He lopped away grumpily, shooting her an irritated look and swishing his tail at her as he left. "Thank you, but no. I must be going I think."

Fey watched her escape, Sana's face beet red, and smiled even wider.