Chapter 35

It wasn't guilt that followed me through the lonely halls of the Syndicate house. I knew my role, and there was nothing to be done about it. But maybe it was embarrassment. I supposed even shame. No wonder Paesha had hated me so easily.

The Maestro kept the whole house busy for days. Paesha hunted someone, Thea and Hollis were crafting at all hours of the night. Quill usually stayed close to the theater with her friends, so it was mostly just Elowen and me. Orin had found every possible excuse to stay away, solidifying the wedge. Elowen went to shop for groceries, and the rest were called to practice for the show. Even the dog had somewhere to be when I did not.

There was only one person I could think of to keep me company. Someone who might have answers to several of my burning questions. But she'd been so distant. Even preferring the company of Orin over me. Still, I snuck into Paesha's room and stood before the familiar mirror, holding my breath. Letting the anticipation buzz below my skin. Hardening myself in case she didn't welcome me.

I'd convinced myself whatever friendship I'd had with Ro was long over. As soon as I wielded no power as a royal, I was of no use to her anymore. But when the silvery reflection rippled, her invitation clear, I hesitated, wondering if I should really face her after all my hateful thoughts these past months.

But something within me needed closure from that part of my life. So, I stepped through the threshold, into the hall of mirrors, and descended the familiar steps to find her standing, arms crossed, waiting for me.

"Took you long enough," she huffed in greeting.

"I've tried to come so many times. You've denied me. You don't get to turn my absence on me when you're in control."

"There's a new king, and he's bad news. I've been spying and busy."

"So that's where you've been? Just lurking in mirrors?"

She scowled. "I don't lurk. I just happen to hear things from my hall. I cannot be held accountable for people with loose tongues."

Narrowing my eyes, I fell over the edge of my fury, letting it show, regardless of the consequences. "I've been married off, assaulted, imprisoned, nearly murdered, homeless, and denounced. I've seen you for five seconds when you ran into me at Lady Visha's, and then you vanished. I understand you're busy, but are you my friend or not, Ro? Just be honest."

Her deep eyes filled with hurt. "Of course I'm your friend. But that doesn't mean I can be available to you all the time. I'm sorry if that's hurtful, but friendship doesn't mean codependency, Dey. I have to keep an eye on this world if I want to survive in it. It's the only way I can protect my friends."

"Friends as in plural."

"Just because I'm your only friend doesn't mean you're mine."

My spine straightened. Maybe I'd relied too much on Ro and this distance was to teach me one of her many lessons. I'd wanted her to confess about Orin, though, and she hadn't. "I have other friends. Good ones. But there's so much pain and history there, I don't know how to navigate it."

"I'll always be here when you need me most, but it's important that you learn to live out there, too. I cannot be your crutch… Come on," she said with a heavy sigh, her cropped brown hair pushing into her face. "Let's sit as we used to and catch up."

I followed her through her quaint little home, swiping the long vines from the ceiling to pass by until we entered her parlor. Of course, everything had been completely changed since the last time I'd visited. "I'm afraid we'd be here for days if we had to go over it all."

She lifted a shoulder. "I've got nowhere to be today. You?"

"I've got nowhere to be, forever, unless Death comes. Because I'm wanted by Icharius Fern." I sat heavily on her plush green couch, letting the full cushions nearly swallow me.

"No one is brave enough to hunt you." She poured tea into two dainty teacups and set a beautiful tray on the table between us. "But the king is trouble. And I'm afraid he's been working with the Maestro, which is an even bigger problem."

"A problem we've already seen. And I'd like to believe that no one is brave enough, but let's be honest. I can be overpowered. My lovely new husband was proof of that." I waited, a subtle nod to the elephant in the room. But she never acknowledged the mention of Orin, so I continued. "I won't kill if I don't have to, and as soon as these idiots start figuring that out, I'm going to be in trouble."

"If they come for you, Deyanira, you will have to. And that's what makes you dangerous. Or have you forgotten those two guards so quickly?"

My skin bristled, cheeks heating as I realized she'd been watching me. "You know I haven't."

"But you saved that child. A child with a lot of power for such a little thing." Ro pinned me with a stare. "Don't you agree?"

"I don't … Are you confirming Quill has magic?"

"You are not the foolish princess you used to be, Deyanira. Why else would the king want her?"

"That wasn't for power. Drexel forced my husband to marry me because he wanted to slight the new king. Icharius took Quill as punishment."

"Interesting theory. But why is Orin being punished by his keeper for following his commands?" She drew the last sentence from me as if she already knew the answer and wanted to lead me down the path of understanding. But I hated the proverbial leash and the upper hand she wielded so casually.

"Because he's a fool and made a deal for my safety, and Drexel is trying to break him, make him ask for something else instead of protecting me."

She swirled a finger along the edge of her teacup, considering the facts. "I think you need to pay closer attention to those you keep company with."

I regarded her with a hint of skepticism, my gaze lingering longer than usual. "What do you know?"

"When it comes to Icharius Fern and Drexel Vanhoff, they keep their secrets locked very tight. I have few facts and many suspicions."

A wash of cool calmness settled over me as I leaned forward, placing the teacup on the table, prepared to slip back into the predator I'd always been. Because, after everything that'd happened, I couldn't trust her any more than I could trust Orin Faber, even if I desperately wanted to.

"And when it comes to my bonded husband and his housemates?"

She thrummed her fingers together, a smile creeping across her face as she matched my energy, scooting in, entering the battle of wits I wasn't sure I was prepared for.

"Why did you agree to stay in their house?"

Wondering if this was a time to stop sharing information with Ro, I chose my words carefully. "Where else would I go?"

"Do not answer a question with a question and expect to get information from me."

"That was a genuine response. My father's castle is abandoned but probably still being watched by Drexel and King Icharius."

"Yet you visited the clock tower to collect trinkets to sell to Visha. You could have slept there."

"And then you delivered me to my husband so he could stab me in an alley and capture me. Which one of us is the asshole here?"

She stood. "He stabbed you because you're a godsdamned fool who wouldn't stay put. You cannot go to Visha and ask for a single thing. She's trouble, and she'll bind you to her, and then where will you be? Naked on the streets? Bent over her filthy couches for whatever scum she welcomes in her doors? A thug? A lackey? Turning Visha into a crime lord with power that will overtake Drexel. That's what you will become. He collects magical people, but you're the ultimate prize here, and somehow you forget that."

"I haven't forgotten a single thing!" I rose to stare into her eyes, irritated that she was so much taller than I was. "You could have let me come here, but you didn't fucking answer. I had nowhere else to go, and I was trying to protect myself. You think I don't know what these assholes want from me? You have no idea what I've been through."

She softened, if only a little. "I know what you've been through. But sometimes we have to take the journey alone. Even if I wanted to be there for you, had I stepped in, would you be where you are now?"

I considered that, deflating. "No. But you make it seem like I shouldn't be there anyway."

"Oh, you definitely need to be there, Dey. You just need to keep your eyes and ears open. Be smart."

"Then tell me what you know and what you suspect, and let me be the judge of where I should and shouldn't be."

"Quill is powerful. But you must keep in mind that they are all bound to Drexel. If he demands it, they must listen. Even if it means lying to you."

"Then how do I free them?"

She faltered, a gasp catching in her throat. "You don't. You stay far, far away from that man."

It didn't really matter if I kept my distance because he was always going to be a problem until I solved it. And I was done with hiding in a house and watching the only people around me suffer because of him. I needed to steer the conversation away from that, though. Ro wasn't going to solve that issue.

Sitting back down, I reached for my tea, casting my eyes to the floor. If she needed to think she'd won this, then fine. Because I had other problems.

"Are we done?"

"I didn't come here to fight with you."

"Then why did you come?"

"I've been trying to find the Life Maiden, and I think that's a lost cause. I've never asked because it would have only been for my father before, but now, I don't know. I just need to find her."

"As she is your counterpart, I think something in you probably urges you to seek that balance of power. But there are no traces that I have seen. Just like the missing people."

I'd almost forgotten about the missing people with everything else going on. Orin had brought them up, as well. And then I remembered that it'd taken me longer to search for a target the time before last. Normally, the magic led me by compulsion because it was nearly sentient and all-knowing. Something within it was also a hunter. But something was wrong. As if the soul had been able to hide.

"The Huntress hasn't been able to locate them either. And one of them she knows. No one can find them, but someone's hiding it."

"Is that why you were with Orin in the Badger Hole?"

A familiar smile of an old friend reached her eyes. "Took you long enough to ask about it."

"Why wouldn't you two just tell me you knew each other?"

"Your new husband is a very private person. And I've only seen you once since then. There was no time for catching up."

I sat back on the couch, examining my nails rather than looking her in the eyes. "How do you know him?"

"Requiem is a small realm. We have similar circles, and our concerns are aligned. No one knows where the missing people are going, but I have a suspicion the new king has something to do with it."

"Do you think the missing people could have something to do with the missing Life Maiden?"

Ro's slanted eyes narrowed carefully as she studied my blank features. I wondered if she'd realized I had steered this conversation with precision. I no longer cared that she'd been with Orin, but if she thought that was the most important thing, perhaps she wouldn't be so guarded with other information.

"Here's what I know. You think everyone is going to find out you don't kill for sport and won't be afraid of you. But everyone thinks these missing people are your victims. I'll admit that even I thought so. Until someone from Misery's End vanished on a night you were accounted for."

"So, they've been watching what I do, and that's why they want me to stay there."

"I think that was maybe the plan at the beginning. But things have changed, and now your husband will not share a single word about you with me."

"And that's why you finally let me in."

"I let you in because we are friends, even if you like to argue and be ridiculous." She reached into her pocket and pulled out the familiar box with my mother's jewel on the top. "How many flowers do you need, Deyanira?"

I sighed. Conversation over. "I need four."

This was a terrible idea.The most dangerous of all ideas I'd ever had. But, as the warehouse filled with some of the most beautiful people this world had to offer, I fell in line with them, shuffling into the space as if I belonged there.

Everyone prepping for tonight's show moved with a purpose, completely unaware of the murderer among them. Women dressed in little more than lace robes sat in a line before the mirrors, applying heavy shades of makeup and gossiping about their boss's newest recruit. A fierce woman holding a clipboard and barking orders directed everyone with a shrill voice. I knew who it was without needing an introduction. They called her Genevieve. And there wasn't a person in the house that cared for her. Not even Quill, who'd befriended a monster—several, in fact.

I kept my back to the woman, moving toward the tunnel to gain entrance to the theater without announcing my presence to Drexel if I could help it. I'd borrowed a green velvet gown from Althea's stash, stole a matching hat from the old man, and had spent the better part of an hour trying to dress appropriately. With my hair tucked and movements no faster than the fifty or so people scrambling about, I blended in well enough.

"That is how it's meant to be worn. This may not be a brothel, but we have a show to put on." Hollis's voice comforted me, even if I didn't want him to know I was there. He'd been tucked in a corner, tightening a corset on a red-haired woman while arguing with another about his latest masterpiece.

If something didn't change, that man would live out his final years tied to the Maestro. And though I knew he loved what he did, there was a better life for him. His level of kindness didn't deserve the entrapment.

Pressed against a back wall, I watched a world I'd never seen before. Quill and Paesha were nowhere to be seen, but I'd kept my eyes glued to Orin as I waited for someone to go down the tunnel. He faced a wall, scribbling frantically onto music sheets, with disheveled hair but dressed in a finely pressed blue suit and boots so shiny I could likely see my reflection. Hollis would allow nothing less.

The aged posters adorning the wall promised shows of grandeur and seduction. Suggestive silhouettes of curvy women in sensual poses had been a common theme amongst them. They drew my attention along the dimly lit space until I found Althea, sitting on a worn-out chaise, studying a giant blueprint of her next contraption, brows knit in concentration, even a pair of goggles on her head.

This was a different world for them. Here, they were different people. The bands on their arms made them servants. But it seemed that they had each found a way to embrace it regardless. The silver lining. Or the perfectly laid trap the Maestro had planned when he'd wrapped them all into contracts.

"Twenty minutes, you scoundrels. We'll start with ‘Satin Sheets Serenade'. Then ‘Ballad of Temptation'will follow."

I didn't miss the way Orin's back straightened, cutting a glance to Althea. She'd made almost the same move. I sank back a little further, shuffling behind a rack of feather boas and sequined gowns.

"‘Masquerade Minuet'is still slow after the bridge, ladies. Get your asses moving. I want no excuses about the shoes this time. It's three and four and then back to your mark."

The woman with curly blonde hair pulled the glasses from her nose, letting them fall until the pearl chain around her neck holding them went taut. "Where's Paesha?"

Thea jumped from her seat and scrambled forward, nearly tripping over the giant metal ring she'd been working on. "She's coming. The boss sent her to work on something else."

The woman rolled her eyes, moving a giant feathered quill across her parchment in earnest.

"No. Please, Genevieve. She'll be here. She promised it wouldn't take that long."

"How I run the boss's show is none of your concern, Althea Washburn. Go… build something."

She waved her off with a hand, and some of the other women snickered. Thea's face turned red, and she tucked her head and hustled back to her work. By the time I left the room, I wanted to punch no less than eighty percent of the people within, starting with Genevieve, who'd spoken down to Hollis twice for the way the women picked at their costumes and then went after Thea again when Paesha sauntered in three minutes late.

The Huntress's eyes found mine before she'd made it three steps into the room. She looked at me and then at the door to the tunnel. Then back to me again with a slight shake of her head. After my conversation with Ro, I believed I'd made a connection I'd missed before, but I would need someone to confirm before I did something I'd ultimately regret.

I beckoned her with a finger and slipped into the tunnel as she approached Genevieve. Minutes later, she stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at me.

"Whatever you're doing here, don't."

"I need you to tell me something."

She snorted, moving down the stairs quickly. "If it's that important, I probably can't."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I know why you hate me, and I haven't had a chance to apologize. If I could take it back and give him back to you, I would. But I can't, and there's only one way to make this right. For everyone."

"Famous last words, Dey."

"Does Quill have power?"

My blunt question was met with a sharp breath. I wasn't sure if she couldn't or wouldn't answer, but I didn't need her to. Not when I could see the answer written on her face nearly as clear as the truth Ro had given. Those in the Syndicate house were my friends, and I was mostly safe with them, but they were keeping secrets. Because they had to or wanted to, I wasn't sure. But none of that mattered.

"I'll see you at the house, Paesha."

"Deyanira," she said, voice low in warning.

I didn't look back.

"Maiden," she hissed.

But her warnings would get neither of us where we needed to be. At least someone knew where I was, in case this night went very, very badly.