Chapter 23
Twenty-Three
ALLETTE
It would seem as though I am the only person in this room who doesn’t know who this Cadoc Carew fellow is. From the crestfallen look on Senan’s face, Carew mustn’t be an upstanding citizen. When I ask, the men exchange narrowed-eyed looks, as if daring one another to be the first to tell me.
In the end, it’s Braith who comes to my aid. “Cadoc Carew is the largest dust dealer in the realm.”
What does a dust dealer want with the princess? The obvious answer would be for ransom, but if he sent ransom demands to Nimbiss, then surely the King of Nimbiss would realize Kumulus had nothing to do with her disappearance.
Senan turns toward his brother. “You need to tell Boris. He can send the guards?—"
Jeston throws up his hands. “Absolutely not. If Carew catches wind of an attack, he’ll kill the princess himself. Believe me when I say he will find out. The bastard has eyes and ears everywhere. Guards on his payroll. Spies in the castle.”
“We can’t just leave her there,” Braith says.
She’s right. If we cannot trust anyone but ourselves, then… “Is there any way we could save her without the king’s help?” I ask.
Aeron groans, his head falling back against the chair. “What would you suggest? Waltzing up to Carew’s front door and asking nicely?”
“Watch the tone, Terry ,” Senan growls, shooting his brother a warning glare.
While I appreciate my prince coming to my defense, I do not need his help dealing with Prince Pleasant.
“She needs to know what we’re up against,” Aeron says. “Cadoc Carew decorates his rooftop with the severed limbs of fae who have crossed him.”
“Does that mean you know where his hideout is?” Or is this man’s infamy yet another one of the many lies we’ve been told?
“It’s not much of a hideout, my love,” Senan says. “Carew owns the tallest tower on Dread Row.”
Not a lie then. A terrible truth.
It’s no surprise that someone with such dark dealings would set up operations in the seediest neighborhood in Kumulus City. I might never have heard of the man, but I have heard of Dread Row. Tales of the wickedness there would be enough to make a grown woman afraid of the dark. “If they know where he is, why hasn’t the king done anything to stop him?”
Jeston chuckles, then sobers as quickly. “Sorry. I thought you were making a joke. Carew has been lining the king’s pocket for years. In exchange, the royal guards turn a blind eye to his less-than-ethical way of doing business.”
Braith stares at him, mouth agape. “How do you know all of this?”
I’d love to know as well. Who is Jeston that he would have such intimate knowledge of a very dangerous man?
“When my mother got sick, I couldn’t afford her medication. I was already working two jobs and barely had a few hours for sleep. I heard Carew was looking for help, and I offered in exchange for coin. It was only supposed to be a few vials, but once he gets his claws into you…” Jeston drags a hand through his hair. “The king may rule above the clouds, but Carew owns the streets below. I’d hoped to escape with the staff going to Nimbiss but when that didn’t happen…” He shrugs.
Now that he mentions it, I recall him saying something about being part of the household staff sent to Senan’s new kingdom. How awful, to be in such a situation where your only choice is to watch your mother succumb to illness or be forced to work for an evil man like Cadoc Carew.
Senan eases forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “That’s how you knew about the antidote.”
Jeston nods.
That’s right. The antidote… With all this talk of the missing princess, I almost forgot. “If we needed more, would you be able to get it?”
Jeston rolls his eyes. “Sure. Why not? I mean, if you’re planning on saving the princess, you can just swing by Carew’s safe on your way out and grab some yourself.”
Senan’s head falls back against the cushion as if he has already given up.
“Fine,” Aeron clips, frustration bracketing his pinched mouth. “Jeston, you and I will go to Dread Row to retrieve the princess and the antidote.”
“I’m sorry, but are you serious?” Jeston presses a hand to his forehead. “They’ll know who you are the moment they see you. And me? Carew would hunt me down, tear me limb from limb, and add me to his rooftop. Not to mention what he’ll do to my mother.”
“What if we offer you protection?” Then he can be safe.
“No offense, Goldie, but you can’t even protect yourselves. That is what you’re doing here, isn’t it? Hiding so the king can’t find either of you.”
“They can’t offer protection, but I can.” Aeron flattens his palms on his thighs, his expression tortured like the kind offer physically pains him. “Help us and I will give you sanctuary in Stratiss.”
Silence stretches as Jeston stews for a moment, his jaw working. “You must give my mother sanctuary as well.”
“Done.”
“And I want a house far from Kumulus along with a decent wage for the rest of my days.”
“ Fine .”
Jeston pushes to his feet, holding out a hand. Aeron gives him a firm shake.
Now that they have the details of the agreement squared away, we need to figure out a plan.
Senan sits up, a determined set to his jaw. “This is my fault. I’ll be the one to go with you?—”
“The duster prince?” Jeston chuckles. “Pretty sure Carew commissioned a portrait in your honor from all the gold you’ve given him.”
He’s right. Not to mention, if the king’s guards stumble upon Senan, there’s no telling what will happen. I would never ask Braith to risk her own life, which leaves only one other person. “I can do it.”
The thought of being able to help instead of remaining on the sidelines sends a jolt of adrenaline rushing through my veins.
“No,” Senan and Aeron blurt in unison.
Surprise, surprise. The men have an issue with a woman coming to the rescue. Well, that is too bad, isn’t it? “You don’t get to tell me what to do.” I am free to come and go as I damn well please.
Braith’s chin lifts in defiance. “That’s right. She is her own woman.” To me, she says, “I would volunteer, but if I’m not back at the castle by sunrise, I won’t have a job.”
While I appreciate the sentiment, this isn’t her fight. Besides, she has already done more than enough by offering us a safe place to hide.
“It’s too dangerous,” Aeron counters, looking every bit like a man used to getting his way. I can’t wait to disappoint him.
“Life is dangerous. Does that mean we must stop living it?” I spent four years in the human realm being cowed and told what to do. That season of my life has passed. It is high time I take back some of the power they stole from me.
That starts by saving my prince and his little brother.
Bracing my elbows on my knees, I lean forward, looking to Jeston for direction. “Do you have a plan?”
Jeston stares down at his boots, the wrinkles across his brow deepening. “The princess is locked in a cage, so we’ll need to retrieve the key before going to Dread Row. Cadoc is a paranoid bastard and always keeps it on his person. He spends most of his nights in Serpent’s, so finding him won’t be an issue.”
What is Serpent’s? Is it a bar? A gaming hall? Either way, it sounds seedy.
Senan drags both hands through his hair, his face draining of color as he pulls me back against him. “No fucking way.”
Braith grimaces, and Aeron, well, he is scowling but his eyes are murderous and trained on Jeston. This Serpent’s place must be awful.
“What is Serpent’s?” I ask.
Senan’s mouth clamps shut, his jaw pulsing. I hardly expect his brother to be forthcoming, so that leaves Braith or Jeston. I pin my hopes on my friend, giving her shoulder a poke.
Braith’s cheeks turn as rosy as her mother’s. “Serpent’s is… It’s a…um… Well, it’s a den.”
That doesn’t sound too terrible. The burrows are dens as well, aren’t they? Perhaps this Serpent’s place won’t be as bad as everyone believes.
“A fucking flesh den,” Aeron growls. “Only the most elite criminals in the realm can gain entry.”
Jeston holds up a finger. “Elite criminals and workers .”
Senan’s arms begin to tremble. “Over my dead body is my girl going into that hellhole.”
“It will be over your dead body if we don’t get the bloody antidote,” I say. “And have you forgotten your little brother’s life is at stake as well?” I haven’t.
If sneaking into some seedy establishment can save them both, I’m going to do it. “So we go to this den, and then what?”
“Then I find a way to steal the key.”
Steal a key from a murderous dust dealer. Sounds like a bloody brilliant idea to me. “Do you think he’ll let you get close enough?”
“Being the House Master at Kumulus Castle has its advantages. I’ll tell him that there’s news from the castle. The only problem is that I’ll be searched on the way in and on the way out,” he adds with a poignant look in my direction. “I’ll have to give the key to you.”
The only problem? I can think of about a hundred, the most pressing being that we are plotting to steal from a man with a garden of severed limbs on his rooftop.
“What makes you think they won’t search me?” I ask.
“They never search the women in Serpent’s.”
“Why is that?” Women can be thieves and assassins too.
Aeron curses. “Because the women in Serpent’s are usually naked.”