Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
H orror coiled in Ronin’s gut as the diva crumpled onto the flagstones.
He shot to his feet, shoving Mireille behind him. The crowd fled their seats, knocking over chairs, trampling each other in their rush to escape the gardens.
“STOP!” Otto shouted, brandishing the bloodied dagger. His command stilled the crowd, who regarded him with terrified eyes and stifled whimpers. “Calm down, friends. Calm down. Allow us to explain.”
Mireille clutched at Ronin’s back, poking her head around his shoulder. He could hear her pulse pounding, could scent traces of her fear.
Otto handed the dagger to Julius Kosera, who wrapped it in a handkerchief. “There is no magic without sacrifice. No divine blessings without proof that we are willing to suffer, even give up our lives.”
“Did Diva Carmina know she was giving up her life ?” Ronin snarled.
Otto turned to him, his eyes glittering with sick amusement. “No. She did not. But her death will not be in vain, this we promise you.”
“Sick bastard,” Mireille whispered against Ronin’s shoulder.
Otto continued, “As gruesome as this act may have seemed, we assure you it was in service of a greater good. One that will benefit most, if not all, of you here.”
The guests eyed each other warily.
“Long before the great war cleaved our world in two, there was a time when all sub-species, not just Windriders, were capable of wielding elemental magics. Water, lightning, even fire. We have researched for centuries, traveled the continent in search of a way to restore these powers. And lucky for you, we believe we have found a method to do just that.”
Mireille squeezed Ronin’s shoulder, her nails digging into his flesh.
“Each performance this week is intended to dishonor the false High Gods . A message sent to the true Creator, Adelphinae. And after the final one, she will bless us all with a transformation.”
“How do you know it will work?” Nero Beruglia shouted.
“We don’t,” Otto shrugged. “But the potential reward is worth the risk, do you not agree?”
Mireille stepped out from behind Ronin. “Tell us how you plan to achieve this. You owe us that much.”
Otto’s fangs popped. “We owe you nothing . You have all come here willingly, availed yourselves of our food and drink and hospitality. Just witnessed the greatest performance of that aria that anyone in Ethyrios has ever seen. And those of you that leave this estate will return to your daily lives as some of the most powerful Fae on the continent. Are you not sick of being subjected to rule by the Windriders? Do you not agree that it is time we Beastrunners and Deathstalkers leveled the playing field?” Murmurs rippled across the crowd. “We do apologize for the shock. Take some time to think. Rest up and relax. Our next event will take place on Thursday at sunset. You’ll receive further details that morning.”
Ronin wondered how many guests would even still be here by Thursday.
The crowd filed out of the gardens, and the human staff herded them back into the house.
“Breakfast will be delivered to your rooms presently,” Otto called out from underneath the smoldering arch. “Thank you for your attention and attendance!”
Ronin and Mireille followed the guests back into the house, then headed up to their room.
He ushered her in, and as soon as he shut the door, she whirled, her eyes darting wildly.
“We need to get the fuck out of here.”
“Now hang on a minute.” Ronin stepped forward as if to touch her, calm her.
She couldn’t stomach the kindness, took a giant step backwards.
He paused, something like hurt mixed with exasperation flitting across his face.
He plopped into a leather armchair by the fireplace. “Let’s talk this through before you make any more impulsive decisions.”
“Impulsive decisions? Otto just murdered Odelle Carmina.”
Ronin rested his elbows on his knees. “Is that really a shock to you? Do you think Larissa Bisere is just having a fucking tea party somewhere on this estate?”
“We need to contact Skanisse and get more reinforcements up here. This is bigger than you and I can handle on our own.”
She sank into the chair opposite Ronin, his face full of grave intensity. “I will not let him harm you, Mireille.”
High Gods, she actually believed him. And that was even more shocking to her than the murder she’d just witnessed.
A knock sounded at the door. “Master Matakos? Mistress Valette? We have your breakfast.”
“Just leave it out there,” Ronin barked. “We’ll come get it when we’re ready.”
The voice chuckled, assuming far more intimate reasons for why Ronin and Mireille weren’t answering the door. “Of course, sir. Just leave the tray outside when you’ve finished. I’ll be back around to fetch it.”
“Look,” Mireille said, “I’ve dealt with plenty of killers before. This isn’t my first dangerous assignment. But you know what’s kept me safe and alive through all of them? My instincts.”
“Oh, like your instinct to jump out of windows?”
She leveled an icy glare at him. “Something even more dangerous than we imagined is happening here. We need. To contact. Skanisse .”
“Fine.” Ronin rose from his chair and strode to the nightstand to grab his commstone. He placed the violet stone beneath his ear, then closed his eyes and said, “Hugo Skanisse.”
He waited several seconds, then said the name louder.
Mireille’s anxiety rose as he continued to wait with no answer.
Ronin said the name one more time before ripping the stone away and chucking it back onto the nightstand. “It’s not working. Try yours.”
Mireille crossed to her side of the bed to grab her own commstone. Setting the cool stone in place, she closed her eyes and pictured High Councilor Skanisse in her mind, then said the male’s name three times. The stone beneath her ear remained cool after each utterance, not warming in the tell-tale sign that the connection was about to be made.
“Mine’s not working, either.” She frowned.
Frustrated, Ronin carved a hand through his hair. “Otto must have deactivated them somehow.”
“Then we need to get out of here,” Mireille prodded.
Ronin shook his head. “I’m not leaving.”
“What?” she reared back. “Why?”
He tilted his head, his expression inscrutable. “What did they offer you?”
An answer , Mireille thought. The chance to know where I came from, to finally understand who I truly am.
She’d have to find some other way to convince Skanisse and the Emperor to reveal the information. Or figure out how to track it down on her own. She’d gone this long without it, what was a few more centuries? And if she died here at the estate, it wouldn’t fucking matter anyway.
But she wasn’t about to share any of that with Ronin.
“Why? What did they offer you ?”
His blue-yellow eyes blazed and she could’ve sworn the tattoos on his neck and forearms began to glow. “They’re going to uncage my wolf.”
“A big payout,” she admitted with a hesitant nod.
“The biggest.” He blew out a long breath. “And the only thing I’ve wanted for the last three centuries. And now that you know why I’m so invested , tell me what they offered you.”
Silence stretched between them, thick with renewed tension. Until her sharp answer sliced through it. “No.” She leapt from her chair and crossed to the closet, stripping off her dress and pulling on a pair of leggings, a long-sleeved shirt, and her wool jacket. “I’m leaving.”
Ronin settled back in his chair, refusing to look at her. “Do whatever you want, Valette. Tuck your tail and run back to the IA. I thought you were supposed to be a skilled field agent.”
“A skilled field agent knows when the game is unwinnable. When it’s better to remove yourself rather than suffer the loss.”
Ronin snorted, fist at his chin. “Never pegged you for a fucking quitter. I thought you were better than that.”
His words stung. They should have been enough to chase away her useless sense of guilt at the thought of leaving him here alone.
She snatched her bag from the floor and stuffed her commstone into it. Her fingers brushed against cool glass.
She placed the clear vial on the table before him. “Veiling potion. The more you take, the longer it will last. The whole bottle is a twenty-four hour dose.”
Ronin didn’t look at her, continued to stare at the cold, empty fireplace, his expression stony.
She stood in front of him, hands on her hips, waiting for a thank you that didn’t come.
So she slipped out of the room and shut the door behind her.