Chapter 22
Marlow pushed through the crowd, thoughts buzzing as she headed toward Hatha House. Maybe Aine would be at home waiting, and she’d give Marlow a hard time for being such a worrier. It was possible Ciaran was right, and Marlow was overreacting. Maybe joining the resistance had made her paranoid.
She glanced around the crowd, hoping to see a familiar face. Just one of the missing wielders, and she could breathe easy. But she knew better. She knew she was right.
She also knew none of this was helping anyone. The questioning was a waste of time. Months of disappearances, months of chasing answers, and she still had nothing to show for it.
Another resistance member gone. Not a coincidence. These weren’t helpless wielders; they were sharp, seasoned fighters. Someone was targeting them. And the letters from the other cities confirmed they hadn’t turned up there.
Aine was gone because of Marlow’s failure to solve this—and because of Raesarinn’s inaction. She was a great leader. A cautious leader. But the resistance could stand to take a few risks.
Felix didn’t mind risks, as long as they were planned out beforehand. He must have gotten it from his da.
Marlow bit the inside of her cheek and looked down at her boots as she padded down the wide street.
That wasn’t fair, and she knew it. Being leader of the resistance was already a massive risk.
Owning the building they gathered in, even more so.
Petra Connolly was as brave as they come.
Marlow was just frustrated and lashing out.
Felix would find something. As long as he didn’t get distracted.
Sometimes she wished she could shake him until he turned back into the Felix she used to know.
The boy who’d rather pick a fight than suck up to the type of people who’d turn him in if they knew the truth.
She admired his drive to fix the world, but there were times he looked so worn out, so broken, she feared he was losing himself.
His ma was wrong. It’d be better for him to know their plans. He could stop letting them kick him around and put his brain to better use. He wouldn’t care that it was dangerous. It should’ve been his choice to make.
Marlow rounded the corner and collided with a rail-thin man in a ruffled collar. His eyes went round as he stumbled back.
“Sorry ‘bout that,” Marlow said with a smile. “Not hurt, are ya?”
He brushed his tailcoat with a flick of his gloved hand, the other clutching a cane. When his eyes met hers, his expression hardened, and his lip curled.
“Watch where you’re going, trucagh.”
Her smile vanished. “Your manners could use some work.”
A crease carved through the man’s brow. “Manners aren’t necessary when speaking with animals.”
“You’re probably right,” she replied with a shrug. “But I’m using them, anyway.”
He blinked, clearly confused, and she rolled her eyes.
“Oh, Arunas help me. I’m insulting you, you feather-brained turkey.”
Crimson flooded his face as he grabbed her arm.
Marlow’s mouth curved into a sharp smile. There you go.
Twisting in a quick circle, she easily freed herself from his grip, and before he could react, she vanished back into the crowd.
She checked the contents of the man’s stolen pocketbook as she walked. A few caern, a fancy silver cigarette case, and a folded handkerchief. They’d fetch a decent price and get her through until she found a new job.
Marlow smiled to herself, tucked away the pocketbook, and pushed her hair behind her ears.
A panicked shout resounded down the street, and she spun, scanning for its source. A series of high-pitched screams followed.
The market square. Where she’d left Felix.
She swore as she bolted forward. By the time she reached the edge of the square, the frantic crowd had broken apart, leaving a clear view of Felix and Henry—facing off with a woman holding a hatchet.
What had they gotten themselves into?
Marlow broke into a run just as a handful of Watch charged in their direction. Henry raised his hands in a wide, sweeping motion, and the air rippled and warped, tearing open into a strange, inky darkness.
Her feet skidded to a stop.
What in Naethara?
The Watch captain shouted orders as the woman shrieked and drew back the weapon.
“No!” Marlow bolted desperately toward Felix. She’d never make it in time.
The woman swung the hatchet, but Henry pulled Felix out of its path and into the darkness.
“Stop them!” the captain called. “Save the aesling!” The officers rushed forward, but the tear vanished, both boys gone in a blink.
The woman howled like a wounded animal as she dropped to her knees, and a second later, the officers were looming over her. A gunshot rang out, and then she was quiet.
Marlow stared, mouth gaping, at the place where the air had split. Henry had opened a doorway and dragged Felix through it.
A doorway. In the air.
Her gaze jumped to the Watch captain giving orders with wild gestures. The one who’d shouted after them.
Aesling.
Her brow furrowed as she made the connection.
That lying son of a bitch.
Felix had called him Auggie. Short for Augustus. As in Ellingwood.
Heat rose in her chest.
The aesran was responsible for the suppression and execution of wielders, and Felix was flirting with her spawn? That was a new low, even for him.
He’d brought the heir aesling to the meeting place of the damned resistance. Repeatedly. He put them all in danger. Their entire mission. Did Raesarinn know? How could she not?
Marlow turned on her heel and stormed toward The Raven’s Perch. Whatever just happened, she was sure that was where they’d end up.