Chapter Forty-Two
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Scarlett
I had expended a great deal of effort keeping the guise of Sabine alive. It was infuriating to realise I might have done it all for nothing.
Infuriating to realise that Mira had chosen Cassius over me – and she hadn’t even known who I was. Everything about Sabine had been carefully crafted. Every word choice, every gesture and mannerism – it had all been meant to draw Mira in.
And I had failed. Abysmally.
Perhaps I should just kill Sabine off, I thought, gazing outside the arch windows of the royal parlour. Too much of my time was dedicated to maintaining this masquerade, and I was relying heavily on the information Severin fed me.
‘I believe I asked you a question,’ Lady Tiran reminded me, her voice sharp.
‘Of course, My Lady,’ I replied, turning away from the window. ‘My apologies. Focusing on something else helps sharpen my visions.’
Lady Tiran looked doubtful, and she was right to be. I’d been lying through my teeth ever since Empress Ivalene summoned me to the royal parlour, and I would have to keep lying until her ladies were satisfied with my responses – or until they finally tired of me.
That moment couldn’t come soon enough. After two hours of answering their inane questions, I was beginning to wish I had brought some poison with me.
‘I see bloodshed in your husband’s future,’ I informed Lady Tiran, leaning across the table like I was sharing a secret. ‘I suspect the emperor will send him on another campaign before the month is out.’
This was a guess – not an official vision from Severin. But given the situation in the Western Lands, it was only a matter of time before my father sent his best general to deal with the rebellions.
Lady Tiran raised a hand to her coifed white-blonde hair – a nervous gesture, since it was perfectly in place.
No doubt she was worried about her husband’s safety, but I felt no sympathy for her. She despised me and my mother on behalf of the empress and had done her best to turn public perception against us. It was thanks to her influence I had never been accepted amongst the ladies of the court.
I glanced behind me, where Ivalene was reclining on a divan with her other ladies. After the first hour, when they had bombarded me with questions, their interest in my predictions had tapered off – and they had reverted to their favourite pastime: snacking on freshly baked honey cakes while exchanging court gossip.
I overheard snatches of their conversation every now and then, usually nothing of note. But I paid greater attention when I heard Antonia Seneca’s name.
‘—and I told Antonia, if she’s going to wear last season’s fashion, then she shouldn’t be surprised when people wonder about her financial affairs.’
‘I heard about this too,’ another lady chimed in. ‘My husband told me that they withdrew a suspiciously large sum from their accounts last month. They claimed it was for some poor relative of theirs, but there was no paper trail. Perhaps they have gambling debts.’
‘Are you attempting to sharpen your visions again?’ Lady Tiran commented, her voice dry.
I reluctantly returned my attention to my lone patron. ‘Is there something else?’ I asked, tapping my fingers impatiently against the table. ‘My Lady,’ I added, as a clear afterthought.
Lady Tiran’s lips thinned. ‘I’m afraid there is. What can you tell me about my daughter’s future?’
I was far more interested in the Senecas’ future. For some time, my mother had suspected that a noble family was financing the resistance, but without proof, the emperor had been reluctant to act.
The Senecas had always been above reproach – suspiciously above reproach, my mother had told me. They had no debts and no vices, aside from the husband’s proclivity for taking lovers. But this development might convince Kalias they were worth further investigation.
If the information was accurate.
‘Is there anything in particular you want to know?’ I asked Lady Tiran, confident that whatever it was, I could make something up.
‘Odessa joined the Order of Masks recently.’ She hesitated. ‘While it’s an honour,’ she continued, clearly choosing her words with care, ‘their missions can be dangerous, and . . . well, quite frankly, it wasn’t the life I wanted for her. I had hoped she would focus on her marriage to Prince Cassius.’
I’d never thought much about Odessa’s motivations to become a Mask; the Orders were prestigious enough that plenty of nobles wanted to join. But it did seem like an odd choice for someone set to marry into the royal family. Then again, I couldn’t blame Odessa for wanting a life of her own, independent from my brother.
‘This vision isn’t so clear,’ I said, furrowing my brow in thought. ‘It’s more of a feeling than anything else.’ I felt like the worst kind of charlatan, but judging by Lady Tiran’s eager expression, she was buying into my ruse.
‘Yes?’ she prompted.
‘I have a strong sense that Odessa will find her purpose in the Order of Masks. And there’s something else, too – a sense of warmth. Connection.’
‘It’s not . . .’ Lady Tiran’s throat bobbled. ‘Not romantic, I hope?’
‘I See a girl with her,’ I said, thinking of Odessa’s friendship with Danica.
‘Ah.’ Lady Tiran was suddenly stiff. ‘Thank you for your time,’ she said, standing a little too quickly. And then, more softly, ‘I would appreciate your discretion.’
I frowned. Clearly, I had stumbled onto something Lady Tiran hadn’t wanted me to.
I couldn’t imagine any reason for Lady Tiran to be bothered by Odessa’s closeness with another girl – unless Odessa liked women , or perhaps men and women both. Ravalia was an open country, and same-sex couples were widely accepted – though they were less common in the royal family, with its obsession on having natural-born heirs.
Perhaps Odessa and I had more in common than I’d thought – both trapped by obligation to our families and the rules of the court.
It was an unsettling realisation.
But Lady Tiran’s dismissal had given me the opportunity I had been waiting for, and I quickly forgot about Odessa. After a brief curtsy for the empress and her ladies, I left the royal parlour behind and went to find my mother.
Thunder echoed off the Archasian mountains as the storm hit. Lightning split the sky, but down below, the Warriors continued to practise. Storms like this were a common occurrence, clouds rolling in with the late afternoon breeze.
‘You’re watching her again.’
‘I’m watching all the sparring matches,’ I corrected, though this was a lie.
My attention was always drawn back to Mira, whether or not I wanted it to be. There was a certain symmetry between us, one that unsettled and intrigued me in equal measure.
‘It’s a shame,’ I mused, ‘that Mira doesn’t know we’re cousins.’
Zandri cast me a cold glance. ‘You like her.’
I shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter what I think of her. She’s a means to an end.’
Zandri came to stand at my side, the wind rustling the feathers on her shoulders. Perched on the very edge of the battlements, she resembled a dark bird poised to take flight. ‘Perhaps it’s time you exploited that family connection – used it to form a stronger bond with the girl. Her hatred for the emperor needs to be carefully directed, which requires a certain level of influence. I would prefer that influence came from us rather than your brother.’
I agreed with Zandri’s reasoning, but it wasn’t that simple. ‘Cassius will have spies watching Mira now that they’re working together. He’ll try to eliminate me if he believes I’m a threat to his plans.’
‘She’s a Mask. It’s natural that you should have some interaction with her – particularly when I’m sending you on a mission together.’
I glanced up in pleased surprise. ‘Evander Seneca?’ At my mother’s nod, I smiled. ‘What abilities will you grant her?’
‘Nothing that can be used against you. Some minor illusion magic, mostly to disguise her features. But you will be in charge, Scarlett, which means I need to trust you to do what must be done.’
I willed steel into my voice as I clarified, ‘You want me to interrogate them.’
‘You’ve seen me interrogate prisoners enough times; I have no doubt that you’re perfectly capable of replicating the process. No, I’m referring to what comes afterwards .’ Zandri smiled faintly at me. ‘Kalias doesn’t want more prisoners. My instructions are to establish the Senecas’ guilt, discover the names of their contacts, and then clean house.’
‘ Your instructions?’ I folded my arms as it began to drizzle. ‘Does my father even realise I’m involved?’
‘You know how Kalias feels about sending you on active missions.’ Zandri waved a dismissive hand. ‘He made you royal patron thinking the title would be ceremonial. But I am the head of the Order of Masks, and if I believe you’re the best fit for a particular mission, then I will use you accordingly.’
‘How sentimental of you,’ I muttered. ‘Is this so I can get closer to Mira?’
‘I also want you to watch her. If she has any remaining connections with the resistance, this mission should expose them. It would be useful to know what state they’re in, and what their plans are.’ Zandri’s lips curved. ‘Not that they’ve ever been more than a bunch of discontents. But there will be period of instability when Emperor Kalias dies, and I don’t intend to give the rebels any opportunity to take power.’
‘Fair enough,’ I said, turning to leave. ‘I’ll take care of them.’
Before I could take a step, cool fingers enclosed around my wrist – around the bracelet I wore. The blood ruby within warmed at Zandri’s touch, and I knew my mother was already channelling some of its magic.
I had seen her do this before, mostly with other Masks, but I had never experienced it myself. There was something mesmerising about the dark red tendrils that extended from the blood ruby, writhing through the air like snakes.
‘You know what to do,’ Zandri said impatiently.
Slowly, tentatively, my lips parted. The tendrils swarmed – and I forced myself to inhale, welcoming them into my body. Embracing them.
But when I tried to let out the breath I was holding, I couldn’t. My lungs wouldn’t exhale, wouldn’t cooperate—
And then the feeling of fullness subsided, and I doubled over, coughing and gulping down the crisp air. My eyes darted past Zandri, to where Aric was watching across the battlements, out of earshot but close enough to have witnessed everything. His body tensed, like he was preparing to run to my side.
When I regained control of myself, I shook my head at him. Personal guard or not, I didn’t want to find out what Zandri might do if Aric intervened.
‘What magic did you give me?’ I asked, looking up at my mother. ‘Something to help you dispose of the bodies.’ There was an edge to Zandri’s voice, and I knew what this mission really was: a test. ‘I need to know that you’re capable of doing this, Scarlett. You already failed once. With Governor Halvor.’
I swallowed down unwise, frustrated words. Twisted though it was, I wanted my mother to be proud of me – to think of me as a partner and an equal.
‘I won’t fail again,’ I promised. ‘I’ll deal with the resistance – and I’ll find a way to disrupt Mira’s partnership with Cassius.’
Zandri turned away from me without responding. In her mind, I should have done that already. I should have done more.
Always more.