Page 92 of A Liar's Twisted Tongue

“No,” she says quickly. “It’s not safe.”

“He’s a big boy now, Wendy.”

“I don’t want him involved,” she pleads.

“Is this a romantic thing or an argument? Though, I suppose they’d both stem from romance?—”

“Neither. But you’re gonna want to see this.” We walk back to what seems to be our new headquarters and sit at our dusty table. She slides a paper to me. “Look.”

The moment my eyes settle on the parchment, I see this is more than I’d anticipated. In the middle of the page is a sketch of a weapon. It’s long and thin with a stand on the bottom.

It’s what’s around the main sketch that piques my curiosity. All kinds of components made of precious stones and metals with arrows pointing to where they should be placed within the long and thin piece.

At the top it reads Design no. 27. At the bottom there’s the seal of Lorucille with two signatures—King Easton and Queen Melody, and a destroy-by date labeled as four years ago.

And yet, what can I do about this? I hardly have autonomy over my own choices in life. What am I to do about a weapon being made by another kingdom?

A dead end, surely, because Freyr gave me answers to the wrong question.

Wendy takes the paper back, and when she makes the motion to tear it, I have no qualms.

Until it doesn’t tear.

“Your guess was accurate.” She sets it back on the table. “Whoever glamoured it did so because they couldn’t destroy it. That date?” her voice cracks. “Two days before my ma was killed by a pernipe.”

My eyes meet her glassy green ones. “Yeah,” she says. “I think it was the Royals.”

“This is why you don’t want Azaire involved?”

“I care about him, Lucian, more than I should. I don’t want to see him…”

“I meant what I said, Azaire can take care of himself. As for caring about him, go for it. He’s not only the strongest person I know, he’s the most moral.” I pull for the paper again. Wendy stays silent while I try to pull some semblance of caring out of me.

This weapon is grand and sure to be cataclysmic.

I’d like to care about the new mystery that’s been handed to me, though I have too many of my own. Such as Isa and her connection to the Arcane. Desdemona and her power, and now her lying to me about the moonaro.

Not only did I see her with it in my vision before I ran, thinking her life depended on it, she told me she saw nothing.

While her left hand scrunched into a fist.

This weapon is only going to distract me from what truly matters.

Getting to the void and finding out how to wipe the Arcanes from existence.

“I was there when my mom died,” Wendy whispers. I look away from the blueprint. “I’m the strongest in my family,” she confides in me. “Magically. So when they found out I was there when Ma was killed and I didn’t save her, they blamed me. No one ever said it, but I felt it. I still do.”

I don’t know what to say, and she senses this, taking up the space for my response by saying, “I’m telling you this because if I get close to Azaire and anything happens to him… I already know how it feels.” Wendy looks at me. “And I fear morality will become a weakness.”

“I know,” I whisper. “But he has us. We’ll protect him.”

She nods, sucking her lips into a line. “You’re a fair friend.”

“He’s more than a friend. He’s my family.”

“Well then you’re fair family to have.”

“He’s more fair than I ever was or will be.” I pause. “He’ll take you as well, Wendy.”

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