Page 15 of Kiss of Smoke

“So, since Robin is safely out of the way, I have a plan,” Jack announced.

I raised an eyebrow. He had to know I’d tell Robin the minute he woke up.

“I want you, me, and a few of the Hunters to search a specific portion of the Undercity.” Jack pulled one of the maps on the table towards him, placing his fingertip precisely over where the Seelie Palace used to be and the edge of Thornwood. “Here, to be exact.”

“Why there?” Gwyn asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. He frowned at the map. “Goodfellow’s been searching everywhere.”

“But not here. Not yet.” Jack tapped the spot. “As we speak, the Fae are busy clearing out the site for the construction of a new palace. But the Undercity branches everywhere.”

To my surprise, Titania interjected. “The Seelie Palace was completely sealed from the Undercity. We had multiple layers of safeguards in place.”

She was definitely buzzed, her eyes a little glazed as she stared at Jack as though daring him to contradict her.

Which he immediately did.

“The palace exploded from the inside, your Majesty,” he said, his frosty tone softening a little. “It’s not unthinkable that the Souls discovered weaknesses in the safeguards, or even other entrances. With the help of the Hunters, who are used to working in the dark, we may find other paths.”

Gwyn was nodding as Jack spoke, running his hand through his hair as he thought. “There are a few Hunters who owe me a favor. They’d be willing to help us look.”

Alarm rose in me. “They’re not like Hellekin, are they?” The last thing we needed was a disgruntled Hunter tipping off the Souls.

Gwyn reached out and patted my arm reassuringly. “No. These Fae would have my back if I needed a favor.”

“Also, you know I’m coming with you, right?”

Jack laughed softly. “Of course you are. Hence why I brought this up while Goodfellow is off in dreamland—he doesn’t want you anywhere near the Undercity now that we know the Souls are using our magic. But you can ask the plants below what they’ve seen, which makes you invaluable for this sort of expedition.”

I nodded slowly, even as Gwyn grumbled. “You should stay here, Bananas. The Unstained Souls are looking for you specifically, remember? Gods, I should go wake up Goodfellow.”

“You’ll do no such thing,” I said, straightening in my seat and glaring at him. “No heroes work alone, right? So we’re going to do this together. The princessmustbe found.”

Jack tilted the map towards us. “We won’t be going in too deep. I just want to act on this hunch while it’s fresh—we check the Undercity near the palace and Thornwood, and if we come across any sign of the Souls, we retrieve Robin before going any further.”

Gwyn’s lips twisted in displeasure, but he jerked his head. “Not good enough. They almost killed her once, Frost.”

“You can’t keep me locked up–” I started to argue, but Noctifer shifted, making his presence very obvious. It was hard to ignore a titan in armor when he wanted to make himself known.

“I will be going as well,” he said. “The Queen will be safe in this house, so you have me at your disposal.” He nodded to Jack. “I would like to go with my daughter.”

“Is that good enough for you?” Jack asked Gwyn in exasperation. “Or should I invite the neighbors as well?”

Gwyn looked up at my father consideringly, taking in the armor and giant sword. “Fine. This works for me. Butyou—” he took my hand and squeezed it. “No heroics.”

“No heroics,” I agreed, squeezing him back. “We stay together.”

“At the first sign of trouble, I bring her out,” Jack added. “This isn’t a suicide mission. It’s recon. Get in, get out, report to Goodfellow, move on to the next plan.”

Titania snapped her fingers. We all started and looked up.

But a new bottle of brandy appeared in front of her. She uncorked it, pouring it into her coffee. “I don’t care which of you go, as long as my daughter is found.”

That was when I realized that as much as I hated being caged away from the action, this must be absolute torture for her.

She knew perfectly well that Robin’s house was the only safehouse for her, and that none of us could risk losing her. She was more tied up than I would ever be, bound by obligations and duty even though her own flesh and blood was out there, possibly still alive and crying for help.

We all just nodded, the gravity of the situation weighing on our shoulders like mountains.

“Well, then,” Jack said softly. “Let’s get underground.”

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