Page 25 of Kiss of Smoke

I wanted to throw up a little at the sight of such desperation. Were we really going to savage these people, most of whom had done nothing?

Two ships were already sailing down the Eridanus, loaded so heavily with passengers they were sitting low in the water.

As we watched, the Mer harried the ships, kicking up a froth of foam and waves as they reached for humans who were too close to the ship’s sides.

The Fae manning the ship did nothing to stop them. One nymph was even grinning viciously as a human man flung himself backwards, losing most of his shirt to a mermaid’s grasping claws.

“This is disgusting,” I whispered, terrified that Carabosse was on one of those ships, and equally terrified she might be in the crowd below and in danger of being trampled. The crowds were pushing towards the next available ship, barely held back by the Garda.

Gwyn nodded, then shook his head. “Your queen is a mad bitch.”

I started to speak, then stopped.

Maybe I couldn’t fathom the depths of her pain…but for those Fae who had grown up alongside mortals, thiswasmadness. Those were their friends, possibly even family members, down there.

Because I noticed a few Fae in the crowds, some of them holding humans protectively close.

Intermarriage was not unknown in Avilion these days. If the humans had to leave, their Fae spouses would go with them, even if it meant being cut off from their homeland forever.

I looked up, and saw that the Veil had inched lower.

“Let’s get Beans,” I said, not wanting to watch this anymore. Jack and Robin would do everything in their power to get them out.

Gwyn’s bike glided upwards, turning towards Mothwing Falls.

We parked in the street in front of Carabosse’s apartment. The windows were dark and empty, and the door was still bound by the roots I’d created.

Carabosse hadn’t bothered to lock it. It opened easily when I turned the handle.

“I’ll watch the door,” Gwyn said, watching as a pack of humans ran past with nothing but rucksacks on their backs. “Try to be quick.”

I stepped in, feeling a wave of disorientation. Her house was usually a mess of alchemical and herbal objects, but now all the shelves were clean and empty.

It felt like a ghost town. How had she cleared out this fast? She’d had only hours of lead time.

A soft meow came from the dining room, and I peered in. Beans sat on the counter, whiskers twitching.

He relaxed when I reached out and scratched the white spot on his forehead.

There was a bag on the counter containing his food and treats, along with several stuffed mice, and I patted Beans sadly. “She wouldn’t have left you if she had any other choice. I promise I’ll take good care of you, but you are going to have to learn to get along with Ceri.”

I also hoped Beans wasn’t the sort of cat sìth who liked to dine on pixies, or Sisse would have strong words for me.

I was about to scoop up the fairy cat when I caught an odd smell. Carabosse’s house always smelled odd, but in a good way—vaguely antiseptic, but her medicines usually gave off a strong scent of whatever plants she’d used.

This smelled like something burning. And if this apartment went up in flames, so would mine, along with Clove and Tarragon in it.

I walked quietly down the hall, the way Robin had taught me to make the least noise. The room where I had recuperated once was on my left, the bed left behind along with its blankets. The picture of Aurora was gone.

But the burning smell emanated from the room at the end of the hall. I cautiously pushed the door open, peering inside.

It had once been Carabosse’s stillroom, as evidenced by the tables laden with alchemical equipment. They were pushed up against the wall, but nothing was on fire.

I sniffed again, and looked down. Massive scrapes covered the floor, going in one direction, as though something heavy had been pushed across the room. They ended abruptly at the far wall.

Nothing was on fire, and the smell was already dissipating now that I’d opened the door and allowed in fresh air. I stepped towards the wall, wondering why the scratches on the floor ended there, but Gwyn’s shout broke my reverie.

I ran out, snatching the bag from the counter and picking up Beans, and found him at the door.

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