Page 28 of Kiss of Smoke

Once I’d gotten photos of her and the surrounding area, I re-covered her with Gwyn’s jacket, then thought of something that had been bothering me.

“Is her soul here?” I asked him.

“No,” he said.

That one word was all I needed to know. Now we knew the Ghosthand possessed Tanaquill’s soul as well.

Jack chose that moment to arrive, with Robin in tow. He disappeared again almost instantly.

Robin looked down at Tanaquill, his brow knit. I knew he was going through every possibility, every outcome.

“I got pictures,” I said softly, tucking the camera in a pocket. I would turn it over to the Garda complex later for development. “We need to get her out of here before things get worse.”

"I’m not sure they can get much worse,” Robin said, his voice grim. “Jack is retrieving the Queen as we speak.”

I looked up at him in horror. Titania had destroyed the Accords when she thought Tanaquill was still alive.

When she saw her daughter like this…

Frost touched my skin, and dread curdled in my stomach as they appeared.

Titania was no longer in sweatpants and reeking of brandy. She wore a simple gold dress, her hair in a neat braid, and she broke out of Jack’s grasp, striding to her daughter.

Oak stood aside for her, almost cowering in place.

The queen looked down at Tanaquill for a long, silent moment. I realized that at the queen’s appearance, the entire riot had calmed instantly.

It was eerie. Every Fae watched her, tense, as though waiting for her to speak before they moved again.

She knelt next to Tanaquill, gently moved the jacket, and stared at the handprint. Then she ran her fingers over Tanaquill’s cheek, cupping the dead girl’s face.

I had to look away. It felt invasive to watch this moment.

When Titania slowly straightened up, the collective sensation of waiting for a trigger grew stronger.

“Bring her home, Robin,” she said quietly, but the silence was so complete that her voice carried. “The Accords were a mistake. One that the Fae will never make again.”

Gwyn and Oak lowered the background cloth, and Robin approached Tanaquill, bending down to gently pick her up.

Her head lolled back, blonde hair spilling to the ground, and Jack took his hand, whirling them away.

The snowflakes had barely settled on the pavement when the murmuring began. It quickly grew, going from a rippling mutter to a collective roar.

Queen Titania watched impassively as the Fae, deprived of their spectacle, turned their attention to the perpetrators.

I wanted to hold them back, but the Fae were an unstoppable wave as they poured towards Acionna Harbor, once more howling with rage.

Gwyn grabbed me, pulling me back towards the Blood Tree as they passed. I caught sight of the twins, their features more seal-like than ever as they rushed past.

“Gwyn, she’s not going to stop them,” I said, my throat tight, because the Fae were giving the queen a wide berth, and she simply allowed it.

I stared at her, but her gaze was icy, focused on the harbor.

“No,” he agreed. His mouth was twisted down at the corners. “She won’t.”

Not even Beans’ warmth against my chest stopped the chill that crept down my spine. Gwyn pulled me back onto the bike, and we soared upwards towards the harbor.

The humans were jumping into the sea to escape the tide of Fae rushing towards them.

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