Page 217 of The Dark Mirror

Nick and Eliza were coming to see me at noon. By then, the fog had lifted, and sunlight bathed the city. I waited on my preferred bench on the waterfront.

‘Can I sit with you?’

Eliza had arrived early. I gave her a nod, and she joined me on the bench.

‘Do you hate me, Paige?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘You’re the one who has every right to hate me.’

‘You didn’t leave by choice.’ She sighed. ‘I can’t believe Jax had you abducted.’

‘Can’t you?’

‘Okay. Maybe I can.’

A seagull landed near my boots and picked at some dropped food.

‘I would never have considered giving him the Rose Crown,’ Eliza said, ‘but then I saw him on the screens. The Vigiles had orders to shoot him on sight. I couldn’t imagine why Nashira would issue a kill order if he was still working for her.’ She glanced at me. ‘I heard the Council wants you to rule together. What do you think we should do?’

‘I don’t know.’ I watched the seagull. ‘Did you tell him where the Mime Order was hiding?’

‘No,’ she said, ‘but he knows, Paige.’ My heart dropped about a foot. ‘After the airstrikes, he told me that he’d worked it out. That we could only be in the Beneath.’

Jaxon had known for weeks, but hadn’t given the game away. He hadn’t told Nashira.

‘I don’t like it out here,’ Eliza said. ‘It’s … not the same, is it?’

I shook my head. When I leaned into her, she wrapped my hand in hers and squeezed.

After a while, Nick joined us on the bench. He passed us both coffees.

‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘How was Pivot?’

‘She told us about the offer from Tinman and agreed to cut my contract short so I can go with Jax,’ Nick said. ‘We’ll lose my share of the money, but I think it could be worth it, in my case.’ He sighed. ‘I can’t offer to rule with you, sötnos. My migraines have been getting worse. I can be your fixer. I can keep Jax under control. But I can’t be Underlord.’

Eliza linked his arm. His face was pinched.

Nick had always respected his limits. I needed to do the same, or he would buckle.

‘I can’t fucking believe we’re considering Jax,’ I muttered. ‘Just as we all managed to escape him.’

‘He will be watched around the clock. He will rule by your values,’ Nick said quietly. ‘Once you’re back, we can judge what he’s done. And we can decide what to do with him.’

‘And if he goes to Scion?’

‘I’d kill him with my bare hands before I allowed that to happen, Paige. So would the Ranthen.’

‘If they even let him live long enough to take the throne. They might break the alliance, for all I know,’ I said. ‘It depends who they vote in as the next leader.’

‘It should be Warden,’ Eliza said.

‘He doesn’t want to do it.’ I looked at Nick, who gave me a nod of encouragement. ‘Because we’re together, and he has to keep that a secret. For both our sakes.’

‘You and—’ Eliza stared at me. ‘You and Warden?’

‘Yes.’

She managed not to crumble under the weight of this revelation, but she did look as if she might fall off the bench. Nick and I watched her go back over it all.

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