Page 29 of Dead Wrong

“You’re a fucking Truthsayer?”

Bastien waited till we were safely back in the car before the accusations started flying. I was honestly shocked we made it out of the Cradle in one piece without Bastien’s Veil to conceal us. Cirian must have decided that we weren’t worth the fuss after all.

Gods, he was such an arsehole.

“Does it matter?” Lorelei replied, closing her eyes and jamming a finger into her temple.

“Yes, it fucking matters,” Bastien retorted, running a hand over the intricate tattoos that spanned up his forearms. I wanted to inspect them closer, but there were more important matters at hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Wait, what’s a Truthsayer?” I questioned.

“A mortal who can use small amounts of magic to detect falsehoods,” Bastien replied.

A mortal using magic? That shouldn’t have been possible….

“It’s not something I like to broadcast,” Lorelei continued. “Kind of defeats the purpose of my abilities if I go around announcing myself. And let’s get one thing clear, corpse peddler. You work for me. I don’thaveto tell you anything.”

“Why are you asking about Rudderkin?” I interjected, searching for answers to my own questions. “What does the Rebellion have to do with Lynette’s disappearance?”

Lorelei let out a hearty laugh. “Now you have questions. Okay, Tobias. Your mother asked me to explore all avenues related to Lynette’s disappearance. What, with her bleeding heart for the Unseen’s plight, it only makes sense that she’d open herself up to being a target for those extremists to utilize. She’d make a great bargaining chip for negotiating with the madame.”

Bastien let out a huff beside me, muttering something under his breath that I couldn’t catch.

It made sense. The Unseen Rebellion could easily have been the ones who kidnapped Lynette. If that were the case, Mother would be forced to negotiate with them or risk her Successor. But if Lynette were taken by them, where didIfactor in? Was I simply an expendable pawn standing in the way of their prize? Did I try and defend Lynette and get caught up in the crossfire? How would they even manage to capture her in the first place? Lynette was more powerful than any other Adored presently alive besides Mother. Even if they did manage to capture her, they could never hold her.

Something wasn’t adding up.

I needed to recall those moments leading up to my death.

“So, what now?” Bastien questioned, his tone gruff. “You’ve risked exposing me to the Hallowed, and we’ve no more information than before.”

“Not true,” Lorelei argued. “My conversation with the Cardinal-to-be was incredibly illuminating, even if you couldn’t see it. For instance, I know that he and Lynette discussed the location of Rudderkin, which means Lynette would have had that information beforehand. And if she had the information, why did she not share it with Madame Greene, who was waiting to give the orders to eradicate the rebellion? If we’re to believe the rumors flying around Cirian, then his involvement would lead me to think that Lynette was passing along the whereabouts of Rudderkin. And, of course, if Cirian were going to help relocate Rudderkin, then he’d risk the Church being accused of siding with the Rebellion, which has a plethora of nasty implications. He must have a good reason to put so much on the line.

“Then there’s Lynette. If it’s true that she shared information with Cirian, that would make her guilty of high treason. Madame Greene would certainly be stuck between a rock and a hard place by having to execute her own daughter and heir to her legacy.”

Bastien watched the woman, his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. I was stunned myself, though my cluttered mind made it difficult to fully digest the information being presented.

Would Lynette be that foolish? Would she have risked everything—her entire future—for a group of others? It was a dangerous game, if true. One that she knew she couldn’t lose or else there would be grave consequences. There were always consequences when you defied Mother.

An idea wormed its way into my mind, causing me to shiver.

What if this was the reason I died? Had I found out about Lynette’s plan and tried to stop her? Tried to convince her that she was making a mistake in throwing everything away? Would she have gone to such lengths to stay the course, even if it meant ending her own brother’s life?

Bile rose in the back of my throat as my head spun.

Bastien leaned forward in his seat, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Those are some serious accusations, Orion.”

“And yet, the pieces fit. You can’t argue that fact.” She took out her leather-bound notebook, jotting something down with a quick flourish. “Cirian all but confirmed it. Now, all that’s left is locating Lynette, and my task will be complete.”

The realization struck me like a lightning bolt. “You’re looking for the rebellion.”

Lorelei ignored my proclamation, continuing to write in her notebook.

“This was never about Lynette, was it?” I continued, stringing together the inconsistencies that stood glaring in the daylight. “Mother just wants to know where they’re hiding, and she knows Lynette will be there.”

“Is that true?” Bastien asked, voice tight.

“And what if it is?” Lorelei proposed. “You’ll still get paid, regardless, corpse peddler. And you’ll get to go back to your blissful sleep, Tobias. So, really, it’s a win-win-win.”

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