Page 84 of Shadows and Flames
Tana crouched, brushing her palms over the land. “Thank you, Fenix. That’s really helpful, and I agree completely.”
I knew my cousin, and I also knew her words were not a betrayal but her trying to engender a sense of belonging for the Vyrkos. It left a bitterness on my tastebuds all the same.
Someone’s stomach growled, but we were all hungry, aside from Blackwood. Like on the ship from Morova, we’d rationed our food from our realm, and we had mutually agreed to not feed from Fenix’s reserve, despite him offering.
Blackwood closed his ledger with a snap, regarding us all with disdain as if were in the way of his precious trade deal with this despicable place. “You will keep to the agreement we’ve entered. I care not what you do afterward, but I do need escort tomorrow and once we leave. After that, we are done.”
“If that queen doesn’t eat you first, you mean.” Tomás’s words should have been in jest, but repulsion swelled between us all. Did Queen Sarya share Von Herron’s remains with her children? Her subjects? I had little consideration for the man’slife, but even I felt it a mercy his soul had left the realm before witnessing such a desecration.
Blackwood sputtered in a way he never would have with the Queen. “She will do no such thing. As we saw, she is a woman of her word.”
“Were you in the same room with us just then? Are you that easily fooled by pretty appearances? One can tell the truth and still have no honor.” And I had made a deal with her. I wasn’t opposed to acting against it, and I would be unsurprised to find Sarya to be the same. “We don’t even know if her inability to lie is the truth.”
Tana was now absently weaving grass and flower stems together, and she tilted her face toward the sky.“Do you think that extends to all Folk or just her?”
None of us had an answer to that, but the whole idea sounded ludicrous. Would such a thing extend to every single minuscule obfuscation of the truth, or would it only apply to blatant mistruths? What would happen if they tried to tell one?
While we stood in silence and my anger waned, a heavy cloud trailed across the falling sun, leaving us in compounded darkness for a moment, then continuing on its way across the sky. The slivers of sunlight piercing through the clouds reflected against the iridescent polish of the Pyrestan guards’ armor. Yesterday, when we’d traipsed through the city, the eyes of the Folk had been on us, but today, after our audience with the Queen, we were being followed. Quite blatantly, too.
“My goal is to bring Francie home to her mate as quickly as we can.” I thought of the handkerchief Whitley sent me, when I informed them I would be starting this quest to get their mate back. It lay in my packs, folded neatly and waiting for me to give to Francie. Something to remind her ofhome. “If no one will help me get her now, then we will—we’ll get her tomorrow. For now, maybe we should retire to the lodging house.” I’dlittle regard for my own safety, but the others’ were actively in jeopardy, especially now.
This time, my suggestion met no objection.
Finding calm within the confines of the lodging house inevitably proved quite difficult. While Fenix slept, as his body naturally craved during the light of day, Blackwood fucked off to do whatever it was he had to do to prepare for negotiations with Queen Sarya. So, that left the four of us to pace and snipe at each other within the overly-decorated walls and nosily helpful staff Folk.
Before they came knocking the first time, asking if we needed anything, we were shouting over a scattered pile of cards, Tomás cursing us for not listening to the rules while Tana and I accused him of cheating. Then, when they’d tried to come around with a mid-day meal of sweet yogurt and berries, we’d been arguing again, this time over the minutiae of our plan of exit from this place. How we would first try to calm and restrain Francie, then how we would incapacitate her as kindly as possible, should we need to.
The third time they’d come to the door, meeting a snarling Tomás who slammed the door in their face, Elián had pulled out the bracelet from a smaller leather pouch hidden in his things. I said nothing as I saw the edge of a flat, golden box I knew to be etched with roses.
And the fourth time, when the staff came around with a putrid-smelling supper, I was the one to pull the door open, only to meet the cheery smile of the one who first greeted us yesterday.
My head throbbed, and I tried my best to breathe through my mouth. “What is your name?”
His wings spread, as if to make himself appear larger. “You may call me Ren.”
“Ren. Tha—we appreciate your level of… attentiveness, but to our senses, your food is unappetizing. Please do not bring it again. We will call if we need something.”
His smile didn’t falter, but he did lower the tray, and I saw the others behind him retreat back up the corridor. “Oh. My apologies. The man you are with has been enjoying it, so we assumed.”
“Be that as it may. We do not need anything, so if you’ll?—”
My cousin sprang up behind me, peering around my shoulder. “Wait! Ren, when we went to the palace, your queen mentioned that she cannot lie. Is that true?”
He cleared his throat, taking a step back but still responding, “This is true.”
“Canyoulie?” Tana pressed.
Ren did not hesitate. “None of us can lie.”
Tana hummed pensively, but something about his readiness to answer our questions was suspicious in its own way. I clutched the edge of the doorframe, and leaned towards him. He stepped back once again. “Does that mean you always tell the truth?”
There. The lodging house manager kept his expression and posture level, but the pause wasthere.“We are unable to tell lies, just like our queen. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” And he was gone, moving as fast as any Lylithan or Vyrkos.
“And with that, I will be sleeping away this hunger and fortifying my mental faculties in preparation for tomorrow. Given what we’ve just learned, perhaps consider how tightly sealed that deal you made is.” Tomás slunk his way past Tanaand me, retreating into his room with the click of the door latching.
Suddenly, the room felt too big. Or too small—I wasn’t sure. Elián’s stare collided with mine as he remained seated near the window. All of us had long changed out of our leathers, and his tunic was another colorful one. The green was of Versillia.
“I—I’ll retire as well.”
