Page 35 of A Court of Masks and Roses
“And the prisoners’ identities? Origins? Numbers?”
“No.” My pride winces, but my face remains steady as I wait. When Trace fails to comment, I prod the ground with the toe of my boot. “Well?”
Trace shakes his head, his silver-blond hair shimmering in the sun. “Stay away from Samuels. And the roses. If your suspicions are correct, your being in the Holy Guard’s proximity is too dangerous. If they are incorrect, your being there is irrelevant.”
The fire simmering in my blood turns to molten lead. I step forward, coming close enough to ram my index finger into Trace’s chest. Coiled muscle beneath a blue tunic presses back, the subtle earthy scent of male sweat touching my nose. “The king brought me here—”
Trace catches my arm, his large hand encircling my wrist like a shackle. “I don’t give a damn why Firehorn brought you here,” Trace hisses into my face. “I am the captain of the king’s guard. If something needs to be done,Iwill do it. Not a young woman. Not on my watch.” Trace’s nostrils flare and he lowers his head, his lips a breath away from my ear. “If you want to put yourself in harm’s way, I suggest you shout both our secrets off the rooftops—because having me executed is the only way you’ll get past me.”
19
VIOLET
The warmth of the Revelations Room wrapped Violet like a blanket. The hollow loneliness that had plagued her for as long as she could remember, the one that had exploded into a black abyss when her mother died, was slowly starting to fill with something besides shallow cuts and droplets of blood.
Friendship. Love. Hope. Purpose. Mission.
Kernel upon kernel, each gifted by her True Family, fell into place. Violet found it hard to imagine how she had survived as long as she had without the Goddess and her warriors.
“How has the Goddess helped us recently? How did she speak to us through her actions?” Brother Joshua looked around the room and leaned in, as if sharing a secret. His encouraging gaze stopped on Violet and his eyes smiled. “You know, don’t you?”
She didn’t. Worse, her sisters and brothers were all lookingat her in eager expectation. Her chest tightened at the thought of letting them down.
“Relax, Violet. Let the Goddess guide your mind.” Joshua’s quiet voice was like a calming trance. “This is a search, not a test. Let the Goddess help you find the answer. What very important event happened at the palace five days ago?”
Violet bit her lip. “Princess Raza was attacked.” The sisters clapped. Happy, giddy clapping, as if Violet had shared news of a healthy birth, not a near death.
The confusion must have shown on her face, because Dasha put a hand on Violet’s shoulder. “It was a codex, and you recognized it for what it was. That is very impressive for one so newly come home.”
“Will you decipher the codex for us, Dasha?” said Joshua.
Dasha nodded, laying a hand on her belly. “The Goddess was sending a message, reminding us that Everett is our enemy.”
“Excellent.” Joshua looked back out across the room. “But we must look further. What makes uscertainthat the attack was a codex and not a random trick of fate?” Taking out a large slate and chalk, Joshua wrote “PROOF”in big letters across the top.
A few moments of contemplative silence settled over the room before a brother called out, “The princess lived despite terrible odds. Only the hand of the Goddess could have kept her safe.”
“Quite right,” said Joshua, writing“impossible odds”on the slate, reading the words aloud as he chalked them. The Children close to the boy who’d spoken clapped him on the shoulders, the brothers using more force than the sisters, but all with grins on their faces. “What else?” Joshua prodded. “Certainly, we should have more proof before we accept the attack as a codex.”
The Children fidgeted, some girls closing their eyes in thought, others biting their lips. Dasha put her tongue between her teeth and stared at the ceiling. The desire to get the answer was infectious, pulling Violet into its sacred current.
“With Prince Rune dead, Princess Raza is the next in line for the Everett throne—the future ruler of the Dark God’s disciples,” said Zalia, speaking slowly at first but gaining confidence with each word. “Without the Goddess’s guiding hand, the attackers would have chosen easier prey than Everett royalty. In fact, how could the attackers have penetrated the palace grounds at all but for the Goddess’s help? Whether they knew it or not, the attackers became the Goddess’s soldiers that night. Their souls will be rewarded.”
Joshua smiled, writing “chose Dark God disciple as target” and “breached territory guarded to keep out mortals” on the slate. Cheers erupted again, this time surrounding Zalia, who basked in the praise like a sunbathing cat.
“Wait,” Violet said, though she doubted her voice would carry amidst the din. To her surprise, the Children turned their attention to her at once, as if nothing was more important than hearing Violet’s next words. She sat up straighter. “Aren’t these signs—er, codices—contradictory? Why would the Goddess both send attackersandprotect the target of their attack?”
Silence. The sisters shifted uncomfortably and the brothers avoided Violet’s eyes, as if she’d suddenly lost her clothes and was ignorant of the accident. Violet swallowed.
“Sister Violet is newly returned,” Joshua reminded the Children. “That she learns quickly is not a reason to expect her to know everything at once.” He turned to her, his voice gentle. “What you call acontradictionis in itself a codex, Child.One perhaps meant for you specifically. A sign that the Goddess wants you to think harder on her message, to really understand what her actions teach you.”
Violet shifted, readjusting her skirts. Her thoughts itched, wanting to push back. “But—”
“You dowantto understand what’s happening in the world, don’t you?” Joshua interrupted, his voice now stern, certain.
Violet nodded.
“And do you think someone who wants to understand the world should think things through, or argue on reflex?” Violet’s face heated, but Joshua did not break his gaze. Warm. Firm. Certain. “Do you stillwantto stand beside your brothers and sisters, fighting for that better world, Violet? Or is the Dark God’s path more alluring than the Messenger’s? The darkness is admittedly easier to follow, demanding no analysis, no effort of thought.”
