Page 17 of The Dagger and the Flame
‘Honestly? Yes.’
Both girls collapsed into laughter.
‘I’ve got a better test for you,’ said Val, removing a glass vial from her sleeve. She held it up, showing off the iridescent black powder. ‘Why don’t you try some of this?’
Bibi gasped. ‘Where on earth did you find Shade?’
Sera stared at the powder as Val removed the cork stopper and tipped it down her throat.
‘DON’T!’ screeched Bibi, sending a nearby flock of seagulls flapping into the sky.
Val grinned as she swallowed, revealing two neat rows of blackened teeth.
‘SPIT IT OUT!’ Bibi lunged at her friend, but Sera caught her by the waist.
‘It’s all right, Bibi. It’s not real. It’s not Shade.’
Bibi’s breath punched out of her. ‘Wh-what?’
‘Shade doesn’t sparkle like that,’ said Sera, quickly. ‘Think about it. There’s no light in shadow. If there was it wouldn’t work. There’d be no magic at all. It doesn’t stain either, not if it’s prepared correctly. And see—’ She gestured to the label on the bottle in Val’s hand, which readFlorian’s Emporium.‘It’s sherbet.’
Val glared at Sera, as she licked her teeth. ‘Thanks for ruining my fun.’
Bibi pressed a hand to her heart, a relieved giggle seeping from her. ‘Val, you heartless ghoul.’
Val tossed the vial aside. ‘Waste of a Sleight.’
‘Sorry,’ said Sera, even though she wasn’t. Shade was nothing to joke about, and neither were the marks it left behind, whorls of black that burrowed through your skin and bone andblood, lacing your very marrow with poison. It was a killing thing, Shade. One way or another, every Dagger succumbed to it eventually. If that really had been a vial, Sera would have snatched it from Val and shattered it at her feet. Shade was no joke. It had to be worth it – that taste. That power. It had to mean something.
Val was still glaring at her. ‘You seem to know a lot about the properties of Shade for a simple farmgirl.’
Sera smiled, thinly. ‘Who said anything about simple?’
There was a strained silence.
Bibi broke it by taking a small wooden box from her pocket. ‘I got you something, Sera. I thought it might cheer you up.’
Sera had no interest in stolen gifts, but she didn’t want to disappoint Bibi, so she took the box and opened it, expecting to find a ring or a pair of earrings. Instead, she was met with a familiar melody. It was a music box, with a tiny ballerina twirling inside.
Sera’s eyes misted over. ‘?“The Dancing Swan”,’ she murmured. ‘My mother used to sing this to me when I was a little girl.’
‘Oh no.’ Bibi grimaced at the sight of Sera’s tears. She took the box and snapped it shut. ‘It wasn’t supposed to make you cry!’
‘Told you, you should have gone for brandy,’ said Val, clucking her tongue.
‘No, Bibi, I love it. Really,’ said Sera, reaching for the box. ‘Whenever I play it, I’ll think of Mama. I don’t ever want to forget her.’
‘You won’t forget her,’ said Bibi, with such quiet sureness, Sera’s heart ached for her too. ‘Not for as long as you live.’
Sera squeezed her hand, then slipped the music box into her pocket. It occurred to her in that moment that perhaps she was not so averse to stealing after all.
‘Now that we’ve had our fill of heart-warming thievery, why don’t we stop by Marveline’s Boutique on the way home?’ suggested Val, as they wandered away from the marketplace. ‘Let’s fill up your wardrobe so I can start raiding it.’
‘I suppose that’s only fair,’ said Sera, who, having received her stipend from Vincent that very morning, was more than eager to spend it on her own clothes.
She slowed to let Pippin catch up with her, and then realized he was missing. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed the little mutt was down by the statue of Saint Oriel, hunting for scraps.
Sera sighed. ‘You two go ahead. I’ll catch up.’
