Page 74 of The Rebel and the Rose
He pointed at Theo, then dragged his forefinger across his neck.
Clucking his tongue, Theo muttered, ‘So childish.’
The wind picked up, the bench groaning as it swayed. Beneath them, the land unfurled in a patchwork of bucolic farmland, neat thatched villages and bustling grey-walledtowns. The slow-sinking sun bled across the faraway treetops, painting the lakes and rivers gold. But it was marred – all of it – by the smoke. The higher they climbed, the thicker it became. Soon, Sera’s eyes began to prickle.
‘All hell,’ said Theo, under his breath. ‘That’s a lot of fires.’
The smoke was coming from all over the north-west, the fires – too many to count – scattered across towns and villages. Some blazed through the surroundings forest too, while others were as high and bright as beacons, lapping greedily at the sky.
Smoke made a choking canopy of clouds that floated southwards on the wind. Towards them.
Sera’s heart sank. ‘Is this what I think it is?’
‘Rebellion is catching in the north,’ said Theo uneasily.
More effigies, more burning messages to the king. The north-west was turning its back on the House of Rayere. And there, beyond those menacing pockets of flames, jutting up along the horizon were the famed red mills of Marvale. The birthplace of Saint Oriel.
And if Provost Ambrose spoke truly, the place they would find the People’s Saint.
Andreas.
It was surely no coincidence.
‘Looks like the prince’s message is spreading,’ said Theo, in a low voice. ‘The king is losing his footing outside Fantome too. Andreas has a stronghold in the north.’
The turning wheel dipped, slowly returning them to the fairground. And yet, those fires burned behind Sera’s eyes, the smoke clinging to her nostrils. She shifted in her seat, growingrestless. The kingdom was already changing, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was late to the party.
Curiosity was tugging her towards those red mills and the saint who was waiting for her there. But the impulse vanished at the sudden sound of screaming. Terror gripped the carnival, sending Theo and Sera leaping from their gondola and into the scattering crowd. The root of the commotion was over by the gaming stalls. As they fought their way through the fleeing carnival-goers, Val crashed into them.
Grabbing Sera by the shoulders, she yelled, ‘He’s a madman! He hanged the guy with his own shadow!’
Alarm guttered through Sera. ‘What guy? Who did?’ But the crowd was parting now. The worker manning the bullseye game was lying face up on the grass. Dead. The whites of his eyes were as black as coal. Kasper, the youngest of the three remaining soldiers, was curled up in a ball beside him clutching his head in his hands. Alive but whimpering.
Ransom was standing ten feet away, with his arms folded. His jaw was so tight it looked like he was chewing glass.
Sera stalked right up to him. ‘What the hell happened?’
He turned to look at her. ‘I see you’re back from your date,’ he said, coolly. ‘Did your little carnival excursion amount to everything you hoped it would?’
She shoved him in the chest. ‘Did you do this to get my attention?’ When he didn’t answer, she shoved him again. ‘What iswrongwith you?’
He caught her hands, trapping them under his own. ‘Check your ego, spitfire. Do you really think me so unhinged?’
Belatedly, she realized his eyes were their usual shade ofhazel. He hadn’t taken any Shade. Which meant he hadn’t killed the man. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed a stressed-looking Nadia and a silver-eyed Caruso ranting at Bram and Maelle.
‘Oh.’
‘Yes.Oh,’ said Ransom, releasing her. He stepped back, folding his arms again. ‘Now that you’ve hopped off your pedestal, would you like to know what happened?’
‘Not in that shit-eating superior tone of yours,’ she snapped. ‘Your Dagger just killed an innocent man. And by the looks of things, decked a soldier while he was at it! At least have the basic decency to look put out about it.’
‘Actually, Nadia decked the soldier.’
‘Like it matters.’
Val and Theo were at her side now, providing silent backup. Not that she needed it. Her magic was a firestorm in her chest, ready to erupt. Tamping it down, she said through her teeth, ‘Whatexactlyhappened?’
‘You and Versini decided to derail our journey for a jaunt on the turn-wheel,’ he said, with a flat smile. ‘Caruso decided he wanted to win a goldfish. He played six rounds before he realized the game was rigged… And I’m sure you can divine the rest.’
