Page 93 of The Rebel and the Rose
Sera yanked the hood back, revealing a shiny gold mask. The skin underneath it was mottled and grey, the Necromancer’s collarbones as sharp as knives. With trembling fingers, she reached for the mask. A black glove twitched, stretching for her wrist.
Nadia yanked her back. ‘Leave it. We’re about to be sorely outnumbered.’
A salient observation. Since they were in a graveyard teeming with bodies. For a necromancer, that meant soldiers. And for them – deep shit.
Sera’s magic was already receding, the heat inside her fading. Like it was done fighting. Done listening.
She staggered to her feet, moving backwards.
Nadia’s hand in hers was trembling. ‘We need to go.Now.’
They turned and ran.
They were almost back at the Paramour when they ran headlong into Ransom. He was standing outside, scouring the street like he had lost something.
Sera was running so fast she skidded right into him. He flung his hands out to steady her, his eyes darting, frantic. ‘All right?’
‘Just about,’ Sera managed, between gasps.
Nadia skidded to a stop, bracing herself against a nearby windowsill to catch her breath. ‘Might vomit,’ she heaved. ‘Feet definitely bleeding.’
‘Where the hell were you two?’ said Ransom, looking between them. ‘We’ve been out looking for you. We thought something terrible had happened.’
‘You mean you thought we’d killed each other,’ said Nadia, sweeping her sweat-slicked hair back from her face.
He narrowed his eyes. ‘You both look like you’ve tried.’
‘No,’ said Seraphine, slumping back against the sill. ‘Worse.’
Nadia slumped down beside her. ‘Way worse.’
Arms folded and brows hunched, Ransom stood over them. Both a bodyguard and an inquisitor. ‘Explain.’
Chapter 23Seraphine
In the low-lit velveteen lounge of the Paramour Inn, Ransom paced back and forth. The others sat around a bar table, watching him, while Val reclined on a tasselled chaise longue. It was too risky to return to the graveyard in pursuit of the Necromancer. And besides, what was there to gain, beyond a conflict they were ill prepared for?
For now, their focus was squarely on Prince Andreas.
The hour of their meeting was close at hand.
‘It seems when he’s not travelling the countryside rallying rebels to his cause or breaking into the king’s prisons to add to his burgeoning army, the prince holds court at the Rose Garden up at the red mills,’ Ransom was saying.
Hope sparked in Sera’s chest.
‘Did you glean anything else?’ Theo asked.
Ransom stopped pacing. ‘Is that not enough for you, Versini? While you were off buying a year’s worth of feathers, we were tracking down our actual mark.’
‘Don’t be so ungrateful,’ snapped Val. ‘You haven’t even seen the feathers yet.Andwe got top hats.’
‘I’m not wearing a top hat,’ said Ransom.
‘You will if you plan on fitting in at the Rose Garden tonight. The goal is to be inconspicuous. Which in Marvale, means the exact opposite.’
‘Inconspicuousness is what we do,’ said Ransom. ‘It’s who we are.’
‘Not when the dress code isDecadent Delight,’ said Val. ‘And before you bitch about it, just know you’ll be expected to wear tails, too. And flashy shoes.’
