Page 63 of Starchaser
A chill skitters down my spine, and for a moment, no one speaks.
“So what now?” It’s Jack who finally breaks the tension, clutching his cap to his chest. “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it gladly, ma’am.”
Mother smiles softly. “Thank you, Jack.” She smooths her hands over the map, and I feel the same flourish of excitement I used to get when Mother would assign my siblings and me “duties” for our next battle. My feelings of hurt and betrayal aside, it’s a relief to know I’m not on my own here. That thereisa plan, and that in three days, all this will have been worth it.
Unless Leo reallyisthe noble possessed by Morana.
I almost speak up—almost say something to that effect—when Will takes my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze, and a feeling of calm settles over me. As Mother explains the details of Lord and Lady Bludgrave’s roles over the next few days, Will bends down, his lips brushing my ear. “Not here.”
Next to Eliza, Flynn watches me uneasily, his gaze narrowing on Will, and I’m struck with a realization that ties my stomach into knots.
What if the spy Killian and Will have been looking for is in this room?
Surely, if it was Dawnrender who fed the Order false information to root them out, she wouldn’t choose to share such confidential information with a group like this. Now, if the spyispresent, they’ll know of the Order’s plan to attack on Holy Winter’s Day.They’ll know of our plan to sway Leo to our cause. They’ll know that my little brother and sister are rebels—easy targets to be used for ransom, or bargaining chips, or worse.
“Sybil,” Mother addresses the timid maid. Again, Sybil was so quiet, so impassive, that I might have thought she already left the room. “I’m trusting you to watch over Elsie while the two of you complete your chores around the castle.”
Elsie groans. “I can take care of myself?!”
“Andyouwill watch over Sybil,” Mother adds, running a hand through Elsie’s blond hair. “The two of you will have perhaps one of the most important jobs—and also the most dangerous.”
My mouth opens at the very moment Will gives my hand another gentle squeeze, and the words die out on my tongue.
“Sybil, Elsie,” Mother says, “you’re to be my eyes and ears in this castle. Listen while you sweep, observe the nobility while you tend hearths and empty wastebaskets. At the end of the day, you’ll report everything you hear and see to me.”
Sybil nods vigorously. “Yes, ma’am!”
Eliza glances at Sybil, her eyes narrowing slightly, but it’s as if she notices me staring, because a moment later she smiles at the young maid, even offering to aid the two girls in any way she can.
“Henry?” Mother asks, attempting to look at something over my shoulder.
I turn to find Henry slumped against the wall in the corner, snoring softly.
Splotches of red blossom on Lord Bludgrave’s cheeks, and Lady Isabelle brings a hand to her forehead, letting out a weary sigh.
“I’ve got him,” Jack says. “Albert, mind giving me a hand?”
But as Jack bends down, Henry comes awake with a start, hisfist flying before he’s even gained his footing. His knuckles connect with Jack’s jaw, a loudpopechoing throughout the cramped room.
I recognize the terror in Henry’s bleary eyes as he takes in his surroundings—as he looks down at Jack, struggling to pick himself up off the floor.
Margaret rushes to Jack’s side. “You idiot!” she huffs at Henry, examining Jack’s face. “You’ve dislocated his jaw!”
Will exhales sharply through his nose, crouching beside Margaret. “This will hurt,” he tells Jack before placing a hand on his jaw.
Another loudpopcauses me to wince, and Jack lets out a string of curses.
“Better?” Will asks.
Jack nods, rubbing his jaw. “Good as new.”
Will stands to face his brother, his anger melting into something soft and pitying the instant he sees his face. The glaze over Henry’s eyes gives me the impression he’s not fully here, that whatever nightmare he’s been suffering through has followed him into his waking life. “Perhaps it’s best if you turned in for the night.”
“Perhaps it’s best you all did,” Mother says, looking down at her maps once more. “I’ll discuss your appointments with the rest of you in private tomorrow. Until then”—she glances up at each of us in turn, her gaze landing, finally, on me—“stay vigilant. If Morana is here, at Castle Grim, we cannot be sure when she’ll act, but we must be ready if she does.” Mother’s gaze drifts back to her maps, and she gives a dismissive wave that I’m sure sets Lord Bludgrave’s teeth on edge. “Get some sleep.”
Sleep.As if I can sleep now, I think, even as the others mumble their agreement, yawning as they make their way for the small, round door.
I wait as the others exit through the tunnel, until only Mother, Will, Killian, and I remain, my hands gripping the edge of the table, tethering myself to this moment.
