House of Pounding Hearts (The Kingdom of Crows #2)(81)

Aoife sighs, and her glower transforms into another look altogether—one I may have called smug had it graced anyone else’s face. “I will still revenge,” she proclaims.

“Get in line.”

“In what line?” One of her eyebrows rises over the upper rim of her mask.

“It’s an expression. It means there are a lot of people who also want revenge.” Honestly, some days, I can hardly believe I still breathe considering the number of people who want me buried in filiaserpens.

“We protect you, always.”

Or rather, until the day Lore has no more use for me. Which could potentially be tomorrow if all goes according to plan.

“I go check boat. Colm and Fionn wait with you.”

Although not members of the Siorkahd, they’re high up in the Sky Kingdom’s military pyramid, and mates to boot, so Lorcan rarely assigns them to different tasks.

As Aoife marches down the moonlit path, her red cape flows behind her like a river of blood. The comparison jars me so deeply that I fling it wide. I don’t want to think of a bleeding Aoife because a bleeding Aoife would be my fault.

Just as she reaches the gate that leads out to the dock destined for smaller vessels, an arm winds through mine . . . a shaking arm.

I glance toward Syb, whose gray eyes are as wide as the holes in her pink mask. “What is it?”

She closes her eyes and inhales a deep breath that makes her nostrils flare wide. “Antoni’s missing.”





Forty





My eardrums begin to buzz. “Missing?”

“He sent Mattia and Riccio to gather more supplies earlier this afternoon, and when they returned—when they returned, he was gone.” Sybille’s voice is a fragmented whisper.

“Perhaps he went to run an errand of his own?” My suggestion falls flat to my own ears.

“Perhaps. Giana went to Rax to meet the boys to help them look.”

“Does Lorcan know? Is he also looking?”

“Imogen came to get Gia.”

It does little to appease my thundering heart. “We should—” I lick my lips that feel as dry as paper. “Maybe we should—”

“Gia said that we need to stay the course to keep Lucins ‘distracted.’”

By Lucins, I imagine she means Dante’s soldiers. We may be cloaked tonight, but the princess is amongst us. Surely, many guards will be present.

I jump when Arina snuffles my neck, so lost in thought that I neither heard nor saw her clop toward us.

I reach the arm not strangling Syb’s around the filly’s neck and give her head a long squeeze and a quick scratch over her scarred skin. She lets out a soft, satisfied whinny. When my fingers begin to fall back alongside my body, Arina pushes her velvet muzzle into the crook of my shoulder until I give her another scratch. Even though I know her blind trust in me has everything to do with my Shabbin blood, it never fails to make my heart flutter.

Syb clucks her tongue, and our horse darts her head toward the hand my friend holds up. Her intent is to pet the newest member of the resistance, but Arina is wholly uninterested in a caress. She’s probably expecting a treat since Syb and I did spend our morning attempting to teach her tricks using quartered apples.

“You little scoundrel, you just like me when I have food, huh?” Syb murmurs, and although she attempts to smile, a shudder steals it right off her lips.

Her mind, like mine, is full of dark thoughts, because Antoni’s cause doesn’t benefit the Crown. At least, not the Faerie Crown.

“I’m sure he just got lost in the tunnels,” she murmurs.

“The tunnels?”

Syb’s mouth rounds. “I meant, in Rax.”

“What tunnels?”

“Shh.”

I drop Syb’s arm and round on my friend. “What fucking tunnels?” I hiss even though I’m half-tempted to scream.

Sybille doesn’t keep secrets from me. Or at least, I thought she didn’t.

“Fal, I swear I will tell you everything I know when we get home, but please drop it for now or you’ll get them into more trouble than you did by moving into the house.”

My head rears back as though Syb has slapped me.

“Merda,” she mutters. “I didn’t mean it like that. You know I love to have you around.”

The beads threaded into my orange wig begin to clink together. I take a small step back from my friend, a whole slew of emotions roiling through me—betrayal, shock, but also guilt. I knew my presence was inconvenient—both Gia and Antoni have made it clear time and again—but I hadn’t realized just how inopportune.

So as not to get them into more trouble, I snap my lips closed and march out of the garden. After tonight, no matter what happens or what I learn, I’ll leave.

If my house was rehabilitated like Dante promised, I’ll move back in there. Of course, the odds of Lorcan accepting that living situation are laughable. I expect he’ll cart me right back to the Sky Kingdom. I take comfort in the fact that Phoebus is there, although he’ll probably want nothing to do with me for a while.

My musings jerk to a stop like Arina, whose single eye grows so wide, the brown iris floats in a sea of white. “What is it, girl?”

She releases a low whinny that shakes her entire body. My spine tingles with alarm, and for a brief moment, I consider heading back inside. But if this is to be my final contribution to the Meriam-retrieval movement, I wish to make it count.