Fantasy of Fire (The Tainted Accords #3)(33)

“What brings you here, Frost?” She smiles without artifice away from the salivating men.

I glance around her room with interest. Soft furs and floaty fabrics are draped artistically around the large bed—the room’s centerpiece—to create a sultry and inviting view. I doubt the men who visit Willow even notice, but it’s artfully decorated.

An understated wardrobe sits against the wall, but I know this is her pride and joy.

“Bought any new dresses?” I ask. Her expression asks if I’m serious. She flings the doors open with glee and carefully removes a deep red dress. Really, it could be a scarf. I know not to embarrass myself by asking if this is the case.

“Did you ever get that black material?” she asks. I used the lie as a cover story when I was looking for fabric to replace my veil last sector.

“Yes, in a way,” I muse, thinking of the dress I wore to the ball. Memories of the dress still mortified me. She gives me an odd look, waiting for me to explain.

I get back to business instead. “I have a proposition for you. For all of the women here.”

“Mmmhmm,” she says. She places the red dress back in the wardrobe with loving hands.

“I work for the king now,” I say.

“With him, or under him?” she asks.

I tilt my head trying to dissect the amused look she’s giving me. “Well, under him. He’s the king.” She bursts out laughing. Not the chime laugh—a real one.

I frown and move on once she’s settled. “The king is aware of the issues in the Outer Rings. There are many ways he wishes to improve the situation for the poor of Glacium, and I’ve encouraged him to start with protecting the women and children.”

This stops her laughter. She dashes a lingering tear away, stepping toward me. “How?”

There are only a few things in life that Willow takes seriously, but the safety of the women here is one of them. I outline my plan for her in detail. There’s no laughter in her eyes as she listens to my words.

“And Alzona…” she says dubiously, “…is okay with this plan?”

Alzona will be proud of her cutthroat reputation. “You’d be surprised at how passionate Zona is about it,” I say, remembering her reaction last night. Alzona never did anything for free.

I stand, giving the beautiful young woman some space. “From what I’ve heard, the women below you are shown great cruelty by the scum living in the Outer Rings. Who better to teach self-defense to?”

“The idea is sound. It’s the mistress I’ll have to convince. You’re high in her regard after dealing with Slay, but there’s the whorehounds to consider. They control this show. They won’t be happy to know we’re learning to defend ourselves,” she says.

My dealings with the whorehounds is limited, but bloodied. I didn’t know how many they were, or really anything else about them, other than the fact they pushed the young into prostitution. You don’t have to count how many teeth a dog has to know it can bite. Every part of my being told me the whorehounds were evil.

I’m already prepared for this. “Long term, the whorehounds will be out of the picture. In the short term I thought we could invite a few of them to a ‘fake training.’ If we show them a clumsy, weak act, they’ll see it as a joke.”

A wicked smile curves Willow’s red lips. “A joke until we crush them?”

I shrug with feigned innocence and head to the door. “I return to the castle tomorrow. If you don’t have your answer before then—”

“We’ll do it.”

Willow faces me. The light behind illuminates her frame underneath the thin material and I keep my gaze steadfastly on her face. I know she isn’t embarrassed by these things, but I am.

“I’ll convince the mistress. This is the way forward. I see it. You won’t lead us astray.” I’m dumbfounded by her sincerity. It reminds me of the behavior I witnessed outside.

“In that case, Alzona will be in touch to arrange the particulars.” I place my hand on the doorknob. “Have you noticed anything different around here? I saw a couple of weird things on my way over,” I venture.

She shrugs. “You mean the uprising?” I try not to gape at her openness. I’d mentioned the king’s plan to improve the Outer Rings, but not the rebellion itself. I should’ve known she’d see straight through that. “Uh, yeah.”

“Most of the men here are involved,” she says. “A couple of weeks ago they organized raids in the Middle Ring. Killed a whole heap of rich folk. But they’ve had to go underground now that the king’s men are sniffing them out.” She winks at me. “Best stay inside after dark. Though they’ll probably just want to recruit you.”

“About that. Do you know why everyone’s suddenly being nice to me here?” I ask.

It is her turn to be surprised. It quickly turns to amusement. “Only you wouldn’t guess the reason,” she chimes, swaying toward me. “You saved two barracks from slaughter and took out Slay in the same day. You laughed at death while nearly destroying the Dome. Some say you drank an entire flagon of brew during the fight. Others are saying you kissed the mouth of everyone you killed.” The mischievous glint is back in her eyes. “I started that one.”

“Thanks,” I say dryly. She giggles.