Witch's Pyre (Worldwalker #3)(28)

Carrick couldn’t figure out how she could possibly know about the two Lillians. She would have to have someone confirming Lillian’s presence in Salem after Lily was found at Bower City’s gates. Nobody could get from one end of the continent to the other that fast, and no one could mindspeak that far—not even Lillian. Carrick could sense that Bendingtree was powerful, but she was no Lillian. How was she getting her information? He started listing all the spies he could think of in his head, and stopped. She’d corrected him when he said “spies.”

“Eyes, not spies,” he muttered. He looked up at her. “What eyes?”

Grace sighed, disappointed. She was finally realizing that she wasn’t going to get anything out of him, and maybe that she had given more than she’d gotten. She was experienced enough to see that, at least.

“I really don’t see why you won’t cooperate, Carrick, Son of Anoki. Your witch isn’t going to last much longer.”

“So sure the sick one’s mine, are you?”

“The healthy one isn’t desperate enough to claim the likes of you. I’d torture you for more information, but I have the disturbing feeling you’d like that.” She stood, but paused at the door before leaving. “Please. Do enjoy the wine.” Lily flipped her pillow over to the cool side, only to find that it was still warm from when she had flipped it five minutes ago.

She rolled over in bed, an arm crooked over her eyes. The window was open and a salty breeze stirred the curtains, but the night was still too mild for her. Her overheated brain kept slinking back to Rowan like a kicked dog. Sleep wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. On top of that, she kept thinking she heard steps above her, and she wondered how many floors this villa had. She had thought she was on the top floor.

You’re thinking too loud, Juliet said in mindspeak.

Come keep me company, Lily replied, more excited than she should be that her sister had heard her. A minute later Juliet trudged in, sporting a red crease down her left cheek. “You’ve got pillow face,” Lily told her.

“You’ve got pillow hair,” Juliet said back.

Lily pushed a hand into the mad tangle on top of her head. “It matches what’s going on under it, I guess.”

“Man trouble?” Juliet flopped into bed, sprawling out wide so Lily had to move over.

“Am I being too hard on him?” Lily asked, knowing that Juliet would understand she was talking about Rowan.

“Yes and no.” Juliet tipped her head from side to side, like her head was a scale for her thoughts. “No, if you consider what he put you through, and, yes, if you consider what he’s been through since. We had each other on the trail. Rowan was alone.”

“He shared his memories?”

“Some. Caleb and Tristan insisted.” Juliet pulled a goose feather out of Lily’s duvet. “He didn’t sleep much. Couldn’t. There was no one else to watch for Woven or help fight them off.” She rolled the feather between her fingers. “He went through hell.”

“Damn it.” Lily let out a gusty sigh. “Did he show you why he left the tribe and followed us?”

He got into a huge fight with Alaric over the bombs. There’s still two Carrick didn’t get around to dismantling. Juliet looked down at the feather. Alaric’s name was stuck on a loop inside her head.

“That must have been hard for you to watch. Just seeing Alaric, I mean.”

“I’ve been thinking. I never should have run away from him,” Juliet whispered. “I should have fought him harder.”

“You left for me. And his choices aren’t your fault.”

Juliet looked up. Her big brown eyes were burning. I know that staying here on the other side of the continent looks a lot more attractive when you think about the bombs, but we can’t. We have to go back and stop him.

Images of the Thirteen Cities flashed through Juliet’s mind. Cities that Lily had never seen. Wondrous places—some built on pontoons floating over water. One was built up among the trees, like an enchanted elfin city. Juliet imagined the trees burning. People screaming. She clutched at Lily’s hand, unable to bear her own thoughts.

Lillian’s cinder world swam to the front of Lily’s mind, and she had to switch out of mindspeak to shield her sister from seeing it. There was no point in hiding what she was about to say from the Hive anyway.

“I know. I don’t know how to stop him from here—but I know.” Lily breathed a bitter laugh. “I dragged you all across the country because I had some crazy idea that the solution to the Woven was out west, like west was some miraculous place. I thought I’d find a way for people and Woven to live together so the Outlanders wouldn’t be trapped and there wouldn’t have to be a war.” Lily wanted to kick herself. “Well, people and Woven can live together. This wasn’t what I had in mind, though.”

“It’s not really living together. It’s more like living under,” Juliet said, shuddering. “And I don’t care if they’re listening.”

Lily shrugged. “We’re already their prisoners.” For now, she added in mindspeak. Lily almost didn’t ask it, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Nothing in Rowan’s memories about me?”

“He did it to save you,” Juliet said.

“Juliet,” Lily said disbelievingly. “He took my willstones and put me in a cage.”