Bone Crier's Moon (Bone Grace #1)(87)

“Clever,” I reply. Bastien told me he checked here once, and when he found it empty of their belongings, he never came back.

Marcel nods, his lackadaisical enthusiasm on point. “We’ve got it all stockpiled with food and black powder again. I’ve been making some of the runs myself.”

I spare a glance at a dozen or so small powder casks stacked against the wall. “Eager to blast my mother into a pit again?” Or me?

He snorts. “Something like that.”

I force a grin and pass him the rolled fabric and yarrow. “Could you give these to Bastien?”

“Sure.” He gets up and swaggers over to his friend. Bastien covers Jules with another blanket, taking extra care to tuck it tightly around her.

My eyes sting. I look back down at Marcel’s book. A corner of a sheet of parchment sticks out from beneath it. My gaze lands on a small scribbled drawing labeled “bridge.”

I frown, scooting the book aside so I can see the whole sheet of parchment. It’s covered in a labyrinth of more scribbles. “What is this?” I ask Marcel when he returns.

He sits down again. “Oh, I updated my map of the catacombs.”

“There’s a bridge here?”

He nods. “Remember that tunnel I exploded? The bridge is nearby it, beneath the mines. Turns out there’s a vast network of caves down there.” He leans back and laces his hands behind his head. “I discovered a shaft leading to the bridge. It was a bit tricky to navigate, especially on the way back up. I thought a different path would be easier, but the hatch at the top was impossible to pry open, even with my knife.”

My brow furrows as I try to follow him.

“Merde!” Bastien says. He stands and grips the empty sheath at his belt.

It takes me a moment to understand what’s upset him. I gasp. “Your father’s knife.” We left it behind in the quarry. The Chained man threw it out of reach just before Jules fell unconscious. “I’ll go back for it, Bastien.”

He blows out a tense breath and rakes his hands through his hair. “No, you can’t be exposed under the dome again.”

“I have my falcon grace.” I rise from the table. “I’ll be quick.”

“And if you’re attacked?”

“I have my tiger shark grace.”

“That’s not going to cut it if a horde comes after you.”

Marcel waves a sluggish hand. “I’ll go.”

The look Bastien gives him says that’s the worst idea yet. “I’m going,” he says adamantly.

My stomach clenches. “But what if the Chained man comes back there?”

“I’ll be fine. Until tonight, the dead have left me alone. It’s you they’re drawn to, Ailesse,” he says, and then looks down at Jules. “Will you be all right while I’m gone?”

She rolls her eyes at him and smiles. But as soon as Bastien turns away, a small convulsion runs through her.

“Marcel and I will take care of her.” I cross to where she’s now propped up against the wall. She stares at the coin purse around my neck, and her eyes grow narrow and cold.

Bastien gives a curt nod and grabs his lantern, then he bites his lip and veers over to me. “We’ll talk soon, all right?” His fingers feather across mine, and I flush with heat. His eyes are apologetic, maybe even regretful. I know the conversation he means to have when he returns. He’s going to explain his feelings about Jules.

I muster a smile. I don’t want him to think I’m upset. He and I were star-crossed to begin with. “All right,” I whisper.

He searches my eyes, and I lower them so they don’t reveal anything. “I’ll hurry as fast as I can,” he says.

His hand slips away from mine, and my fingers curl. He ducks under the low doorway.

And then he’s gone.

A fierce ache rises at the back of my throat.

Jules shoots me a look of contempt. “You’re cruel to tempt him when all you want to do is to kill him.” Her body convulses with another tremor. “I saw you two in the quarry. You were about to kiss.”

I stare at her, surprised by her sudden mood swing and rock-hard expression. I try to see past it to the Jules that Bastien has always known. I try to see even deeper to the girl she might have been if her father had lived. “No matter how much you hate me, Jules, you need to believe I’ll never kill Bastien. I give you my promise.” I wish I could save him from his fate, but he and I have been deluding ourselves. There’s no way to break our soul-bond. I knew that from the start.

She scoffs. “Your promises mean nothing.”

I draw a calming breath. I know what I need to do now, and it’s for the best. “What if I promise to leave your lives forever? Would you believe me then?”

Some of the malice leaves Jules’s face. “You’d leave Bastien? Why?”

Because you’re the one meant for him. “Wouldn’t you leave the person who’d held you captive?”

She shivers with another tremor. Her body is in shock, and I’m only upsetting her more.

I look at Marcel. “Can I talk to you for a moment outside?”

His brows rise. “All right.”

He follows me out of the chamber, and I shift back from the looming wall of skulls. “You’ve always been kind to me,” I say, keeping my voice low. “That’s why I hope you’ll help. I have my grace bones now, but I still need the bone flute.”