“There are ways to get there. Especially now that Lore is on the Burnt Isles.” Lilia’s eyes clouded at the mention of her daughter. “I may not know her well, but I know she can find her way to the Mount. Especially if you tell her to.”
By dreamwalking. Alie sighed, shaking her head. “I can only see the others with power in dreams if they’re using it, right?”
“They’ll use it,” Lilia said. “They may try not to, but eventually, they’ll give in.”
Wasn’t Alie proof of that herself?
“Now.” Lilia straightened. “There are three pieces of the Fount missing. One was never accounted for, but Apollius had the other two hidden by His followers, in the hope that the Fount could never be made whole again. We know one is in Auverraine somewhere, because the Priest Exalted was tasked with keeping it safe.” She arched a brow. “Though I don’t think Gabriel ever got that particular instruction.”
“I doubt Apollius would have told him, no.” Alie was fairly certain Apollius had started His influence right after the ritual, but the decision to make Gabe the Priest Exalted was all Bastian, wanting to keep the other man close. “So we have one. Where are the others?”
“That’s the only one we have an exact location for. After the Godsfall, when all the pilgrims were fleeing the Isles, there was quite a bit of confusion, and the second one is probably in some rich family’s art collection. No one knows where the third ended up.” Lilia had deflated somewhat, as if realizing that this revelation didn’t help them all that much. “But if we can find the one here, we can tell the others what to look for, at least.”
“So we don’t even know what it looks like?”
“I assume,” Lilia said, slightly icy, “that it looks like a broken piece of a fountain.”
In that moment, she was undeniably Lore’s mother.
Alie sighed. “Fine. It’s better than nothing. What do you need me to do?”
“It’s likely that I’ll need to get inside the Citadel to search,” Lilia said. “That seems the most obvious place for it to be. If we can’t find it there, we may need to try the catacombs again, though I’ve looked through as many tunnels as I can get to.”
The idea of scurrying around down there made Alie shiver. “I can arrange that. How will I know when?”
The other woman thought for a moment. “A rose,” she said finally, quietly. “I’ll leave a rose in the door.”
Alie nodded. “I’ll be looking.”
“Good.” Then, with no further instruction, Lore’s mother ducked out of the alley and into the falling light.
Alie sneaked back into the Citadel the same way she left, through the storm drain that led to the manicured forest at the edge of the grounds. She’d hidden a change of clothes in the hollow of a tree, a ruse that would look like someone was trysting if anyone came across it. Alie changed back into a court dress quickly, shivering in the chill. Summer had been punishing, and it seemed winter would be, too, once it finally got here.
She paused a moment, twisting air in her fingers. It had become second nature to check for whispers when she returned from Dellaire. Usually, she heard nothing interesting, and she let the murmurs of courtiers who thought their conversations were private wash over her without much thought.
But one voice gave her pause.
“You think far too highly of your damn Empire, Jax,” Apolliussneered. “You of all people should know that I have more important things to attend to.”
“I’m aware.” Jax’s voice was stiff and resigned, as if this was the tail end of an argument he’d long accepted losing. “But while You are caught up in heavenly pursuits, there is still ruling to do. Our forces in Kadmar are subsisting on starvation rations—”
“So let them.” Apollius sounded bored. “We have the troops to spare.”
“Holy One, I cannot in good conscience—”
Apollius laughed, harsh and brassy. Alie winced. “Since when have you done anything in good conscience? Taking over the continent? Pulling out Gabriel Remaut’s eye?” A pause, and the next words sounded sly. “Killing your father?”
It was an open secret, but it still made Alie start.
Silence. Jax’s next words were quiet. “I did that for You.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself. You were a weak, stupid boy, willing to do whatever it took to feel less weak and less stupid. You didn’t do it for Me, you did it for yourself.” The slight sound of a wineglass clinking against rings, a swallow. “I don’t care about your fucking Empire, Jax Andronicus, and I certainly don’t care about your troops in Kadmar. I care about getting back the power owed to Me. And you are going to marry Bastian’s bastard half sister, and have lots of weak, stupid babies, and shut up about an empire that won’t be yours for long, anyway.”
Alie let go the strands of air. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest, unwelcome sympathy.
Bundling her other clothes into her bag, Alie affixed the grate to the drain entrance again and hurried toward the Citadel.
Two bloodcoats stood at either side of the doors, looking bored. Alie was halfway up the stairs before they acknowledged her, and when they did, they stood up straighter. “His Holy Majesty has asked for a word with you, Lady Bellegarde.”
