Those who are strongest will rule over the weak. This is how the world is structured; this is what pleases Me.
—The Book of Holy Law, Tract 79
They fought about whether to go get the Fount piece. Mari tried to be the voice of reason, reassuring them that even if Eoin had taken their ship, they had a deal, and as long as they stuck to it, surely he would give them the shard and help rescue Alie and Lore.
“Deals have much more weight with poison runners than politicians,” Malcolm said, and Mari stayed quiet after that.
She was right in that Eoin taking the ship didn’t automatically mean he was going back on their agreement. But the whole thing put a sour taste in Gabe’s mouth, and his intuition—and the god in his head—told him to run. He’d learned it was best to listen to the one, even if he didn’t really trust the other.
Gabe wanted to find the piece and leave right away, but Malcolm was more measured in his approach. Even if they managed to take the piece and get out of the Rotunda without tripping some alarm, now that Val’s ship was gone, there was no way to leave Caldien without stealing another.
“There’s a way,” Gabe growled, thinking of threads of fire and earth.
“No,” Malcolm said, almost before he finished speaking. “No.”
Bereft of other options, the plan now was to steal a ship. After the meeting of the Brotherhood tonight, Gabe and Malcolm would return to the boardinghouse, in case they were still being followed. Then they’d sneak out the back, return to the Rotunda, and steal the stone while Val, Mari, and Michal found something suitably small and unguarded in the harbor. Eoin would undoubtedly know who’d taken it, but hopefully they’d be halfway to the Mount before he discovered the Fount shard was gone.
So for now, they all pretended at business as usual.
Gossip between Auverraine and Caldien moved slowly, but notthatslowly. The news of Alienor Bellegarde and Jax Aronicus’s wedding being moved up was already making the rounds. Yet more gossip came in the form of Finn, tapping nervously at the table with his fingernails as he sat in front of a rapidly cooling cup of tea in the boardinghouse kitchen, an open letter before him.
Mrs. Cavendish had long since gone out to market, but she’d left a plate of biscuits on the counter. Gabe grabbed one and ate it without tasting, trying to decide if he was going to ask Finn what was wrong or not.
He narrowed his eye at the letter, reading it from a safe distance.
Then he dropped his biscuit.
“What does that say?” He knew what it said—he’d just read it. But he wanted to hear it confirmed.
Finn, for his part, didn’t seem upset to find him peering over his shoulder. He shook himself, frowned at his tea. “Hells, this needs whiskey.” Still, he drained the cup before answering. “Apparently, the Queen has escaped from the Second Isle. The Sainted King is sending all hands to capture her.”
Alarm bells rang in Gabe’s head, the smell of burning.
He’ll take her, Hestraon murmured.He’ll take her again. They’ll leave you alone.
“How do you know it’s true?” Gabe asked. “It’s impossible to escape the Isles.”
“Apparently your Hemlock Queen is quite resourceful.” Finn cocked a brow. “I got the news from my contact in the Citadel. And they’re the acting Priest Exalted, so they would know.”
Alexis, then. They would certainly know.
“Fuck,” Gabe seethed, marching into the hallway. “Fuck.”
He felt his edges wavering. Felt the outer reaches of himself going to light and heat.
Can You promise to let me go, after?Gabe asked.Will You give me back to myself?
The god waited a moment before answering.I can make no promises.
“Then leave me alone,” Gabe snarled.
He rushed up the stairs to Malcolm’s room, hammered on the door. It opened to reveal a sleepy-eyed Michal, a blanket drawn around his naked torso. “Gabe?”
Gabe pushed past him, into the room. Malcolm was already awake, similarly bare-chested at the small desk pushed against the wall. When Gabe stormed in, he turned around, brows furrowed. “You seem upset.”
Astonishing deduction, but Gabe didn’t snap at him. “Lore has escaped from the Isles. There’s an order out for her capture. If Apollius gets to her before we do, it’s over.”
Malcolm blew out a slow breath. “We’re leaving tonight. Once we get to the Mount—”
