by Jay Kristoff
“‘She sounds quite a woman.’
“‘… She was, Majesty.’
“‘You have our sympathies, Chevalier. But rise now, we pray you. We would hear of the Battle of the Twins from your own lips. How is it you unearthed the Forever King’s plan when all other eyes were blind to it?’
“I looked to Khalid, uncertain, but he only nodded. And so, I spoke of all that had happened from the moment I discovered Laure’s hidden message. I left out Chloe and Astrid, of course, but told all else—the blood missive, our desperate ride from San Michon, the Wraith in Red, and the vow of the Forever King, ringing in my skull like funeral bells.
“The Empress stood mute the entire time, and again, I was struck by how young she was. Isabella was a woman but in her mid-twenties, and yet she sat upon the throne of an empire. Her capitaines and aides-de-camp watched me like hawks, and I was conscious of the weight in the air, the scrutiny upon my every word. I felt a small fish then, in a great dark water. And in the end, Isabella turned to the Sūdhaemi man beside her.
“‘How is it de Fronsac did not know of this gambit, Nassar? What does our general in Avinbourg do all day, we wonder? How is it Capitaine Belmont and his scouts could not tell us the direction an army of ten thousand corpses marched until it was too late?’
“‘I fear I do not know, Majesty,’ the man confessed.
“‘No? It seems there is much our commanders do not know, despite its being their business to do so. And were it not for the insight of a sixteen-year-old boy, Nordlund would already be overrun. How much of our empire is already thralled to these monsters? How much of our army? How many in our court?’
“I glanced to Abbot Khalid, but his eyes told me to hold my tongue. I began to get an inkling of what was happening here. Looking more carefully at the figures on the map at our feet, I saw wooden wolves on the coast of Sūdhaem, wooden bears in the Ossway. A scattering of wooden roses inland. And my stomach sank as I realized what I was seeing.
“‘The other bloodlines have begun to strike.’
“‘De León, you will speak when spoken to!’ Talon snapped.
“‘All is well, good Seraph,’ the Empress said. ‘Were it not for the quick thinking of our young paleblood here, Fabién Voss would be marching on our capital.’ She inclined her head to me. ‘It is true, Chevalier. Dyvok, Ilon, Chastain—all are on the move. The bloodlords of those dread lines fear being left behind if Fabién Voss stakes too deep a claim. So now, our enemies come at us not on one front, but four. And we know not whom we can trust.’ Her eyes fixed me to the floor. ‘But it is not for naught we have named you our sword, Gabriel de León. And we shall call upon you soon to stand in defense of our empire.’
“I kept silent then. I’d no inkling of the factions at court, the politics in play. I looked to the Empress, and beyond the beautiful dress and painted lips, I saw an iron fist in a silken glove. Astrid and her mother had been swept aside like deadwood in this woman’s path, and a part of me hated her for that. But it was not Alexandre III, Emperor of Elidaen and Protector of God’s Holy Church who’d ridden to Avinbourg’s defense.
“‘Merci for your testimony, Little Lion,’ Khalid said. ‘Leave us now.’
“‘Little Lion?’ Isabella asked, one eyebrow rising.
“‘So we call him, Majesty,’ Talon replied. ‘A nickname, from when he arrived.’
“Isabella looked me up and down, lips curling in a careful smile. ‘Not so little anymore, we think.’ She nodded to the seraph, then back to me. ‘We are pleased. You may go, and with our heartfelt thanks, Chevalier. May the Almighty bless and keep you.’
“‘Majesty, if it please … might I beg a favor?’
“‘Impertinent wretch!’ Talon blustered. ‘Silence your tongue, de León, before—’
“The seraph’s tirade was halted as Isabella raised a gentle hand. Instead of being offended, she actually seemed … entertained. ‘Little Lion indeed. Yet most would hold we have shown you favor enough?’
“‘I beg it not for me, Majesty.’
“‘Ah. Charity. A respectable trait for a true knight of our empire. Speak, then, Chevalier. Let us see your selflessness rewarded.’
“I opened my mouth, but looking to Khalid, to Talon and Greyhand, I found no words would come. To beg this favor put me in peril, but I feared for others besides myself. Empress Isabella watched me carefully, eyes like knives.
“‘Leave us,’ she commanded, glancing around the room.
“I saw the brothers look to each other, uncertain. And yet they obeyed, silversaints and soldiers, courtiers and handmaids marching out into the brittle night air. But as they left, I felt a touch upon my mind. So cotton-soft as to be almost unnoticeable. So silver-swift as to be almost imperceptible.
“But still. I felt it.
“‘You seem an uncommon man, Gabriel de León,’ Isabella told me. ‘Would that some of our loving husband’s generals were so bold.’
“‘A friend of mine told me recklessness is a more admirable quality than foolishness, Majesty,’ I said, eyes downturned. ‘Though I often fail to see the difference.’
“‘Your friend sounds a wise one.’
“‘It is for her I’d beg favor, Majesty.’
“‘Ah. A her. Now you are descending into cliché, Chevalier. Who is this maid for whom you beg? No wife you can claim now your vows are sworn, that much is sure.’
“‘… Astrid Rennier.’
“Isabella’s smile wavered. Only for a second, but yet, I saw it. And more, a hint of something darker behind those beautiful blue eyes.
“Displeasure.
“‘Astrid has yet to make vow to the Silver Sorority. I’d beg Your Majesty for mercy and an end to her exile. She fought bravely at the Twins, standing where almost no one else dared. And Astrid’s peerage is not her fault. She does not belong here.’
“The Empress regarded me carefully.
“‘I should have known. Such was her mother’s nature also. The serpent sinks her fangs wherever she lays her head. Even, apparently, in a house of God.’ Isabella studied her fingernails, lips pursed. ‘In love with her, are you? Know that you are not the first fly to fall into that pot of honey, Little Lion. She had many favorites at court, your dear Astrid. And she played them all like fiddles. As she now plays you.’
“‘I most humbly beg your pardon, Majesty,’ I said, swallowing hard. ‘But the sisternovice had no knowing I’d speak on her behalf.’
“I was terrified to talk so, but it wasn’t fear of an empress’s wrath. If my wish were granted, I’d never lay eyes on Astrid again. I thought about our meetings in this very library, wondering how empty this place might feel without her in it. And yet, I couldn’t forget the debt I owed her, nor how miserable she was, looking at the walls that had become her prison. I’d miss her like a part of me had been cut away. But hearts only bruise, she’d told me. And if she were happy, that was a price I’d gladly pay.
“Sweet Redeemer, I do love her …
“‘What will you give us, Chevalier, should we grant you this boon?’
“‘Loyalty. Loyalty unto death.’
“‘We are your Empress, Gabriel de León. You owe us that already.’ Isabella paused, looking down at those wooden wolves and bears and roses scattered across the realm at her feet, the ravens lurking yet west of the Godsend. ‘And yet, we cannot deny that God Himself seems to have set you apart. It was not by chance alone that you discovered the Forever King’s ploy, nor that you survived the storm where so many others fell.’ Her eyes met mine, glittering like the jewels on her brow. ‘We think perhaps the Almighty has a plan for you.’
“I thought of little Chloe then. Her words that night the star fell from heaven.
“Isabella inclined her head. ‘So be it.’
“My heart rushed so hard at those words that it ached, and I wondered if it would have hurt less if Isabella had denied me. I bowed low, hair sweeping to the floor.
“‘I am in your debt, Majesty. Yo
ur mercy knows no bounds.’
“‘Oh, be sure and certain it does, Chevalier.’ The Empress gazed out upon the map of the empire, her voice hard as iron. ‘Our mercy is quite at its limits. So grow not too comfortable here in San Michon. We shall call upon you, Gabriel de León. And soon.’
“Isabella offered her hand, fingers dipped in jewels and silver. I couldn’t help but think of the first night I’d spoken to Astrid then, here beneath this very roof. The hand she’d offered and I’d then kissed, and that I was now letting go of forever.
“I pressed my lips to Isabella’s knuckles. ‘Empress.’
“‘Leave us now,’ she commanded.
“And like a good little soldier, I obeyed.”
XVIII
A STORY YOU CAN LIVE
“I RETURNED TO the Library later that night, at the hour we usually met.
“I wasn’t certain I was doing the right thing. My belly was a cold fist, my heart punching on in my chest. This last year, I’d made more than my fair share of mistakes, reckless gambits, blind assumptions, thinking in my vanity that I knew better. And though I was now a knight of the empire, a sworn silversaint, though I’d seen through the machinations of a Forever King, I still waited there in the shadows of the forbidden section, staring into the light of our single candle, wondering if I was a fool.
“But I wasn’t left to wonder long.
“My pulse ran quicker as I heard careful footsteps. Quiet and quick. A now-familiar tread, working its way through the warren of shelves and curiosities and dusty books, into our little sanctuary from the world. I wondered if she’d be angry with me. Wondered what she’d say. Wondered if this was going to end the way I thought it might. And as the footsteps reached the end of the warren, he stepped out into the light, faux outrage already on his face, accusation already spilling from his lips.
“‘What devilry is this?’
“I eased my boots off the table. ‘Bonsoir, Seraph.’
“Talon looked about the room, moustache quivering as he realized I was alone.
“‘Expecting someone else?’
“‘This section of the Library is forbidden, de León.’
“‘I’m not an initiate anymore, Seraph. I go where I please.’
“‘And what are you doing in here in the middle of the night?’
“‘Waiting for you.’
“‘Me?’
“‘I felt you in my head earlier.’
“The thin man looked me up and down, spat through sharpening teeth. ‘How dare you accuse me of such? Brother ’saints do not use their gifts upon each other in San Michon without consent, you frailblooded little arselicker.’
“‘I know that’s why you’re here, Talon. Hoping to catch me and Astrid like you caught Aaron and Baptiste. A good hunter uses the appetites of their prey against them. Want is a weakness, isn’t it? How better to be rid of me with hands white as angels’ wings?’
“‘So you admit it. You have been meeting a sisternovice in here.’
“‘But how could you have known that? Unless you’ve been in my head?’
“‘I have eyes, de León. I see the way she looks at you.’
“‘Oh, oui. I’ve no doubt you’ve been watching all the sisternovices. Deciding which to take for your new aide? It’s been months since Sister Aoife died. That girl you murdered in Coste probably didn’t do much to scratch the itch.’
“Talon’s eyes narrowed to slits in his skull. ‘What did you just say?’
“The serving girl in Coste keep. You framed it well enough with vampires on the loose in the château. But you were on the loose too, Talon. Alone. And when you showed up in the ballroom after Laure arrived, your eyes were red as blood.’
“‘So were Greyhand’s. I’d just smoked a pipe of sanctus, you filthy bog-skank.’
“‘Except you didn’t smell of it like Greyhand did. Your eyes weren’t flooded because of the pipe. They were flooded because you’d just fed. Like you fed on Aoife the night she died.’ I rose from my chair, stalking toward him. ‘I wondered when Aaron warned me that you’d slipped into his head. I wondered why you’d want rid of him, and me. And then I remembered. Greyhand was out cold, but Aaron and I both heard what Laure said to you on that bridge: I would promise you pleasures no chaste and holy brother could dream of. But you’re already ours, paleblood. And when she mentioned Aoife’s name, you charged at her headlong like an idiot. Not because you were angry. Because you wanted to stop her from saying more in front of Aaron and me.’
“‘You little bastard…’ Talon hissed.
“‘How long?’ I demanded. ‘How long were you feeding on Aoife? How long were you sleeping with her?’
“Talon’s eyes grew wide with rage. ‘How dare y—’
“‘I saw her in the Cathedral the night she died! On her knees before the Mothermaid, arms around her belly. Is this a curse or a blessing you’ve gifted me? she asked. But it wasn’t until I talked to Kaveh that I learned the truth. Dreamweed isn’t the only herb he can wrangle on his supply runs to Beaufort. Sister Aoife asked him to get her honeywell. Rowanwhite and rainberry. You’re a master of chymistrie, Talon, so tell me! Why would a young woman want herbs of that ilk?’
“Talon met my eyes, his own welling with furious tears.
“‘You’ve no idea what it’s like, boy,’ he hissed, hands in fists. ‘You are young. The sacrament still sates you. You do not know what it is to lie awake and feel the sangirè inside you, spreading like flame. But you will. Already you hear that whisper, gentle as spring rains, but oh, it grows, boy. It grows with every sunset until its scream is all you can hear.’
“‘She was pregnant, you bastard!’
“Talon dragged his fingernails across his stubbled scalp, a snarl at his lips. He took a step toward me, and every inch of me bristled with threat. The beast I was prowled back and forth behind the cage of my ribs, my teeth now sharp as razors.
“‘You killed her,’ I spat. ‘And the child you put inside her.’
“‘It was not a child, it was an abomination! Its ending was mercy!’
“‘And the maid you killed in Coste? What mercy did you give her? You murdered two innocent girls, and all because you didn’t have the stomach to face the Red Rite as Yannick did! You shame that sevenstar and all who wear it, you fucking coward!’
“Talon snarled and lunged at me, and we collided in a hateful embrace. The seraph was older, stronger, but my old friend rage was at my back, willing me on. We crashed against the shelves, timbers splintering, parchment flying as his hands closed around my throat. I pummeled him with my fists as his fingers crushed my larynx. My knuckles crashed against his jaw as he buried his knee in my crotch. As I squealed and doubled over, his knee smashed my nose to sauce, and I found myself flying, crashing through another shelf and sending the ancient tomes tumbling.
“‘I told you, boy,’ he spat, sitting astride my chest. ‘I earned my aegis when you were still a dribble in your unholy father’s cock.’
“I clawed his eyes, and he grabbed my wrist. I screamed as his fangs sank into my flesh. Blood sprayed as I tore my hand loose, but as that red touched his tongue, I saw the monster surface in Talon’s depths—that hunger to which he’d found himself a slave. His face twisted, his strength terrifying, a bloodshot scrawl spreading across the whites of his eyes as he seized my neck. I roared as his fangs sank into my throat, punching and bucking even as the kiss took me: that bliss, that horror, that awful, bloody wanting bid me be still, be still, to close my eyes and hold my breath and pray it didn’t end too soon.
“A kick crashed into Talon’s ribs, so hard I heard bone splinter. With a bloodied cry, the seraph rolled free, tumbling across the scattered pages. I gasped for breath, pressed a hand to the ragged gouges he’d ripped in my throat. Looking upward, I saw silver-heeled boots, an empty sleeve in a leather greatcoat, a pale green stare.
“‘I didn’t believe it when the boy told me,’ Greyhand growled. ‘Not Talon, I thought. He’d h
ave the courage to do what was right when his time came.’
“‘Greyhand…’ The seraph smiled and tried to rise. ‘Let me explain, old frien—’
“Talon gasped as Greyhand’s sword sank hilt-deep into his chest, out through his back, red and bright. The seraph’s bloodshot eyes grew wide as Greyhand twisted the silversteel blade up through his ribs, cleaving his treacherous heart.
“‘Better to die a man than live a monster.’ Greyhand wrenched his sword free and sighed. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t spare you that, old friend.’
“Talon collapsed on the floorboards in a widening pool of blood. His chest was split by silversteel, heart sundered. Bloody fangs bared, his eyes fell on me.
“‘You w-will understand one day, b-boy.’ His chest rattled with one final gasp, sticky and red. ‘I-I will await you in h-hell…’
“I lay on my back in a slick of dark red, hand pressed to my savaged throat. My nose was smashed across my cheeks, legs shaking, blood thick on my fingers. Looking at that bastard’s body, I could feel nothing close to pity after what he’d done. But I did feel a cold horror at the thought that a silversaint so high had fallen so very far. If a brother so dedicated could succumb to the madness of the thirst, anyone could.
“Anyone.
“‘Can you walk?’
“I looked up into Greyhand’s eye, his face as ever stone. ‘I t-think so.’
“The silversaint offered his good hand. ‘Let’s get you to the Infirmary, Little Lion.’
“I met his hand with mine, my other still stanching the blood. ‘Merci, Master.’
“‘I’m not your master anymore, Chevalier.’ He slung my arm around his shoulder, thin lips twisting. ‘In fact, technically, you probably outrank me now.’
“I nodded to the corpse behind us. ‘He might have killed me if you hadn’t been there to stop him. It seems you’ve still a few lessons to teach.’
