Elves Invasion

14

Samuel waited for her to talk some more. People loved to talk, especially when they were proving how smart and powerful they were. A big ego can make even the cleverest person careless, and Samuel had found that silence worked better than a beating with people who thought they were important. All except for Lillian. She never gave anything away unintended. Never talked about herself. Never bragged. Probably because she wasn’t proud of what she did.

“I had hoped to get more information from the Lillian here, but she has proved to be exceptionally tight-lipped.” Avareconsidered. “Or maybe Zuro isn’t as irresistible as I’d once thought.”

Hearing that made Samuel smile. “Don’t count on a pretty face charming that one into letting her guard down,” he said. Erye may have distracted Mia for a time, but she wasn’t the type to get her head turned anymore. She came out of the oubliette changed. She liked suffering now; Samuel knew it. That’s why she was perfect for him.

“So which one do you belong to?” she asked. “The sickly Lillian in Salem, or the healthy one? I’m guessing the sick one is your witch, and that the healthy one has no idea you’re here.”

Samuel 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 Mia 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. Samuel 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?”

Avasighed, 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, Samuel, 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 t*****e 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.” Mia 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 Erye 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, Mia 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,” Mia told her.

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

Mia 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 Mia had to move over.

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

“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. Erye was alone.”

“He shared his memories?”

“Some. Windyard and Joel insisted.” Juliet pulled a goose feather out of Mia’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.” Mia 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 Samuel 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 Mia 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 Mia’s hand, unable to bear her own thoughts.

Lillian’s cinder world swam to the front of Mia’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.