A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire 1)

That pale gaze drifted over to where I stood, still breathing heavily, and landed on the bodies behind me, ending where the servant girl was still pressed to the wall as if she were trying to become one with it. I slipped the hand holding the dagger behind me.

The god grinned.

My mother appeared behind him, her face paling to match the ivory and cream of her gown. I suddenly wished that I could become one with the wall.

“I found them like this,” I lied, glancing at the servant. “Right?”

She nodded emphatically, and I turned back to them. The god’s pale gaze burned into mine, the wisps of eather in his eyes far fainter than Ash’s. What was a god even doing here in the castle? I swallowed, wanting to take a step back as he continued staring at me.

The god’s smile grew. “What a terrible thing to discover.”

I glanced at my mother. Not for one second did I think she believed what I claimed, but she wouldn’t say anything. Not in front of a god.

The Queen’s expression smoothed out. “Yes,” she said, her chest rising sharply. “What a terrible thing, indeed.”

“You really think Tavius had something to do with the attack?” Ezra asked, her voice low as we hung freshly washed linens on nylon lines in the courtyard of Healer Dirks’ home the following afternoon.

I’d taken Ezra up on her earlier offer to help those injured in the protests. Well, I sort of overheard her giving directions to the carriage driver and followed her to the very edge of the Garden District today, where the most severely injured from the protests were being treated. But it was clear that Dirks needed as much help as possible. Nearly a dozen cots and pallets lined the front chamber of his residence, containing those who had been hurt. Wounds needed to be cleaned. Linens washed before they aided in infection. The injured coaxed into eating or drinking. Healer Dirks hadn’t said a word to me beyond pointing to the baskets of linens that needed to be hung to dry. I could never tell if the older man knew who I was. He hadn’t asked questions over the years when Sir Holland brought me to him to treat the injuries I’d received while training. If he suspected anything, he never said a word. Ezra had eventually joined me. It was the first chance we had to speak about what had occurred yesterday.

“I do think he’s responsible.” I glanced to where several Royal Guards stood positioned at the iron gateway to the courtyard as I grabbed one of the damp sheets from the basket. “Who else would’ve had the coin?” Flipping the sheet over the line, I pulled it straight. “Or the courage to risk recruiting the guards?”

“Not that I’m trying to defend my brother, but even I don’t think he’s idiotic enough to kill the one thing that can stop the Rot,” Ezra pointed out.

“You’re giving him far more credit than I can, then.” I tugged the hood of my blouse farther down, more so to shield the glare of the sun than to hide my identity.

“And the girl?” Ezra asked, bending to pick up the last linen. She shook it out, and the astringent scent tickled my nose. “You really think she had nothing to do with it?”

“I don’t know.” I caught the other end of the sheet and helped her spread it over the line. “She was scared, but I don’t know if that was because I was in the room or because she had been forced into it.”

Ezra swept one of the linens to the side as she stepped through, joining me. “Either way, someone should relocate her out of Wayfair just in case.”

“Where would she go?” I asked. “If you say something about her, she will most likely lose her job.”

“And if she played a role in this attack, should she continue working in the same household that you live in?” she challenged as she straightened the tiny white bow on the bodice of her robin’s egg blue gown.

“But if she didn’t, then she’s out of a job.” I picked up the basket. “Not only would we be punishing a victim, she would likely blame me and the curse, and that is the last thing I need.”

Ezra sighed. “You’re right, but you should at least say something to Sir Holland. He could probably look into her background and see if she may be a continued threat.” Her brow wrinkled; her gaze moving between the Royal Guards and me. “I’m just not sure that Tavius played a role in this. And you know I do not say that because I believe he’s not capable of such a thing. Tavius hardly has spare coin,” Ezra explained. “I know this because he’s always trying to borrow from me. He spends whatever he has on Miss Anneka.”