A Fate of Wrath & Flame (Fate & Flame 1)

“She would be a fool to try anything, and she is no fool. Regardless, I will be within reach and watching closely. But when someone like Bexley wishes to speak … you always listen.”

So she has something important to tell me. “What would I do without you, Elisaf?”

His smile is easy. “Somehow I think you would manage.”

Before Dagny returns, I stroll over to the next stall.

“You make a lot of noise,” Bexley says by way of greeting, testing the frayed edge of a silk between her fingertips. “It has spread through half of Cirilea already that the future queen is out buying pastries and servants in the market.”

“I’ve had a busy morning.”

“And with such a faithful guard too.” Her eyes dart to where I came from. “I remember Eli before. He was a regular at my establishment. A favorite of mine.”

Eli? “I guess I don’t have to ask how you two know each other.”

She smirks. “Not unless you’re in the mood for sordid details.”

“Not especially.”

Bexley wears a modest gown the color of pistachio sorbet, no hint of nipple to be seen. Still, she carries herself with an effortless confidence that I admire. No one tells her what to do.

Her sharp focus drifts over my neck, and I know what she’s thinking. A shiver runs along my spine. “You wanted to tell me something?”

“I was going to wait until I saw you at the repast, but when I heard you were here, I thought the sooner, the better.” She holds up a rich indigo silk against my cheek. “This would be a stunning color on you.”

“Careful. You’ll give Odier a coronary if he sees anyone else’s material touching me.”

She tsks. “Dear, dear Odier. He thinks so highly of himself. He would never step foot in an establishment such as mine.”

“I don’t have a lot of time before my seamstress returns.”

She sighs. “Kaders withheld a few details from you last night.”

“How do you know?”

“Because that’s what happens after Kaders spills his seed. He spills his secrets.” She smiles coyly. “I could have pried the information you obtained from him without you casting a single coin, if you’d stayed long enough.”

And watched the full sex show, she means. “You’re saying I’ve already paid up front for whatever you’re about to tell me.”

Her eyes narrow as she studies my face. “I heard you were meek and subservient.”

“Rumors are never entirely accurate, are they?”

“Or in this case, not at all.” She pauses. “The caster going by Gesine was not alone. She was traveling with an older woman. She also had a collar around her neck, but Kaders’s wind woman told him she was a seer.”

Wendeline mentioned the seers before. “Did she have a name?”

“I’m sure she did, but it wasn’t one that was used. The caster Gesine was protective of her. Kept her in their cabin and wouldn’t let anyone near, including the wind woman.”

I search for value in this new information, but there are still too many holes in my knowledge of this world. “And he didn’t say where they went when they got off his ship?”

“No, though they were met by a wagon. The older woman seemed confused, he said.”

“They easily could have left the city by now.”

“Perhaps, though there are many places to hide within, if you know the right people.”

And if there is anyone who knows the right people, it’s Bexley.