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“Perfect,” I muttered aloud, though no one was there to hear me.

Back when we’d first visited Inbetwixt, Scion had bought me enough clothing to outfit me for possibly the rest of my life. I’d hardly gotten to wear any of it, though, before we’d had to leave everything at the thieves’ den and return to the castle.

I’d hoped that somewhere Cross had kept it all, and it seemed my hope was not misplaced.

I reached into the drawer pulling out a large stack of garments all in warm red and purple hues. Before I could go through everything carefully, a sudden rap on the window made me jump and look up.

My gaze scanned the room nervously as the tapping sounded again. I narrowed my eyes at the window, and crossed the room to fling open the heavy red drapes.

Sun steamed through the enormous window, illuminating the entire room. Outside, the city was awake and I could see people passing by below, some stopping to talk while others hurried by carrying shopping bags. Directly in front of me, Quill was flapping his enormous wings, hovering outside the window and tapping on the glass.

My eyes widening in surprise, I reached up and unlatched the window, throwing it open so that Quill could flutter inside.

“What are you doing here?” I hissed.

The bird swooped once around my head and landed on the bed. He narrowed his eyes at me, giving me a look that clearly seemed to say“Where else would I be?”

“I just assumed you were in the capital?” I told the bird.

“Assumed wrong, then, didn’t you? Foolish child.”

Indeed, Quill had not come with us to Cheapside, nor to Inbetwixt. I knew the bird didn’t like Inbetwixt because the underground thieves' den made him nervous. Therefore, I’d assumed Scion had ordered the bird to watch the capital and report back to him in that strange unclear way in which they communicated.

“Well what is it?” I asked, wrapping my towel more firmly around me.

Quill hopped toward me, and I gasped when I spotted the purple ribbon tied to his front leg. I bent to inspect it and found that it wasn’t a ribbon at all, but a tiny strip of my ruined dress. The fabric was holding a tiny piece of parchment to the bird’s leg.

My eyes wide, I gently untied the fabric, having absolutely no idea what to think. I took the little scroll of paper and spread it out on the floor in front of me.

Little Monster,

I don’t trust Scion to actually tell you why I had to leave, and maybe I’m not the only one because this damned bird wouldn’t leave me alone until I wrote you this note.

I love you too fucking much and it’s killing me. I told you back in the castle that if somehow my presence was hurting you, Iwouldn’t hesitate to walk away. Now I have to go if there’s ever going to be a real chance for us to be happy.

I’m sorry. I promise we’ll see each other again. You know I’ll always find you.

He hadn’t signed it,but he didn’t have to. I would have recognized Bael’s tone anywhere, even in writing.

“Where is he?” I demanded of the bird. “Where did you get this?”

For once, the bird only stared back at me–just a bird and nothing more.

Frustrated, I flopped back down on my ass and moved to lean my back against the dresser, my head on my knees. I supposed I couldn’t say I was surprised.

Sad? Yes.

Angry that he hadn’t said goodbye? Yes.

Worried? Absolutely.

But I was not surprised.

Something had been evidently wrong with Bael for some time now. He clearly hadn’t wanted to discuss it, and perhaps I didn’t either. Discussing it would have forced us to confront what I’d already long suspected. I was killing him, slowly, a little more everyday.

I’d known that was the case way back in that inn before I’d ever met Ambrose, and then it had been me who had to leave.

But even knowing that, I’d allowed myself to be happy. For these last two months, it was the first time I could remember beingtruly happy. Maybe not every moment, and certainly not when my mother died, but overall…this was the first time in my life that I’d known exactly where I was supposed to be and what I was doing. I wasn’t afraid of where my next meal would come from, or that I might be attacked at any second. I wasn’t being tormented by cruel court politics, or running for my life every other day.