Page 97 of With Wing And Claw

Chapter 21

The spark came evensooner than expected.

Not during her inspection of the forces Nicanor had posted along most of the coast of the island – her soldiers were grim but calm as they waited for the inevitable confrontation to come. Not even during the hours she spent hurrying around the court afterwards, answering questions, fielding thinly veiled attacks, bracing herself for accusations of treason that never came. But when she returned to her rooms for lunch halfway through the afternoon – overwhelmed, exhausted, and ready to commit bloody murder if a single person mentioned Bereas’s name ever again – Naxi sat waiting before the redwood door, two dead fae by her feet, and a sealed and folded piece of parchment in her hands.

‘Sashka!’

It would have been sensible, presumably, to ask some questions about the corpses first.

But the poor sods were dead anyway – they had probably done plenty to deserve it – and even the grisliest corpse couldn’t have been as shocking as the dazzling brightness of Naxi’s smile, an almost aggressive cheer that suggested the previous day’s gloominess had never evenexisted. It was that surprise that had Thysandra jerking to a standstill on the stairs, the world stuttering and rearranging itself around her – because the little menace would beleavingsoon, wouldn’t she?

That smile didn’t look like she was leaving.

It looked like she was about to burrow into Thysandra’s skin and live there.

‘I’ve got news!’ Her voice was merry like a midwinter celebration – forced brightness, anxiously ignoring the looming dark on the edges. ‘Tared just visited and left a letter for you, Sashka!’

A single letter.

For the five she’d sent out.

Which should be a crushing disappointment, and yet she barely felt that emotion beneath the far more urgent, far more ominous suspicion swelling in her. What in the world was going on? Naxi’s grin was too broad. Her eyes too wide. There was something she wasn’t saying, and few things were as utterly terrifying as a demon with secrets – had Tared given her any new information? Hell, had theLabyrinth?

‘Sashka?’ Naxi repeated, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

‘Right,’ Thysandra managed, forcing herself to move, to step forward. Her thoughts swam, and so did the sound of her voice in her own ears. ‘Yes, very good. Is there … is there anything else we should talk about?’

Blue eyes blinked back at her, guilelessly. ‘Talk?’

‘Yes.’ It felt surreal, the entire conversation, and the dead fae lying between them did not help matters in the slightest, their bodies grotesque props on the stage of some bittersweet comedy. ‘You— Yesterday, you said—’

‘Oh!’ Naxi’s peal of laughter was like bells, sharp and bright. ‘I was just tired. I said things I didn’t mean. Don’t you want to read Tared’s letter?’

Gods help her.

She didn’t care about gods-damned Tared’s letter. She wanted to know what the hell was going on, with an urgency that felt like a hand around her throat. This wasn’tNaxi, the stilted, artificial little creature sitting against that door before her. This was some unnerving parody ofthe demon she knew, and how was she supposed to think about politics when something was obviously, mysteriously wrong with … well, her foremost ally?

It made sense, didn’t it, to be worried about the person who presented such an exceptional strategic advantage for your cause?

‘Sashka.’ A flutter of slightly bloodstained, buttery yellow and then Naxi was standing, the strained smile gone from her face at last. Her impatient glower was a relief, somehow. At least it looked likehers. ‘I really am fine. Let us into your rooms and read the stupid letter. Tared said you should probably sit down before you look at it.’

That did not soothe her worries in the slightest. Itdidkick her back into motion, though, so abruptly that even her own mind was surprised to find her walking again, past the fae who’d slit their own throat, to the door with its secret lock. Only after she’d sparked red magic at the right spot did she remember she should have asked Naxi to look away.

Damn it all. It wasn’t like a demon without fae magic could do much to open the door by herself.

She let herself collapse onto the couch, unthinkingly wiping vines off the cushions as she held out a hand for Tared’s letter. Naxi passed it on, then hopped on to the heartleaf-covered kitchen counter to make tea – her humming close enough to her usual quiet sounds that Thysandra almost,almostmanaged to loosen her shoulders as she unfolded the parchment.

Thysandra,it began.

After lengthy deliberation, we have concluded it is to our own benefit not to drive the Crimson Court to violence again. We are therefore open to discussing trade agreements. Prices would conform to market, although we would appreciate your assistance repairing some of the material damage the war has done.

There is one additional condition:

Crimes have been committed against our peoples for the century and a half we were ruled by the empire. Some of these were the direct consequences ofthe Mother’s orders, and with her death, we consider justice done. However, others were committed by individual fae, of their own volition, and we do not want to see their actions go unpunished.

Attached, you will find a provisional list. We ask that you deliver these individuals to the Alliance so they can be tried and, if found guilty, penalised.

With regards,