Page 141 of Brimstone

“Yes. We’ve held only one before. Until fairly recently, there was another Lord of Midnight, Xarris. He was killed by his own brother after some pointless disagreement. A selection was held, and that’s when Malcolm named Algat as a Lord and Keeper of Records. We must have another selection, so that candidates who wish to present themselves to become the new Lord of Midnight might be considered.”

“I’m not overseeing that.Ican’t be in charge of making that decision.”

“Well, then, your mate should have considered that before he killed Ereth. Not that I’m complaining, of course. Ereth was a repugnant zealot with really bad breath. But now there are only four Lords of Midnight, and there have to be five, which means that, yes,youhave to hear people’s petitions, andyouhave to select a new one. My advice? Do it quickly. The high bloods will get antsy if they have to wait too long to indulge their appetites.”

My mouth fell open. “Tal!”

“And then there’s also that small matter we discussed at the Fool’s Paradise not too long ago,” he said, leaning in close. “The ball is the perfect opportunity to take care of that as well. I would consider it a personal favor to me if you could see your way to sticking around long enough so that can be taken care of, too. And Ididsave your life, so . . .”

I was fucked.

Royallyso, it would seem.

I gave up. “All right. A ball.” I threw my hands up, exasperated. “I’m going to a ball.Great.”

“If you could just lift your arms again for me, Your Highness?” Yanica, with her silky hair and metallic fingernails, made me jump. She hadn’t made a sound as she’d crept up behind me. Her scent hadn’t given her away, either. She didn’t smell of anything at all.

“I’m sorry, Yanica. I don’t have time for a fitting right now. There are other matters I need to attend to. I’m sure you’re an excellent dressmaker, though. Can’t you just eyeball it?”

The female stepped back, nearly dropping the measuring tape she was holding. “Eyeball? I’m sorry, Your Highness. Far be it from me to correct the illustrious queen, but I am not adressmaker. I am the royal master tailor. I have served this court faithfully for the past two hundred years. It is my privilege and right to dress the Blood Court’s nobility. The gown you wear tomorrow evening is a showcase of my talents. It mustfit you like a glove. I’m sorry, I—I cannot justguessyour measurements. An ill-fitting garment will bring shame to my household and my name.”

Tal said nothing. Carrion slid his hands into his pockets, giving me a shrug. “Sorry, sunshine. I don’t think you can really argue with that.”

Grudgingly, I let the woman take my measurements.

The null blade thrummed in the scabbard on my thigh as I climbed. By the time I reached the library, my leg was numb from my hip to my knee, and I wanted to cry. My runes ached, pain shuttling up and down my arm in waves. I wanted to be rid of the weapon just as badly as Tal had, but without knowing exactly what it was or what it was capable of, hurling it off a cliff felt like a missed opportunity. Orious had said that all Belikon’s guards were equipped with these things, and after what had transpired in the tomb, it was pretty obvious we were going to have to face them again. There would be more guards. More null blades.

This was an opportunity, and, as uncomfortable as carrying the blade was, I didn’t really have a choice. Itneededto be studied.

Carrion had stayed back at Tal’s chambers to be measured. He’d said something about going to fetch his sword, too, but had promised to catch up with me as soon as he was done. On the stairs, the sound of my footsteps was my only company.

When I arrived at last, the library rang with a deafening silence. Fisher’s scent hung thick in the air, telling me exactly which direction he had gone when he’d come up here earlier. But before I headed into the stacks, I needed to take precautions.

“Algat?” My cry bounced around the vaulted space.

Nothing.

“Algat!”The Keeper of Records had been very clear when she’d told me I should only visit the library during the hour right after dusk and the hour directly before dawn. She was in no position to tell me what to do, but even so, if I was about to go toe-to-toe with the old crone, I’d prefer to know about it beforehand, especially since she was probably furious that I’d taken a book from the library.

The female didn’t come.

I took off and headed for the stacks. I hummed as I went, trying to ease the disquiet in the back of my mind—the urgency to rip the null blade from the scabbard and hurl it as far as possible. It was an awful sensation, one that couldn’t be described, but the knife was full of hate. Itwantedto cause harm.

Fisher’s scent grew stronger as I wound through the rows and rows of books. Every step I took drew me closer to him, and with it, the tension between my shoulder blades eased. It was like this now: a rope pulled taut between us, and the farther apart we were, the tighter it pulled. It was only when we were together that I felt like I could breathe properly. He was clo—

“Oh!”I pressed my hand to my chest. “Hello.” I’d jolted back, surprised, but the sudden movement up ahead was only one of the library’s stargazers. The paper bird hovered in the air about two feet from my face, flitting from side to side as it watched me. I took a step forward, and it hovered backward in concert with my movement. Its tiny head seemed to cock to one side, its wings flapping a mile a minute.

“Inquisitive little creature, aren’t you?” I extended my hand, curious to see if the bird would alight on the end of my finger, but it darted back and away. “Oops. Sorry. It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

It flew off.

“Okay. Bye, then.” It was a wonder. I was sad to see it go. But when I went left, turning down another row of books, there werethreestargazers there, hovering, waiting for me.

“Huh. Are we playing a game?” There was a note of suspicion in my voice now. Foley’s warning hadn’t wandered far from the forefront of my mind. He’d said the birds were guileless things. Easily coerced. I wasn’t concerned about the birds themselves. Foley had also mentioned malcontent witches, tricking them into stealing my hair, and it wasthatidea that gave me pause.

I shifted my weight into my left foot, resting my hands on top of Erromar and Selanir, where they hung at my hips. “Are you going to let me by?”

As if they understood what I had said, two of the stargazers moved to the left, the other to the right, making room for me to pass.