Page 67 of Evermore

“Archer’s lurking outside the Vale. He hasn’t left. Hasn’t eaten. Hasn’t slept. For days.”

“Why do you say that as if it’s our biggest concern?”

“Don’t make me hit you with my cane. Use your brain for two seconds and consider what that might mean. Why is he so unshakably devoted to the Huntress?”

I lifted a shoulder. “He has no one else. His whole family is gone. He relied on his sister and she died. He needs that sense of family because he’s had it since before he was born. What is his purpose if not trying to rescue someone he cares about?”

“Tuck said when Thea took Quill back to the Syndicate house, she cried like a banshee. Everyone assumed she didn’t want to leave her new friends, but she was holding on to Archer. Why? They barely know each other.”

“Because she knew he would go looking for Paesha and doesn’t want to be separated from her again. She’s raised the child. Don’t speak to me in circles or like you’re trying to teach me a lesson. If you have something to say, then say it and let’s be done with it.”

Those withered old eyes turned away, staring out the window. “No. Your answers are logical.”

The carriage wheels ground to a halt at the edge of Banshee’s Run, where the streets grew too narrow for anything larger than a cart to pass. Without a word, we abandoned the anonymity of the vehicle for the shadows of Stirling’s narrow streets. We found Archer exactly where Minerva said he’d be, lounging against the wall beside the Vale’s hidden entrance like he owned the damn place. A coin danced across his knuckles as he watched people come and go, the guard turning away more people than he let pass.

“He’s making quite the spectacle of himself,” Tuck muttered.

Archer’s eyes found us before we reached him. He didn’t move from his spot, just kept that coin rolling between his fingers. “Come to drag me to the castle?”

“Depends,” Tuck said. “You done brooding yet?”

“I’m not brooding. I’m waiting.”

Minerva cleared her throat. “And what exactly do you think will change if you stand here long enough? That guard isn’t going to suddenly recognize you as anything but another thug trying to get in.”

“If you’re here about him, save your breath.”

“He’s dying,” Minerva said.

“People do that.”

Tuck leaned against the wall beside him. “Listen, you stubborn ass. You’re not the only one who’s lost family. But you’ve got a chance here that most of us would kill for.”

“Why not use your magic on me then?” he asked, shooting me a look. “You’ve done it before. Fill me up with years of loving memories with a sister, mother and father that would have me crawling to his bedside.”

“Don’t beg for that,” I warned.

“Because you would do it?”

“No, Archer. I’m not going to do that. You’re going to go see what he has to say, and that’s the end of this.”

A group of rough-looking men shuffled past, forcing us to lower our voices. Archer pushed off the wall, moving closer so we wouldn’t be overheard. “I’m exactly where I need to be. The second that guard changes shift, I’m getting in there. I’ve worked it all out.”

“And then what?” Tuck asked. “You’ll face down Alastor alone? Challenge a god with what? A sword and spite?”

“Better than sitting in a parlor twiddling my thumbs.”

“Both of you, enough,” Minerva snapped. “This petty bickering solves nothing. There are things you need to know, conversations that need to be had, but they cannot happen here.” Her eyes fixed on Archer. “Some debts must be paid before they become too heavy to bear.”

“A crown is a heavy debt to bear if you don’t want it. And who are youreally? Another god, sure. But your real title? Let me guess. Goddess of Persuasion and Murder?”

“I’ve told you who I am. But would it help if I said yes?” she countered.

The coin stilled in Archer’s hand. For a moment, doubt flickered across his face. Then his jaw set. “I can’t leave. Not now. Not when I’m so close to finding a way in.”

“You mean getting yourself killed,” Tuck corrected.

“You’re so worried about me. What about everyone else? Who’s watching out for—” He stopped himself, but not before I caught the worry in his voice. “How’s Quill? Is she okay? I knew I shouldn’t have left her.”