Page 82 of Insolence (Eisha’s Hidden Codices #1)

El

M aida skims the ink-smudged sheet lying beside her on the settee, knitting needles at a standstill. “So Tiss’s father—the man who raised her—is the Patriarch of Clan Jedrek.”

“Second-in-command under the drūKing,” I confirm, gesturing with my fork between bites of chicken, wild rice, and winter squash.

We’re in Maida’s rooms again. The sunset pours gold and orange through her balcony doors while I finish my dinner at her table. “It’s known around Aronya Dar that Lady Jedrek, Tiss’s mother, left a month after her daughter was born. To the day.”

“Oh?” My friend resumes her knitting.

“It was the same day Tiss was officially betrothed to the four-year-old son of Clan Madoc.”

“Illiam,” nods Maida.

“Right. When the elder Lady Jedrek vanished, most believed she abandoned her husband and infant daughter. Which is what it looked like, of course. Rumor had it her family’s clan is in the Boglands, so that’s where everyone assumed she went.

Of course, there were a few who speculated Bard Fiach had her killed. ”

“And now you’re starting to see these ‘rumors’ in a new light, I take it?”

“You could say that, yeah.” Truth is, I don’t know what to think—other than Lydia and I need to finish our conversation as soon as possible.

And Tiss and I most certainly need to have a conversation in light of this whole starving demuns go mad revelation.

Just as soon as she finishes her chores, I’ll go talk to her.

Well. Convince her to talk to me .

Across the room, Bibi snaps her greedy beak. Her eyes focus possessively on my half-finished dinner. I take another bite, ignoring her sharp stares.

Maida’s empty plate sits on the cupboard by the door.

“And what does your little friend Lydia have to do with this apparent conspiracy involving Tiss?”

Bibi croaks from her perch. “Good bird,” she says softly.

“Yes, Bibi, you’ve been very patient.” Finished, I wipe my mouth and stand. “Have at it.”

She flaps to the table to gorge herself gleefully on my scraps.

I grab the sheet of paper from the settee and drop down next to Maida. Promptly ignore her peeved sigh when I sit on some of her yarn. She’s still wearing the ribbon Bibi brought me around her wrist.

It seems like a month has passed since last night.

“Wish I knew. This boss of hers is a man called the Viper. In Aronya Dar, he runs the black market. Lydia was his lieutenant. Now, I have no idea how he became apprised of the fact that Tiss isn’t Bard Fiach’s child, but in Aronya Dar, that’s the equivalent of saying black is white and up is down.”

I rub my neck. Something big is at play here. None of this sits right with me.

“And how are you and Lydia acquainted?” My friend’s fingers dip and loop blue yarn around a thick needle with a blunt, rounded end.

“I, ah… Well, I’m not exactly proud of what I’m about to say.

You see, my ma is a wonderful artist who specializes in manuscript illumination.

She always made most of her own pigments by hand and taught me all she knows.

Our little shop in Aronya Dar became well-reputed for the quality of books my pop printed, along with Ma’s illuminations.

Her rich pigments—her ultramarine in particular—were what put us on the map in book lovers’ circles. ”

“Ah,” Maida says, eyes lighting up. “Which is made by grinding lapis lazuli into a powder.”

“And Clan Jedrek slapped sky-high taxes on it to limit access,” I confirm. My friend is well aware that lapis is the official stone of Aronya Dar. Flaunted proudly by the noble members of Clan Jedrek. “On top of it being shipped in from abroad. And trust me, the import fees rack up too.”

Bibi squawks wetly around her food.

“So your mother sourced it through the black market to get around the extra cost.” Maida glances at me.

“She was able to afford higher quality stones that way,” I shrug. “She sourced a few other hard-to-find or cost-prohibitive materials through that avenue as well. But my association with Lydia was to do with the lapis.”

“I see.”

“And no. Before you ask, I have absolutely no idea where Bard Fiach’s true daughter is. Or where Tiss came from.” I lean back, resting my head against the wall. “But I plan to find out what else Lydia knows. As soon as I can.”

“I wonder if we might satisfy two needs with one deed with this endeavor.”

“Way ahead of you,” I chuckle. “I might have suggested she assist with our caper.”

My friend inclines her head. “Glory to Eisha. I was beginning to wonder if you were serious about this thing.”

“It only makes sense,” I shrug. “She has access to the betrothed’s side of the equation. She can gather intel. Not to mention the elevator is in Deirdre’s den down there.” Unable to sit still, I get up to pace around the room. “We’re going to have to figure out some way to get to it.”

“We’ll need a way to communicate. Safely.”

“For that I was thinking Sadrie.”

“Oh?”

“Why not? She assists with the laundry. Which means she’s theoretically got access to keys for the whole temple complex.

” Stopping at the table, I stroke Bibi’s back feathers.

She pauses her feasting long enough to fluff out her shaggy beard.

“Along with run-of-the-mill keys to every cupboard and closet in this place are two Very Important Keys. They open the doors to the betrothed’s underground quarters.

She should be able to procure them when needed. ”

Eyebrows arched, Maida leans forward, smoothing a hand over the blanket she’s working on. “That sounds like progress.”

A knock at the door cuts our conversation short for the second time today. Bibi squawks, hopping onto a chair back.

Maida rises, grumbling about how nobody can scheme in peace anymore. Her demeanor shifts when the door opens. “Cordelia? Whatever is the matter, dear?”

The acolyte steps into the room, her aura a storm of concern and confusion.

It dawns on me that I asked her to meet up inside the Orrery Tower today. I wasn’t there. “Goddess, Cordelia. I’m so sorry,” I sigh. “It’s been a hell of a day. I completely forgot. But I’m free now, if you have a moment.”

Aside from her aura, she’s deceptively well-composed. “It’s all right. My questions can wait, but both of you had better come with me now.” She turns to me. “It’s Tiss.”

Bibi croaks, her head tilting this way and that.

The scent of smoke clings to Cordelia’s clothes. The three of us are closing the distance between my rooms and Tiss’s at a frantic clip.

“I was tending the apiary when Tiss came out of the bathhouse, so of course I ran to help,” she explains. “Thanks to the fuss we were making, Sadrie saw and rushed right over.”

We turn a corner, Maida and I close on Cordelia’s heels.

“What was she doing in there?” my friend asks for the third time. At this point the question is rhetorical.

“That’s exactly what I’ve been wondering,” Cordelia mutters. “Disrupting that betrothed girl—”

“Wait. What betrothed girl?” I cut in. This detail is new.

“The one being punished.”

I damn near trip over my own feet. “With her mouth sewn shut?”

“Lydia. Yes. Did I not just say this?” Cordelia’s getting flustered now. But this is a lot to take in, and Maida and I are doing our best.

“No. I would’ve caught that.” For fuck’s sake. I’ve got a pretty good idea what Tiss was up to. According to the look Maida shoots me, she does too. And she isn’t happy.

Cordelia says, “She’s not talking much at the moment. She’s embarrassed, I think. Or angry. But with how much blood she has on her—”

“ Blood ?” I snap, far harsher than I mean to. “What blood, Cordelia?”

“This is what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Cordelia throws her hands up. “From what I could get out of her, Sister Ailen took that cane to her.”

A low growl escapes me, prompting Maida’s hand to land on my wrist. The gesture does little to calm the anger pounding through me.

“But her injuries…” Cordelia falters. “She said Ailen struck her on the head and shoulder, and she bit through her tongue. And now she’s… Goddess, it’s hard to describe.”

Wait. “She’s healing,” I say. “Quicker than she ought to be. Isn’t she, Cordelia?”

The acolyte peers over her shoulder. “How did you know?”

I can hardly breathe from the sheer relief. “That’s one of the things you and I are eventually going to discuss.”

We reach Tiss’s rooms to find Sadrie next to her on the bed. I stop short, surprised to see them sitting together. My heart squeezes pleasantly for half a second.

Their shoulders are pressed close. Fingers interlaced. Auras smudged and blurred with incandescence reminiscent of love.

“Oops, so sorry for interrupting,” Cordelia says.

They hurl themselves apart. A moment later, all the color drains from the world.

“Please,” Maida snorts. “I hardly think you two are surprising anybody in this room.”

My limbs lock up, my body shaking while I take in Tiss’s full state. The sheer quantity of blood down the front of her rumpled dress—

“Fuck me,” I mutter and turn away. Yank loose the thick knot on the back of my head. Fury scorching my veins, I run my hands through my hair and retrace my steps to the door.

“El,” Maida says, hand on my elbow. “She’s fine. She will be fine.”

“I’ll watch this temple burn to the ground and piss on the ashes before I let any more harm come to her, Maida,” I grit out. “Deirdre’s fucking fortunate I’m not hunting that nun of hers down with a bar of soap in a pillowcase right about now.”

“Watch your mouth, El.” Maida levels her Stern Professor Glare at me. “Didn’t you just tell me—”

“It is a different matter entirely seeing it in person,” I say stiffly.

“Take a moment. Get yourself under control,” Maida sighs. “Nobody’s burning anything or bludgeoning nuns tonight.”

She’s right, of course. Logically, I know better. But the heart isn’t always logical. Love certainly fucking isn’t.

All I know is Ailen and Deirdre are both gods-be-damned fortunate Tiss is a Succubus who happened to feed last night. That her body is in the process of healing ten times faster than a human’s would.

With a squeeze to my arm, my friend whisks toward Tiss. “Well, let’s take a look at what you got yourself into.”

From the pink-tinged water in her washbasin and the bloodstained hand towels, Sadrie tried to clean her up as best she could. A few rusty spots are still flaking from her cheek and neck. It looks like blood is matted in her hair, too.

Fresh ire surges through me, and I struggle to breathe. Concentrate on Maida and Sadrie hovering around Tiss.

Watching the tenderness with which Sadrie fusses over her helps soothe away the rest of my fury.

I’ve never had a problem with the concept of sharing Tiss.

It was always the reality of our situation.

Given what she is, it was inevitable in a way.

At least if nothing else comes of this debacle, perhaps it’ll be the catalyst the two of them need to work through their hurt and injury. And I want that for them, truly.

If that’s what they want. So long as everyone respects everyone else’s boundaries.

Now that we’re here, Maida and I eventually convince the other two to clear out. Once she’s satisfied Tiss won’t die in the night, Sadrie mumbles something about taking care of the greenhouses. Cleaning up the garden tools. Cordelia volunteers to check on Kiera and Lydia in the bathhouse.

“Just stay as far away from Lydia as you can,” I instruct.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” she says on her way out the door. “I’m not Tiss.”

Fair enough .

Maida emerges from the bedroom not long afterward.

Closes the curtain behind herself. “Her injuries are knitting cleanly. And yes, extremely fast . I’ve never seen anything like it.

If you hadn’t explained the feeding/healing process, I wouldn’t believe my own eyes.

” She shakes her head, her gaze probing when I don’t answer. “She’ll be fine , El. Just fine.”

Every clenched muscle in my body releases at once. I realize I haven’t taken a full breath since I entered this room. “Thank you for checking her over.”

“She needs rest now more than anything. I’m going to make a batch of sleep tincture.

We’ll need to illusion prolonged injuries, although it helps that none of them are in obvious places.

Nothing we can’t handle. And you .” Her sharp tone brings me to attention.

“You know what you need to do now, right?”

Patch things up between us, she means.

A tight ball of dread forms in my gut when I think of Deirdre’s chaos evaluations . The self-destructive tendencies of a starving demun.

I’ve been hard on Tiss. So consumed in my own hurt and panic this whole time.

And yet, the decisions she did have control over have resulted in so much distress, for me and Maida both.

“This has all been such an ordeal, and our troubles have only just begun,” I say.

“I wish there was something I could say or do to make it better. The truth is, despite everything, I don’t know what I’d do without her, Maida.

Everything is pointless without Tiss. Nothing—” I suddenly can’t catch my breath.

“ Nothing is as important to me as her well-being.”

“Then you must tell her what she means to you. And the toll she’s taken on you as well,” my friend says in her Wise Professor Voice. “We can’t change the past, but together we can go forward with a fresh, more informed perspective. Yes?”

I nod, unable to verbalize the feelings swirling inside me.

My friend knows me far too well because she continues. “She’s sore and very stiff. That shoulder of hers is bruised to the bone and will take some time to heal completely. Worst case scenario, it’ll slow her down if she decides to strangle you, so don’t fret too much.”

I don’t miss the mischievous pull of her mouth. Shoot her a dark look. “Not funny, Maida.”

“Oh, it’s a little bit funny.” She reaches up to pat my cheek. “You’ve got until I get back.”