Page 49 of Once a Villain (Only a Monster #3)

“It’s not that bad,” Tom said.

“It is that bad,” Jamie said. “And there’s no milk or sugar.”

Aaron dropped the box and wiped his hands as if he’d been touching dirt.

We’re just waiting her out. Jamie had made it sound like all was lost.

Joan felt the breath leave her lungs as she thought again of the tear they’d seen in the colosseum wall.

She looked at Aaron. He nodded at her slightly, encouraging her to tell them. Joan swallowed. She already missed the intimacy they’d had when it had just been the two of them.

“I need to tell you something,” she said.

She told the others about the tear she and Aaron had seen in the colosseum wall. About her suspicion that she’d caused it.

About the other tears she’d made in the world.

“That shouldn’t be possible—whether it was you or not,” Jamie said slowly. “Once the timeline is locked into place, there

shouldn’t be any more tears.”

Tom had already jumped ahead. “Unless the timeline isn’t locked....”

“You think Eleanor got it wrong?” Ruth said. The hope in her voice was countered by a note of doubt. “As in... we still

have a chance to fix this timeline?”

“I don’t know,” Joan said.

“But only Nick could have killed Eleanor,” Jamie said. “He was the only one free of the timeline’s constraints.”

“Aaron has a theory.” Joan folded her arms around herself, and Aaron’s weight shifted toward her, as if he wanted to touch

her. Joan opened her mouth, and then couldn’t bring herself to voice it.

Aaron stepped in. “What if Nick isn’t dead? What if that’s why the tear opened up?”

“Not to be crass,” Tom said softly, “but we were in the stands when he fell. He’s dead.”

Nick was dead. Joan knew it. She could sense it.

He wasn’t in the world anymore. She stared at the floor, feeling hollowed out—she’d cried so much today, and now she was starting to feel numb.

She found herself taking a couple of steps to sink down onto Ruth’s bed.

Sylvie blinked up at her from the pillow and yawned.

Aaron went over and offered her a mug. “It’s just hot water,” he said apologetically.

Joan shook her head. “I’m all right.”

He settled beside her, a comforting warmth. It was so like how they’d sat on his bed just a few hours before that Joan found

herself thinking again of the message they’d found in the ring.

The love note, and also the note that had come before it. You have what you need.

When Joan had touched the ring, there’d been a jolt, as if the timeline had taken notice. As if there’d been something important

about that ring. Now she wondered... Could the message have been about the ring itself? There’d been something inside it—something

other than the message. A piece of bloodstained cloth. What had that been?

And where was the ring now? The last Joan had seen of it, Nick had been wearing it on a chain around his neck.

Aloud, she said slowly, “I know people can’t be in the same time twice. Is that true for objects too?”

Jamie seemed puzzled by Joan’s non sequitur. “It depends. Why?”

“I don’t know,” Joan said. But she felt like she almost did know. Like there was something on the tip of her tongue. “When we went to the rookery, Nick’s sister was wearing the same ring as Nick. The exact same ring, with the same flaws. Hers was on her finger, and Nick’s was around his neck.”

“That is odd,” Jamie conceded. He gave Joan a strange look, and she realized that she’d been so deep in her thoughts that she was

barely making sense to the others.

She tried to explain the feeling. “Nick was wearing that ring when I first met him—when he was a monster slayer. And when

I first touched it here in this world, it was like the timeline—” She searched for the right words. “It was like the timeline sat up and paid attention.

Like it was interested in the ring. Or in me touching the ring.”

“Have you slept at all?” Ruth said to her, frowning. “You look exhausted.”

“No, I felt it too,” Aaron said. “I felt it when you picked up the ring, Joan. Like there was something strange about it.”

“I don’t understand,” Jamie said.

“I don’t either,” Joan admitted. “But... do you remember the message inside it? Nick clearly expected Aaron’s counterpart

to stop Eleanor. He said: You have what you need. We thought it was a reference to the cipher, but what if it was talking about the ring itself? The actual object?” As she

said it, she had the strange feeling that she was right.

Tom looked doubtful. “We’ll never know. We couldn’t decode the cipher.”

Joan looked at Aaron. Did he want to tell them?

Aaron shrugged slightly. “Joan solved it a few hours ago.”

“You did?” Ruth said, surprised.

“The cipher had nothing to do with Eleanor or the mission,” Aaron said. “It was a private message from Nick’s counterpart to mine. It seems—” He hesitated. “It seems they were together.”

“Together?” Ruth said, puzzled. “What do you mean, together?” And then her face cleared. “Oh. Oh. ”

“Huh,” Jamie said.

“I really wouldn’t have guessed that,” Tom said to Aaron. “You and the gladiator....”

“To be honest, he seemed out of your league,” Ruth said.

Aaron glared. “I was a head of family!”

“He was a gladiator . Do you know how hot they are?” Ruth looked thoughtful. “I wonder how they even got together. They must have met at the colosseum.

Your counterpart must have watched him in the colosseum....”

Aaron cleared his throat. “Let’s not get sidetracked.” That didn’t stop the curious looks from the others, but Aaron ignored

them. To Joan, he said: “You think my counterpart was going to use that ring for something?”

Joan spread her hands. “We never did figure out their plan. But maybe we need to, if there’s still a chance to reset the timeline.”

“You know... ,” Tom said slowly, “that message implied that Aaron’s counterpart would stop Eleanor without Nick’s help.” He turned to Jamie. “What exactly did he say?”

“ I wish I could help you, but you’re alone in this now ,” Jamie recited slowly. “If you’re right, then maybe we can stop Eleanor without Nick....”

“We need to have another look at that ring,” Joan said.

“But... Nick was wearing it when he died,” Jamie said gently. “He’ll be on the turrets by now. That’s where they put traitors.”

Joan heard her breath hitch. For a terrible moment, all she could see was Nick as one of those rotting horrors on the turrets,

a spike protruding from his skull. She pushed the image away, feeling sick. He wasn’t on the turrets. “We spoke to someone at the colosseum,” she managed. “Nick died on Argent land, and they claimed him as their

property.”

“The Argents are displaying him in their trophy room?” Tom asked.

“Do you know it?”

“I know it.” Tom’s mouth was downturned with disgust, and Joan shuddered.

“We can’t leave him in there,” Joan said. “We can’t —like a stag on a wall. It’s sick.”

“I’ve never liked the Argents.” Tom scrubbed a hand over his chin; he hadn’t shaved, and the bristles made a scratching sound.

“The ring is one thing. You can steal that. But they won’t release his body—they wouldn’t even sell a high-value trophy like

that.”

“I always wanted to break into the Argent house,” Ruth mused.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Jamie said. “The Argents are dangerous.”

“I know they can control human minds,” Joan said.

“Not just humans,” Tom said. “The strongest of the Argents can control monsters too.”

The words lingered in the room. An Argent had once controlled Nick’s mind. It had been sickening—even from the outside: Nick’s

face had slackened, and he’d obediently echoed the Argent’s orders.

“How sure are you about the ring?” Tom asked Joan.

“Not sure at all,” Joan said. “It’s just a feeling.” It was such a strong feeling, though. And... You have what you need... . What else could Nick’s counterpart have been referencing—now that they knew it wasn’t the cipher?

“The trophy room is open to the public on weekdays,” Tom said, thinking. “That’s tomorrow. A couple of us can go out to Argent

territory. Early, to avoid the rush.” To Joan’s unspoken question, he said, “It’s a popular attraction. And it will be more

popular with the gladiator in it.”

“What?” Joan breathed. She couldn’t take that in. People had watched Nick’s counterpart fight for his life in the arena as

a gladiator. Now they were going to keep exploiting him in death.

Tom sighed. “We can try to get the ring back at least. As for Nick himself...” He gave Joan a sympathetic look. “I don’t

think we should try to retrieve him. The guards will be on alert after his attack on Eleanor. It’d be too dangerous to invite

more scrutiny.”

In the end, they didn’t have to worry about the rush . Aaron called his valet, Geoffrey. Five minutes later, Geoffrey rang back to say that he’d arranged a private viewing early

in the morning.

“Just me and Aaron,” Joan said. “The rest of you need to keep lying low.” She could see that Ruth wanted to argue. “This is

the first time that Aaron’s going out in public with a known appointment,” Joan said to her. “If he’s going to get arrested

and questioned, it will be there.”

“Then I should go on my own,” Aaron said.

“I need to see him,” Joan said. “Or at least where they’ve put him.”

Aaron searched her face at that. “All right,” he said softly.

It was almost morning now. The others crawled into their bunks, clearly exhausted. Joan couldn’t sleep, though. She sat by

the window, watching the seventeenth-century view below. The link-boys, who guided people with torches in the evenings, were

still working.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there. Long enough for everyone’s breathing to even out. For all the others to fall asleep.

No, not quite all of them. She heard the slide of someone leaving their bed, and then Aaron joined her at the window.

He hesitated. Joan could tell that he wanted to touch her. His face was soft and maskless again; he only ever seemed to look