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Twenty-Two

DRAVEN

“ I s my bowtie straight?” Edgar asked, staring into the tall mirror that sat in the corner of my room at the Darkstone Manor.

“It looks fine,” I said, standing behind him and flattening my black tailcoat.

“But is it straight?” Edgar flashed his sharp teeth, orange eyes flitting up to meet my gaze.

I sighed.

He turned. “Why do you look like you’re attending an execution instead of a dance?” He paused. “Wait, is there an execution happening? I’ve never been to a ball before. Also, why are we staying in that tiny little apartment over your tavern instead of in this mansion?” He pointed his tail to the room. “This room alone is bigger than the size of your apartment.”

“It’s complicated,” I said.

“Is the manor haunted?” His ears curled inward.

I ground my teeth together. “Edgar, I said it’s?—”

“Okay, okay. So is my bowtie straight or not?”

“Yes, Edgar.”

“And, just to confirm, there are no ghosts living here?”

I narrowed my gaze at him. “No. Now, why aren’t you in Georgie’s room?”

I’d gotten the dragon for her, but somehow, I managed to be the one spending all my time with Edgar. He was supposed to be Georgie’s companion, not mine.

“How did you get this manor?” Edgar flew over my head and settled onto my bed. “How does one just happen to own a mansion?” He narrowed his eyes at me. “Are you secretly rich?”

I brushed some lint off my dark blue waistcoat, the bronze buttons glinting in the warm firelight. “It’s not a secret. Everyone knows I’m rich. The manor has my last name.”

“Well, I didn’t know.” Edgar raised a paw to his chest. “Isn’t that something you should’ve told me?”

I turned to face him. “Why would you need to know that?”

“I don’t know. Who is your fortune going to? Let’s say that you die and Georgie dies. Am I next to inherit?”

I blinked a few times. “You’re a dragon.”

“So? I’d be put out on the streets—no home, no food.” His big eyes welled with tears. “Do you have a will?”

“Edgar.” I rubbed my temples. “Can we talk about this some other time? I have to prepare for this damned ball.”

Edgar cocked his head. “Well, I think everything is done. The decorations are stunning. The musicians are setting up. I even snuck a little taste of some of the food. It was exquisite. And I usually only like things that are bleeding.”

“Good to know,” I said drily. So much for getting him out of my room so I could have some space. “I’m just ready to get this night over with.”

I walked toward the door, and Edgar took flight, coming up next to me. “If you’re dreading it so much, why even do any of this?”

Because I was an idiot and thought it might make Georgie happy. “It’s tradition.” I stopped at the door, facing Edgar.

“But you’ve never thrown a ball before. So it can’t be that traditional.”

“It was my parents’ tradition,” I said. “They used to throw these balls for everyone in Thistlegrove to celebrate Marhloth.”

“What is Marhloth?” Edgar asked with awe in his voice .

“It’s the anniversary of when the first Witch Superior founded the Witchlands over five hundred years ago, a place for all witches to find safe haven.”

I opened the door and walked out into the hallway, which formed a square with a railing overlooking the ballroom below. I strode to the railing and looked down. Edgar was right. Everything was impeccable. The white-tiled floor was sparkling, fairy bugs flitted in the air, their light casting a gentle glow over the room. Musicians sat in the corner, tuning their instruments. My gaze traveled to a long table with a white cloth over it, brimming with shining crystal goblets, and a crystal fountain of bubbling wine.

“So what happened to your parents?” Edgar appeared next to me, and I jumped.

“Witch’s tits, Edgar.”

“What? I’ve been here the whole time.”

“Well, I forgot.” I shook my head. “They died.”

I swallowed, still remembering being called into Witch Superior’s coven hall, told that they’d been trying to break a particularly nasty curse. It rebounded and killed them. I’d just stood there before Witch Superior as she spoke, staring dumbly, not able to speak or move. Not able to believe what she was telling me. I’d always seen my parents as invincible, unshakable. Now they were gone.

“It was a little over a year ago. They died while on assignment,” I said. “It’s been a hard year for Georgie, and this place brings back a lot of painful memories.”

Edgar blinked a few times, taking in all this information. “Is this where you lived with your parents?”

“It’s where Georgie lived with them. I moved out over fifteen years ago when I attended Coven Institute, then got a job...” I trailed off. “I didn’t think it would be good for Georgie living here with all these memories. At first she lived with her grandmother, but...”

“She got in trouble,” Edgar offered.

My head snapped to him. “What do you know about that?”

Georgie didn’t speak about it. Not ever.

“Not a lot,” Edgar admitted. “She just told me that she disappointed you, disappointed everyone. And that being at the tavern with you was her punishment. She also said I was her punishment, which felt a little harsh.”

I mulled over his words. Surely Georgie didn’t think this was a punishment. It wasn’t. It was just our only option after what had happened. I wished I knew how to explain that to her, but every interaction between us was like casting a spell with a blindfold on. Something I just fumbled my way through.

“Open the doors!” a voice yelled.

“Will you get Georgie?” I asked Edgar. The dragon nodded and flew off down the hallway toward her room.

Far below guests began filing in, the women all wearing dresses, while the men dressed in their finest trousers, shirts, and overcoats. I stilled when I saw one particular witch, her brown hair swept halfway up, the rest of it cascading down her back. Moonlight glowed over her pale collarbone and shoulders. She patted her silky green dress, the straps made of little gold chains linked together, each of them gleaming in the light. She entered, looking around in awe.

I swallowed, turning my back and leaning against the railing.

I just needed to get this night over with and avoid Elspeth Moonflower and everything would be fine.