Page 36 of Quicksilver

His lip curled with distaste when I stooped down and started stacking some of the shattered pieces of wood by the now-empty doorway. “You're going to clear all of this by hand?”

“Unless you can utter some sort of spell and clear it all up with magic?”

“I don't dospells.I'm not a witch. Fae magic isn't some kind of cheap conjuring trick, human. Our abilities are sacred gifts to be used discerningly, for righteous purposes.”

My cheeks colored hotly at that. Of course he wasn't just going to click his fingers and whisk all of this away. He had a realknack for making me feel stupid, though. He didn't need to do it. No, he did it because hewantedto.

Arrogant bastard.

He obviously thought I was worth less than the dirt beneath his feet. He didn't like humans. I doubted that, if the situation were different, he'd bother to put me out if I was on fire. But as it was, he needed me, which meant that I could get away with asking a few questions. Right?

I grabbed a rusty old bucket by the rim and began picking through the debris on the ground, looking for any tools that might be salvageable. “If there's a winter palace, then there are other royal residences, too, yes? An Autumn Palace? Spring? Summer?”

Kingfisher drew his sword.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Sorry. Gods alive. I didn't—I'm not—”

His nostrils flared as he unfastened the leather strap at his chest and slid the scabbard from his back, re-sheathing the weapon and propping it against the wall. Running his hand through his hair, he looked askance in my direction, his fingers moving deftly over more leather straps and buckles as he began removing pieces of his armor. “Nervous?” he asked conversationally.

“No! I just—well, I thought—”

“You can learn about the other courts in your library sessions with Layne and Rusarius. I offered you truths earlier. Don't squander the opportunity to ask moreinterestingquestions.” He reached around behind his neck with one hand and unfastened the silver plate with the snarling wolf's head engraved on it, letting it slip away from his throat. Tossing it down onto the pile of leather he'd made—chest protector, shoulder guards, wrist guards—he then unfastened the top buttons of his shirt. Once upon a time, not too long ago, I wouldhave lunged for that neck plate and made a run for it. I didn't need the silver anymore, though. I had enough food and water to last me a lifetime here, and I hadn't been asked to pay for any of it. Not yet, anyway.

So, I ignored the plate and pointed to the chain hanging around his neck instead. “All right. What is that? What does it do? And why are you completely unhinged without it?”

Kingfisher smiled a cold smile, pressing the tip of his tongue into the point of one of his sharp canines. “Straight for the jugular then, Little Osha? Ruthless. I like it.”

“You said to ask an interesting question. I want to know about the chain.”

Kingfisher laughed silently. He bent double, scooping out a bunch of leaves and rotting wood from the hearth. Gods, he actually was going to help? That was why he removed all of the armor, then. I figured he was taking it off so he could sit down and make himself comfortable while he watched me do all of the work. “To explain the pendant, there are other things you need to know first. Things Layne probably hasn't told you.”

“She hasn't told me much of anything yet.”

“Well, let's start at the beginning, then. The quicksilver pools are pathways that connect different realms. I'm sure you've figured as much.”

“Yes.”

“The quicksilver itself is volatile. Some of our elders believe it possesses a low level of sentience. Whether this is true or not doesn't really matter. The stuff is dangerous. If the quicksilver comes into contact with bare skin...” Kingfisher trailed off.

“It was in Harron’s dagger, wasn’t it?” I asked.

Kingfisher nodded. “It was an ancient blade. Alchemists used to forge quicksilver into weaponry for Fae warriors. Harron had no business touching that weapon, let alone claiming it.”

“It made him see things, I think. When it touched his skin, he started screaming.” The sound of the captain’s horrified wailing still haunted me when I closed my eyes. It was a chilling thing to hear such a powerful, strong fighter pleading for his life.

“Oh, he saw things all right. The quicksilver will push any living creature beyond the boundaries of sanity.”

I had done that to Harron. I’d panicked and unwittingly lashed out, and Harron’s blade had responded and embarked on its mission to destroy him. But Harron had spearedmethrough with his sword first. He had tried to kill me on Madra’s orders. He would have succeeded, too, if Kingfisher hadn’t brought me back here. I wouldn’t feel guilty for defending myself.

If only it was as easy as telling myself that…

I changed the subject. “So, these Alchemists. They inherited their abilities? It’s about blood?”

“Everythingis about blood, human. Now do you want to know about the pendant, or do you want to harry me by continually interrupting?”

I made a show of sealing my mouth shut.

“My mother gave me this pendant, thisrelic,” he clarified, “when I was eleven. The night before we left for the Winter Palace. She knew I’d have need of it. Later, when I came of age and joined Belikon's army, I was called upon to travel between Yvelia and the other realms because my pendant was one of the most powerful. To cut a very long and boring story short, I was forced to travel a pathway without it once. The quicksilver took me, just as it takes everyone. A healer managed to draw most of it from me once I made it back to the Winter Palace, but I was left with a few...lastingreminders. Most Fae only wore their relics when they traveled from one realm to the next. But wearing mine is the only thing that calms the noise in my head. Without it, the line between what’s real and what isn’t blurs very quickly.”