Page 74 of Quicksilver

From the look of the rumpled sheets and the disturbed pillows, Carrion must have slept in the bed closest to the table, which meant the food would have been one of the first things he saw when he woke up, but he hadn't even poured himself a glass of water.

He stood with his arms folded over his chest, his brow furrowed, head angled to one side while he listened to me, taking in the details of everything that had happened to me without the slightest indication that he believed what I was saying. When I was done, he blew out his cheeks and sat himself down heavily in one of the chairs by the fire, running his hands through his hair.

“So you kissed that guy, then. The one with the creepy sword and the bad attitude?”

I stared at him blankly, not understanding the question for a moment. At last, I said, “What does that have to do with anything?”

Carrion shook his head. “You're right. Ignore me. So, you have the ability to awaken this quicksilver. The pool that your new boyfriend dragged me into—”

“He isnotmy boyfriend.”

“—and no one else has been able to do that for a thousand years. And now you've made some kind of unbreakable promise to a malevolent legendary Fae warrior who might be completely insane. You don't know what he wants from you—”

“He wants me to make relics for him. So that more members of the Fae can travel without losing their minds.”

“But how are you going to do that?”

“She's about to find out.”

Instinctively, I reached for the dagger that should have been at my thigh, but I closed my hand around thin air. Kingfisher stood in the doorway, hand resting casually on Nimerelle's pommel. His brows banked together, forming a knot above his flashing green eyes. A heavy cloud always seemed to follow himaround, but there was something extra dark and stormy about Kingfisher today. He wore no armor over his black shirt and pants, but the silver gorget covered his throat as always.

Carrion bristled when Fisher entered the room, angling his body between me and the dark-haired warrior, which elicited an amused smile out of Kingfisher as he glanced around.

“Just so that you're fully equipped withallof the facts,” he said in a smooth tone. “I'm onlyhalfinsane. And yes, your friend is bound to me. Did she tell you that she's the only reason you're still alive yet?” Fisher picked up an apple from the bowl on the table, turning it over in his hand. “I wanted to leave you back at the Winter Palace, but she was adamant that you come along with us for the ride.”

Carrion gave me a saccharine smile. “And there was me thinking you weren't infatuated with me anymore. I have to say, I would have preferred to stay in Zilvaren, though. I was about to close a spectacular deal that would have made me a very rich man.”

Kingfisher stilled, his fingertips curling tighter around Nimerelle's hilt. His eyes darted from Carrion to me and back again, then he looked off toward the other side of the room, seemingly at nothing. Slowly, he set the apple back down in the bowl. “I need you to come with me, Human,” he said.

“Wonderful. Another day of being forced to do whatever you want me to. Lucky me.”

He looked at me solemnly. “I'm not going to force you to do anything.”

“Oh?” I couldn't keep the mocking edge from my voice. “So if I decide to stay right here and tell you to go fuck yourself, you aren't going to react badly andcommandme to go with you?”

“I'd be a little annoyed that you'd told me to go fuck myself,” he said. “But now that we're here, the urgent list of things I have to attend to is breathtaking. Asking you to discover the depthsof your abilities and apply them in order to save countless lives, so you can, in turn, both return home to your dusty city, ranks lower on that list than you might think.”

Carrion held up a hand. “When he puts it like that, I vote you go and help him figure out the relic issue.”

I grabbed his wrist and yanked his hand down. “Youdon't get a vote. Andyou,” I said, wheeling on Fisher. “You've tricked me into getting your way once already. I'm not going to do what you want me to just because you've made a vague implication that you'll let us go back to Zilvaren once I'm done making relics for you.”

Fisher smiled, all teeth. The silver in his eye flashed like a blade. “I wouldn't need to trick you into doing anything for me. As you've already established, I could just make you do what I'm asking of you.”

“Then why don't you?”

“Because my brother is sore with me,” he admitted. “And because this will go a whole lot smoother if you agree to help my people willingly.”

So he was giving me back my autonomy to appease Ren. Unsurprising. It came as no shock that Fisher didn't appreciate my grousing, either. Well, he was in for an unpleasant surprise. He was about to discover that I could help him willingly and still give him plenty of shit at the same time. “I'll come with you, then. On one condition.”

Fisher's mask of indifference faltered, allowing a flicker of annoyance to peek through. “Which is?”

“That you make this promise to me exactly. Verbatim. Word for word. I swear I will release you and allow you and Carrion to return to Zilvaren the moment you have made enough relics for my people.”

Kingfisher's mouth ticked imperceptibly. “As you wish. Word for word. I swear I will release you and allow you and Carrion toreturn to Zilvaren the moment you have made enough relics for my people. There. Are you happy?”

“Are youboundby that promise?” I asked.

Fisher lowered his head in a mock bow. “I am.”