Wow. I hadn’t expected that much, but being shut down before I could even ask? “I understand if that’s not something you can do, but if you could point me—”
“I’m not able to help you with that right now.” She twisted the cord of her headphones so tight around her finger that the tip went red, cutting off her circulation. “And believe me when I say that’s not the answer I want to give.”
Now that I was listening for it, I could tell how carefully she’d chosen those words. She was only saying she wouldn’t help now. Not that breaking the oath was outside her power. “Let me rephrase then. Would you be able to break the oath if your circumstances were different?”
“You’re learning how this works.” Cosette perked up so quickly that a few of the wolves forgot to act and stared outright, but I was too busy concentrating on her to pay them much attention for once. “I’m not allowed to answer that question.”
But that was an answer in itself, wasn’t it? “Then you could—”
“Still no.” She gave her head a sad shake, and her voice was gentle. “I’m bound as tightly as you are, just to a queen instead of a crazy witch.”
“I thought the fey would be on our side.” She’d said as much. Unless Cosette was lying about not being able to lie? I hoped not. I was already a little hurt than none of this had come out sooner.
“So did I.” Cosette slumped back onto the blanket and her hair pooled around her in a mass of curls. “But the courts want to stay neutral. Because I’m—” Her voice choked off and she made a frustrated noise at the back of her throat. “If I did what you wanted me to do, I’d have to take a side.”
There was one more hope dashed, but I seemed to be losing them left and right today. I still couldn’t give up. “If your queen does nothing, she could be doing all of you more harm than good.”
“That’s basically what I told her.” Cosette fisted her hands in the blanket. “The battle that’s coming is about more than witches and wolves. If I step out of line now, she’ll summon me home and I’ll be no help to anyone later.”
“I see.” Except I didn’t see at all, because it sounded like she was saying she could help—she just wouldn’t where I was concerned.
“Claudia…” Cosette sat up, rubbing at her temples. “I have no intention of letting you, yours, or any of these wolves die, but I can’t act yet. And I know you well enough to know you wouldn’t ask me to if you knew what it would cost.”
I brushed my arms against the chill settling into me, trying to convince myself the feeling was just from the sunset. I understood what it was like being bound by hard rules better than anyone. Getting angry with Cosette would only make me a hypocrite.
That didn’t make her words any easier to swallow. I had a solution. Right here. But I couldn’t use it.
She glanced up at the sky and then started gathering her things. “Let’s get in before the moon comes up.”
“Right.” Cosette’s audience of wolves was finally dispersing and none of us would be allowed out here after nightfall. I brushed off my skirt as I stood. “Thank you for being as honest as you could be.” And at least she didn’t intend for any of us to die. It was a small comfort, but it was better than nothing.
“Please stop thanking me.” She let out a sad sigh. “I don’t deserve it and the habit’s going to get you in trouble if you keep looking for help from the fey.”
“What if I asked your queen for help?” I didn’t know which court Cosette was aligned with, but surely if I went to the top of the hierarchy, I could get what we needed. None of us would be able to stay neutral once Luciana started pulling demons into the world. It had to benefit the fey to help our cause.
“Don’t even suggest that.” Cosette snuck a last glance at something in the air and then grabbed my arm to hustle us both off the quad. “She might take you up on the offer, and she’d require much more than a blood oath in exchange.”
Cosette’s shudder passed through my arm and that response struck a cord. If I added up what she’d said and hadn’t said, and combined it with her aura, then I had one more question to ask and no reason not to finally let it out. “How closely are you related to your queen?”
Her long strides faltered, and that alone was enough of an answer: close enough that I wasn’t going to get a straight response out of her.
“No one ever thinks to ask me that,” Cosette said. “What makes you ask?” She slowed to a stop as we entered the courtyard.
“Mostly your aura.”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Claudia.” She tilted her head to the side. “I truly believe you’ll figure this out.”
We’d see how much credit I deserved. Maybe I was overreaching by asking for help from the fey when I hadn’t explored all the options closer to home.
It was time to talk to Muraco about Peru.
***