House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City, #2)

Bryce didn’t like the sound of that for one moment. She slid off the stool, taking a step toward the dining table. Her mouth began moving before she could think through her words. “You expect us to trust you about all of this when you were so fucking obsessed with a stupid piece of metal that you wanted to kill my brother?” She flung a hand in the general direction of Ruhn and the Starsword in his grip.

Ruhn grunted with surprise as Cormac retorted, “That was fifty years ago. People change. Priorities change.”

But Bryce took one step closer to the dining table, not caring if Cormac deemed it a challenge. “Fae don’t change. Not you old-school losers.”

Cormac glanced between her and Ruhn with palpable disdain. “You Valbaran Fae are such babies. Did you not learn something of yourself, your destiny, Prince Ruhn, because of me nipping at your heels?”

“You put a sword through Dec’s gut,” Ruhn said mildly. “I’d hardly call that nipping.”

Tharion cut in, “Assuming we buy your story, why would a Fae Prince join Ophion?”

Cormac said, “I joined because I felt it was right. The details are unnecessary.”

“Not if you might be working for the Asteri,” Bryce said.

“You think I’d turn you over to the Asteri?” Cormac laughed, dead and cold. “I wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone. The dungeons beneath their crystal palace are darker and deadlier than the Pit.”

Hunt said icily, “I know. I was there.”

Bryce hated the shadows in his eyes. Ones she’d do anything to help heal. Do anything to avoid renewing. Team Survive at All Costs—that was her team. She didn’t care if that made her a coward.

Cormac went on, ignoring Hunt, “Sofie was an Ophion agent because the Asteri butchered her family. Her human family, and her thunderbird ancestors. All she wanted was to find her brother. Everything she did was for him.”

Tharion opened his mouth, but Bryce lifted a hand, cutting him off as she said to Cormac, “Tharion came by yesterday to ask about a connection between someone I … knew and Sofie. He was being super shady”—a glare from Tharion at this—“so I managed to get some answers out of him, mainly that he’s looking for Emile for the River Queen.”

Cormac narrowed his stare on Tharion. “What does your queen want with the boy?”

Tharion shrugged.

Ruhn murmured, “Nothing good, I bet.”

Tharion rumbled a warning growl at Ruhn, but Bryce continued, “I don’t care about the politics. Emile’s a kid, and lost—I want to find him.” And get answers about Danika knowing Sofie, but … that could wait for a moment. She wanted to feel Cormac out first.

Indeed, the Avallen Prince’s eyes softened a bit—with gratitude.

Could be faking that, Ruhn observed to her.

Could be, but my gut says he isn’t, Bryce replied before she angled her head and asked Cormac, “The Hind’s a pretty big deal. She went to all that trouble to kill Sofie just for freeing her brother? Or was it because Sofie’s a thunderbird?”

Cormac’s hands curled into fists at his side. “The Hind went to all that trouble because Sofie, as collateral to make sure the Ophion boat showed up for Emile, had gathered vital intel on the Asteri, and made sure Command knew it.”

“What?” Hunt blurted, wings twitching.

“What kind of intel?” Tharion asked, face darkening.

Cormac shook his head. “Sofie was the only person who knew it. She just mentioned to me that it was something big—war-changing. That Ophion would kill to have it. And our enemies would kill to contain it.”

Across the room, Ithan was wide-eyed. Had any of his training prepared him for this? Had any of hers?

Tharion said, “The Asteri probably sent the Hind to kill her before she could tell anyone else.”

Cormac grimaced. “Yes. But I suspect the Hind knew Sofie could hold out against torture, and decided it was best the information die with her.” He shuddered and said, “They ripped out her nails when she went into Kavalla, you know. She told me that they tore out the nails on one hand, and when they asked her for any information, she held out her other hand to them.” He laughed to himself. “One of the guards fainted.”

“Brave female,” Ithan said softly, earning a thankful nod from Cormac that had Bryce wishing she’d said as much herself. Bryce studied her own manicured nails. Wondered if she’d be able to hold out if it ever came to that.

Cormac again turned to Tharion, his face bleak. “Tell me the Hind at least put a bullet in her head before she sent Sofie down to the deep.”

“I don’t know,” Tharion said. “Her body wasn’t there.”

“What?” Shadows rippled from Cormac again.

Tharion went on, “The lead blocks, the chains were there. But Sofie’s body was gone. And the shackles had all been unlocked.”

Cormac shot to his feet. “Sofie is alive?”

Such raw hope filled his voice. Was it from genuine love? Or hope that the intel she carried lived on?

“I don’t know,” Tharion answered. Then he admitted, “But that’s why I came to Bryce. She had a friend who knew Sofie years ago. I’m investigating any connections between them—I’m wondering if it might give us hints about Emile’s whereabouts.” Tharion shrugged. “I have good reason to believe that a safe meeting place was set up long ago for a scenario like this, and that Emile might be headed there—and Sofie, too, if she’s alive.”

Would Sofie have passed that vital intel to her brother? Bryce found Hunt giving her a Don’t even think about it look.

Cormac said, pacing, “Sofie made the Drop—at an illegal center where it wouldn’t be recorded. I thought that there was a chance she might have survived, but when she didn’t contact me …” His eyes narrowed at the mer. “What else do you know?”

“I’ve told you everything,” Tharion lied, crossing his legs.

Cormac gave a slashing, mocking grin. “And what of Danika Fendyr?”

Bryce stilled. “What about her?” Hunt gave her another look warning her to keep quiet.

Cormac said, “She and Sofie knew each other. She was the one who set up this safe place, wasn’t she?”

“You don’t know any of that for sure,” Hunt said.

“I do,” Cormac said, his gaze still on Bryce, on the star in her chest that had begun to glow dimly again. “It’s why I agreed to marry Bryce.”

Ruhn needed a moment to process everything. He watched his cousin warily.

But Bryce chuckled. “I thought you agreed to marry me because of my winning personality.”

Cormac didn’t smile. “I agreed to marry you because I needed access to you. And to you, cousin,” he said to Ruhn.

Athalar demanded, “You couldn’t just pay a friendly visit?”

“The Avallen Fae and the Valbaran Fae are not friendly. We are allies, but also rivals. I needed a reason to come here. I needed to come here to find Emile—it was a blessing from Urd that Ophion wanted me here for another mission, too.”

Bryce glowered. “Forcing me into marriage seems extreme.”

“It’s the only currency I have. My breeding potential.”

Ruhn snorted. He and his cousin had more in common than he’d realized. “Why do you need access to me?”

“Because you can mind-speak, can you not? It’s how you and your friends survived in the Cave of Princes during your Ordeal. You fought as if you were of one mind. You never told my father, but he suspected. I suspected. It’s a rare Starborn gift. A skill Ophion needs badly.”