“You always had a talent for understatement, Corvere.” Ashlinn stabbed another apple from the bowl, began peeling it with deft strokes of her blade. “Living in the keep that belonged to your father before he was hanged for treason. Under ownership of the wife of the justicus you murdered. In a stable that can only be a half-year old at most, and only has one laurel to its name. How’s that faring?”
“I survived the Winnowing,” Mia shrugged.
Ash slipped a sliver of apple between her lips. “I had noticed you weren’t dead.”
“And I’ve taken the blood vow,” Mia continued. “I’m full-fledged gladiatii now. The plan remains the same. I’ll just have to do it through a different collegium is all.”
“You’re going to have to fight twice as hard,” Ash pointed out. “Leonides has already assured his collegium a berth in the magni from previous years’ victories. Leona doesn’t have anything like the political capital her father does. She needs to win at least three more laurels before she can even fight in the grand games.”
“If I need someone to state the bleeding obvious, I already have Mister Kindly, Ashlinn.”
“… some things are important enough to point out twice…”
“Listen, nobody knows better than me how deep the shit we’re in is,” Mia snapped. “But if one of you can think of a better way to get Duomo and Scaeva at once, without the Red Church getting a whiff of it, I’m all fucking ears.”
“I’ve told you before, Mia,” Ash said. “I can get Duomo for you. I trained at the Church, same as you. We can sail back to Godsgrave right now and—”
“No, I told you,” the girl scowled. “Duomo is mine. Scaeva is mine. I want to look those bastards in the eye as they die. I want them to know it was me.”
“… BLOOD MUST HAVE BLOOD…,” Eclipse growled.
Ash popped another slice of apple between her teeth, raised an eyebrow at Mister Kindly. The pair might have been at odds about everything else, but as far as the insanity of Mia’s plan went, they were of one accord.
“… mia, perha—…”
“No!” she snapped. “This is the way. And this was the deal, Ashlinn. You help me get Scaeva and Duomo, Mercurio and I help you get the Ministry.”
“You wouldn’t just be getting them for me, Mia. Let’s be honest.”
“Are you certain you know what honesty even looks like anymore, Ashlinn?”
The girl sucked her lip, slowly nodded. “A fine thrust.”
“I’ve been practicing.”
“I should point out that I am here helping you, Mia.”
“I get Duomo. I get Scaeva. That was the bargain struck.”
And so it was. Insane as the plan had seemed, sitting for hours in the Godsgrave Chapel, neither Mercurio nor Ashlinn could ponder a better one. Scaeva rarely made public appearances anymore, and Duomo spent most of his time in the Basilica Grande. For the pair of them to be together at the magni, within striking range, all while Duomo wouldn’t be wearing a cursed trinity about his neck … No matter how hard it would be to get there, the opportunity was too ripe to waste.
And so, Mercurio had reported to the Ministry that the deal with the braavi had gone south, and that Mia was now pursuing the map on the mainland. The trio had then set about researching the best collegia to see Mia through to the magni, although Mercurio wasn’t exactly happy about Ashlinn being involved. True, the girl wanted revenge on the Red Church, almost as badly as Mia. True, she was a better liar than Mia; she and her brother had almost brought the Church down all by themselves. But, the fact was, Mia and her old mentor trusted her about as far as they could spit her.
Still, Mia had Eclipse around to keep Ash under watch—the girl couldn’t breathe without the daemon there to hear it. And when swimming in drake-infested waters, it never hurt to have company, if only so the drakes had someone to eat other than you.
Ashlinn stretched like a cat, ate another slice of apple.
“Fair enough,” she said. “I’m just pointing out other options. But the deal was struck, and I’ll hold to it. Never let it be said I’m not a woman of my word.”
Mister Kindly scoffed, tail curling about Mia’s throat.
“… on the contrary, i feel it should be said as loudly and often as possible…”
Ashlinn flipped the knuckles. “Nobody was talking to you, Mister Positivity.”
Eclipse raised her head, her whisper echoing through the floorboards. “… AS YOU MAY HAVE GUESSED, DONA J?RNHEIM AND I HAVE BEEN GETTING ALONG FAMOUSLY IN YOUR ABSENCE…”
“… color me unsurprised…”
“… HAVE YOU NOT MICE TO CHASE, LITTLE MOGGY…?”
“… have you not crotches to sniff, dear mongrel…?”
“All right, enough, enough,” Mia said. “I need to get back to my lovely stinky cell in Crow’s Nest before I’m missed. We need to find out as much about Leona as we can. We knew the book on her father, but the dona herself is something of a mystery.”
“A good thing I’ve been asking around, then,” Ash smiled.
The girl sliced off another sliver of apple, pressed it to her tongue.
Mia raised an eyebrow. “Out with it, then.”
“Say please,” Ashlinn smiled.
“Ash…,” Mia growled.
The girl grinned, leaned back in her chair. “I’ve only been here a turn. So there’s more to learn. But I know Leona married Remus around three years back. She caught his eye at the last magni, and Remus sought her hand from her father soon after. Quite a coup, for the daughter of a mere sanguila to be married off to the justicus of the Luminatii Legion. Shows how much political clout her da has, I suppose.”
Mia took a bite of the apple, spoke around her mouthful.
“Their marriage was arranged?”
“They always are at that level.” Ash sliced a thin wafer, popped it between her lips. “Though from what I can tell, Leona wasn’t forced into it. Remus was rich. Handsome. His political star on the rise. She stood to gain a lot from slipping into bed with him. So I’d not let it slip you slit his throat were I you.”
“O, damnation, because I was planning on it.”
Ashlinn smirked and pressed another sliver to her tongue.
“What about Arkades?” Mia spoke around another noisy bite. “He was Leonides’s champion for years. Why does he serve Leona as executus instead of her father?”
Ashlinn shrugged again. “I’ve only been here a single turn. Give me time.”
“Well, I need all the leverage I can get.” Mia wiped her lips, stood, and stretched. “So the more you can find out about my domina, the better.”
Ash nodded to the rags Mia was wearing, staring pointedly at her bare midriff and legs. “I like her fashion sense, if nothing else.”
Mia ignored the comment, slipped to the window, peered out to look for unfriendly eyes. Finding none, she swung her leg over the sill, made to climb out.
“Mia.”
She turned to look at Ashlinn, one eyebrow raised. The girl’s hands fluttered at her sides, picking at the hem of her britches.
“Be careful in there,” she said.
Mia glanced at Eclipse, still curled on the divan in a puddle of black.
“Keep an eye out,” Mia said.
“… AS MUCH AS THE EYELESS CAN…,” the not-wolf replied.