Page 29 of Garden of Poisoned Delights

FISH AND PETS WILL DO

“Is that where the treats came from? Hektor?” Laurent asked, slightly concerned. He trusted Hektor’s magic, but he wasn’t sure that extended to Hektor’s baking.

“No,” Charon said, in his deep, even voice. “Hektor made the list of what was needed. I procured the baked goods.”

Laurent opened his mouth to ask why, remembered what he’d said to Sabre, and smiled blandly. “All right. Incidentally, the reason I’m here is that I found something I thought you might like while Sabre and I were on our little sabbatical. There was a traveling merchant faire near Adrien’s estate, and I picked something up to thank you for keeping order while we were gone. As much as anyone could keep order here.”

Yves snorted. Laurent handed the gift to Charon.

Charon stared at it. “Ah.”

“Sabre suggested you might have a copy already, given that you’re so interested in Lukos, but the merchant assured us it was a very new book and so that wasn’t likely unless you were some sort of pirate. It’s written by a Gerakian scholar who went to Lukos and married one of the locals, so I hear.” Laurent waited, expectant, as he’d rather thought Charon would be slightly more excited to read a firsthand account of the Lukoi.

Charon looked at it for a long time, and then...he laughed. It was a deep, full-breasted laugh that Laurent had never heard before. It sounded like thunder, and it rumbled through the room like a storm in summer. Laurent frowned, glancing between Charon and Yves, who was giggling helplessly and trying to hide under a blanket.

“After all that time he spent rewriting it,” Yves wheezed.

Before he could ask what on earth was so funny about a book, Flick leaped up and twisted his body in the air, his voice almost as loud as Charon’s continued laughter and ringing like bells in Laurent’s head.

I WILL NOW HAVE ALL THE FISH WHENEVER I WANT.

AND THERE WILL BE NO RESTRAINT FOR ME.

The fox demon pranced in place like he was dancing on the bones of a conquered enemy, then stole three fish off the plate and bounded out of the room, vanishing like a ghost through the wood of the door.

Laurent took one look at Charon and Yves, who were both still laughing, and decided maybe it was best just not to ask.

CHAPTER 5

Predicament

“You know,” Hektor said, as Baz struggled to untie the rope around his wrists with the tips of his fingers, “I think we both might’ve walked into this one.”

Baz sighed. They were tied to a single chair in the middle of a dark, damp room in a smuggler’s ship, which as far as Bazyli could tell, was still stuck just off the shore. The air smelled like rot and brine, and since Baz was the one sitting on the chair while Hektor had been tied to one of the chair legs, Baz was stuck trying to untie himself without Hektor’s help.

“I’d rather speculate in the comfort of my own bedroom,” Baz said, gasping as he managed to slip his thumb free. “Which I left, by the by, to save you.”

“Yes, and that went well. Why didn’t you come with anyone?” Baz kicked the chair, and Hektor yelped. “Hey!”

He had a point, not that Baz was going to admit it. The news had reached Baz that morning just as he was leaving the palace to get the oily, fried bread covered in sugar that Emile swore he didn’t secretly like. A messenger had come rushing up to him before he’d even cleared the gates, panting heavily, and shoved a note in Bazyli’s hands.

It had been written in a sharp, clear hand, and Baz had taken off the moment he read it, marching halfway across the city before he so much as called a carriage. Perhaps it was habit. He was used to protecting Hektor that it didn’t even register that he might no longer have to do so on his own.

“The ransom note said to come alone,” Baz said, wriggling the rest of his left hand free. Hektor snorted.

“It was a ransom note. Of course they wanted you to come alone.”

“What business do you have getting yourself ransomed?” Baz snapped, picking at the ropes on his right hand.

“I thought they were fans!” Hektor grunted as the chair scooted a few inches across the floor. “You’re going to hit my fingers. They were holding flowers. I thought they were, I don’t know, Mislians who appreciated the theater.”

“I’m going to assign a guard to follow you for the rest of your life,” Baz said, and Hektor mumbled something inaudible. “What is it? Out with it, Hektor, we’re already tied to a fucking chair with anti-fucking-magic runes on the fucking floor.”

“I’m just saying maybe I have one,” Hektor said, and Baz twisted round to stare at him. “A guard. He helps at the theater sometimes, and Rose and I—well, he comes to our dressing rooms and maybe Rose likes it if he?—”

“No. No, I don’t need to know any more.”

“But we’re already tied to a fucking chair with anti-fucking magic runes on the fucking floor,” Hektor said, a little too sweetly. Baz glared at him. “You know they’re going to ransom you to the king now. That was apparently the whole goal. Kidnap me, ransom me to you, ransom you to the king…”

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