Page 11 of Shadows of Perl

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” I squeeze her, hugging her again. “You look really good, Abby. You’re taking good care of yourself.”

“It’s been a lot going from town to town. Making excuses at my internship.” She flips open her compact. “Almost out of transport powder. But Mynick has been helping me get more. He’s good to me.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

She eyes Octos. “Is everything…with practicing your magic going okay?”

I look away, unable to lie to Abby’s face. “It’s going alright. Thanks for coming alone.”

“Of course.”

I try to exhale when Abby sighs, exasperated. “I couldn’t bring Mynick if I wanted to. He failed his Dragun exams on purpose, but it only got him snatched from his bed to spend two nights in the dunker.” She folds her arms. “The Dragunhead intends for him to see it through.”

Octos grunts. If Mynick’s not able to get out of becoming a Dragun, that could be a problem.

“Have you found out anything about my mom?”

“I wish I had better news. But, Quell,” Abby says as she gives my hand a squeeze, “I can’t find anything about her. I thought maybe her hair or something could have changed from the picture you gave me. But she’s gone. A ghost.” She sighs. “It’s too bad you skipped your Cotillion, because what if she was there? Like, what if she came to see you debut?”

I cock my head to the side. “Abby, what are you talking about? I didn’t miss my Cotillion. You did. I wrote and told you to meet me afterward.”

“No I didn’t. That’s ridiculous. I remember the black dahlia arrangements in the crystal vases. And the plum sashes you did as an accent to the House colors. I was there and didn’t see you anywhere.” Abby plants a hand on her hip. “What’s come over you? Everybody knows you ditched your Cotillion.”

Octos and I share a glance. He steps closer to her.

“Abby, we met afterward in the Secret Wood. If you were inside the ball, you’d recall the cloud of black fog enveloping the stage.”

Abby gapes at me, shaking her head in disbelief.

“In the forest I told you that I exposed Grandmom’s tether and asked you to look for her,” I say. “Remember?”

Now it’s Abby whose forehead creases in confusion. “What do you mean by tether?”

I remind Abby of how Grandmom used tracer magic to tether débutants as they bound to her House at Third Rite. How I didn’t complete Third Rite and instead revealed her secret to everyone. I leave out my toushana.

“If that happened, I’d remember. I was at House of Marionne’s end of season Cotillion. You were not. You didn’t finish!” Abby’s stare is lucid, but a crater dents between her brows. “Quell, what kind of game are you playing?”

She’s forgotten.

“Your grandmother’s behind this,” Octos whispers beside me.

“When was the last time you visited Chateau Soleil?” I ask, my throat thickening as the pieces of what’s going on click into place.

“A month ago. After we met here the last time.”

“Did she send you an invitation?”

“Yes, I…actually, I don’t remember an invitation, exactly. But somehow I knew about it and went.” Her tongue pokes her cheek.

“And what did you do there?” I ask.

“It was a reception. Everyone was there. She wanted to speak about the rumors circulating about the House.”

Refreshments. Food. Drinks.

Elixirs.

Poisons.

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