Page 57 of A Kingdom of Monsters

“Sit,” she said briskly, pointing to the round wooden table. “I’m sure we only have a few minutes before you’re missed.”

“You should know that Ambrose is awake,” I told her. “I’m sure he can hear us perfectly even from upstairs.”

Ciara cocked her head at me, then glanced at the stairs. “Which one is Ambrose?”

I tried not to roll my eyes. I was quite sure that Ciara could tell all the Everlasts apart perfectly well, and her feigned confusion was more about putting distance between herself and the Fae royalty than anything else. Nevertheless, I humored her. “The seer. With the white hair.”

Ciara humphed. “Awe well, it can’t be helped.”

“What’s this about?” I asked her, finally sitting down at the table.

“I’ve made you a tea.”

“More tea?” I gave her a dubious look. “I feel fine now. I wasn’t injured, just tired, and a few hours of sleep has taken care of that.”

“A few hours of sleep and my tea,” she said stubbornly. “But this isn’t like that. I’ve been steeping stoneseed root all morning for you.”

“Oh,” I said abruptly, glancing at the stove. “That’s not?—”

I broke off. I’d meant to say that wasn’t necessary, but stopped short of scalding my throat.

The Stoneseed plant was well known to prevent pregnancy, and I’d drunk it religiously since my adolescence. Now though, I realized with horror that I hadn't even thought of it in quite some time. My eyes widened, and panic consumed me as my hand flew unconsciously to my stomach.

“Don’t look so petrified.” Ciara rolled her beady eyes. “I daresay you’re fine…for now.”

“How can you be sure?” I asked hastily, not even bothering to deny the possibility.

Ciara looked me up and down and shrugged. “Just a hunch. You don’t have the aura of a woman with child, but unless you want to make things even more complicated for yourself I suggest you make a habit of drinking your tea.”

“Of course.” I looked down to hide the flush heating my cheeks. “Thank you.”

Ciara tisked disapprovingly, and turned to take the kettle off the stove. She immediately poured a large mug, and set it in front of me. “Let that sit for a few minutes before you drink it.”

“Will it work better if it steeps?”

“No,” she snapped, exasperated. “It’s hot. You’ll burn your tongue.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” I flushed again, and let my long curtain of hair fall in front of my face.

Ciara didn’t bother me as I waited in embarrassed silence for the tea to cool. I couldn’t believe this was the first I’d thought about mundane things like preventing pregnancy in weeks. Now, unbidden, the image of myself holding some nameless daughter popped into my mind. She looked like a version of Scion’s nine-year-old half sister Elfwyn, and I couldn’t decide if the image interested or horrified me.

Hastily, I reached for the mug on the table and drank the entire thing in one gulp. Ciara was right—the last thing I needed right now was to complicate things further.

Several hours later,we thanked Ciara for her help and went out behind her house to shadow walk to Inbetwixt. Ciara didn’t want to be seen by her neighbors assisting Fae of any sort, so it was just the four of us standing together in the dingy alley between houses.

The morning had brought a light rain, and the sky was completely gray. In the distance, the sky was lighter, and I hoped that meant the weather would be better when we reached Inbetwixt.

“How shall we go about this?” I asked, glancing around the group at large.

“What do you mean, little monster?” Bael placed a hand on the small of my back and grinned down at me. He looked healthier and more awake than he had in days, and I was relieved to see that his usual smile was firmly back in place.

“I mean, where are we meant to arrive in Inbetwixt?”

“I assumed we’d walk directly into the den,” Scion replied. “Under normal circumstances I’d consider that rude, but I think Cross will forgive us given the circumstances.”

“Do you know how to reach the thieves den?” I asked Ambrose.

He shook his head. “I’m sure I could work it out eventually, but if you are aiming for efficiency…”

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