Page 60 of A Kingdom of Monsters

It tookthe better part of an hour to explain nearly everything that had happened since we’d last left Inbetwixt. Fortunately, Siobhan located some food and drinks from a nearby store room, so we were able to eat while we talked.

“I was born there, you know,” she said conversationally, when I explained how we’d escaped the Underneath.

I swallowed the sip I’d just taken from my wine and shook my head. “No, I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t?” Scion looked sideways at me, a hint of his old judgment in his gaze. “How could you miss it?”

I scowled at him. “I don’t know. Why would I ask?”

“Most wouldn’t have to ask because I’m Unseelie,” Siobhan said. “I wondered if you couldn’t tell, since you didn’t react when we first met.”

“When we first met I couldn’t tell the difference between seelie and Unseelie. I still can’t, actually. You all seemed equally terrifying to me.”

She grinned. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“So why did you leave Underneath?” I asked, suddenly realizing I had no idea how old Siobhan was. She called Cross “father” which had given me the impression she was younger than him, but perhaps not. Among the immortals, age didn’t matter much beyond maturity.

“My parents left when Gancanagh came to power,” she explained. “Then they were captured and killed by the Lord of Inbetwixt. I was captured as well, but the guild broke me out of prison in exchange for joining up. I’ve been with Cross ever since.”

I frowned. “That sounds like they pressured you. Pulling you out of prison and then demanding service.”

“Oh, they absolutely did.” She laughed again. “But I wasn’t bothered. We find a lot of members in the prisons actually. It’s where thieves end up, obviously, unless they have the backing of the guild.”

Hmmm. I took another sip of my wine, mulling that over. For some reason, my mind conjured up the image of the young guild recruits I’d seen Cross training the first time we’d visited the den. There were children there barely older than fourteen. Did they also find themselves having to choose between a lifetime behind bars or a lifetime of service to the guild?

“Why did they hate Ganacanagh?” Bael piped up, jogging me from my thoughts.

Bael’s tone was all innocence. He’d moved off the floor and seemed marginally better now that he was nursing a glass of whisky in one hand and an enormous tanker of water in the other. His expression was benign, as if his question didn’t matter much. Yet I knew he cared about the answer very much–perhaps more than he should.

“Does it matter?” Siobhan asked. “From what I’ve heard he’s not the king anymore.”

Bael looked startled. “You heard that already?”

Siobhan looked at Bael shrewdly, and I immediately got the impression that he wasn’t fooling anyone. She knew exactly who his father was. I supposed, if you’d ever seen King Gancanagh, it would be hard not to notice that Bael was his blonde double.

“Two months is a long time in the court of Underneath. From what whispers have reached me the entire court is in chaos. Without clear leadership, things have gone bad faster than you could even imagine.”

Bael fell silent, looking troubled.

Sensing a change of subject was in order, I drew her attention back to me. “We heard Aine is still living with the guild.”

Siobhan wrinkled her nose, looking annoyed. “Yes.”

“You don’t like her?” I guessed.

“I…she’s what she is.”

Abruptly, Scion laughed. “She’s a bitch,” he said in a tone that implied both admiration and affection for his cousin.

“Your words, not mine,” Siobhan replied. Though, her expression said clearly that she agreed. “Father is quite taken with the princess.”

Scion’s grin immediately died, and his eyebrows shot up in mingled surprise and disgust. “Cross…and Aine?”

Siobhan laughed this time. “No, not like that. They’re not together. Father merely thinks she’s talented.”

“Well that tracks,” Bael interjected. “If she’s finally using her magic regularly, her persuasion ability would be invaluable in the guild.”

“It is.” Siobhan looked sulky again. “The princess has quickly become part of the inner circle.”

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