Page 91 of Acedia

The nursery was eerily silent by the time I finished. Even Eadlin’s hands had gone still in my hair.

“Iris,” Yara breathed. “That was… I’ve never heard anything like that. This instrument can’t stay in here—it has to go into the dining hall. You have to play for everyone. The court will adore you.”

“Oh no,” I said hastily, slightly horrified at the idea. “Maybe some day. But for now, this is the perfect audience for me.”

“Another song!” Jonan demanded, grabbing my wrist and setting my hand back on the strings. “Play another one, Iris. Please,” he added, somewhat reluctantly.

“Well, since you said please…” I laughed. “I’m a little out of practice, but let’s tryGreensleeves.”

Chapter 26

“Next week?” Allerick confirmed, his shadows shifting restlessly. “So soon?”

“The thinking is that it would be best to start with a small group and begin promptly, rather than let the pressure build,” I explained, having hashed all of this out with Tallulah, Harlow, and Sebastian earlier this afternoon. “You can’t go, of course. It’s too risky. Us singletons are more dispensable,” I joked.

“That’s not true,” Allerick replied sharply. “And you’re hardly single—not really. No one has sat by your side at the high table before.”

“Regardless. If I die, Iris won’t be in the kind of pain she would suffer if a mate bond were to break, presumably.” Allerick made a sound of disagreement. We didn’t actually know whathappened when one half of a mated pair died, and hopefully it would be many decades before we did. “We have it baked into the agreement that our own ex-Hunters will also come along to provide security, so at least one mated pair will be there. I doubt Astrid is going to let anyone go in her place.”

“Likely not,” Allerick agreed. “And Soren won’t stay behind if she goes. Selene is pregnant, she’ll need to stay behind and I suspect Austin wouldn’t provide much in the way of security anyway.”

I snorted. Austin hadn’t even come up in conversation when Tallulah and I were discussing the most appropriate ex-Hunters to go along on the trip. Aside from the fact that he was too recognizable in the human realm, he was a lover, not a fighter.

“Andrus has already volunteered to come along—probably because he’s desperate for a proper feed, but also undoubtedly hoping that being part of this small party will bring him glory. I think perhaps two or three more Shades—trained members of the Guard—would be the optimum amount to make up our numbers.”

“Next week will mean that it is right before the Feast of the Modra.”

I frowned. “So what? It’s not like we celebrate it.” I wasn’t sure anyone did anymore—it was an ancient practice. From memory, it was a feast to celebrate all new life in the realm since the last Modra—to celebrate children and mothers, mostly. It certainly hadn’t been acknowledged during our father’s reign. He barely acknowledged his children, nor their mothers.

“Ophelia thought it would be nice to bring it back. She’s liaising with Vespera and Cosima right now on the arrangements.”

“Then the feast will be the perfect way to celebrate our success and the start of a new, healthy relationship between us and theHunters. Or, at least, one small segment of their population. It’s a celebration of newness, is it not?”

“Ifit goes well,” Allerick pointed out, incapable of being positive about anything.

“Sure, sure. If. Anyway, do we have your approval? The others are taking a tea break but I’d like to go back and let them know if we can proceed on those terms or not.”

Allerick leaned back in his seat, watching me from across the table where he’d been having his lunch before I’d interrupted. “Yes. You have my approval. You’dliketo go back and talk to them? Voluntarily? I hardly recognize you these days, little brother.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. Not because you’re finally being helpful and reliable, though I am glad for that fact. But because you’re happier. Interested and engaged in the world around you. Youmovewith purpose rather than aimlessly drifting from room to room, making jokes to hide your discomfort.”

“I don’t do that,” I protested immediately. “I’m just very funny. You wouldn’t understand because you are not.”

Allerick snorted. “Of course. Go on then, go pass on my approval. A couple of the Elders want to meet with me shortly, they are still feeling slighted. I spend my days soothing bruised egos.”

I shuddered at the thought. “I’m glad such a task falls to you rather than me. I’ll see you at dinner.”

In many ways, a weight had been lifted and my steps were lighter as I headed back to the meeting room to meet the others. There had been moments where any kind of truce between us had seemed like an impossible goal, so coming to an arrangement at all was an accomplishment.

On the other hand, it was impossible not to notice how subdued the mood was at court since Ruvyn’s talk. His theorieshad forced all of us to reckon with some ideas that were long out-of-date. Ideas thatneededto be reckoned with. It was an uncomfortable but necessary process.

What would the future of the shadow realm look like with potentially more Hunters in it? With the children of those Hunter-Shade unions running around? Were we capable of assessing value in any way other than the raw ability to channel shadows?

I slowed my steps at the sound of whispers up around the corner, wondering if I was about to encounter a satisfying piece of court gossip. Everyone had been dully well-behaved recently—a good scandal would be the perfect distraction from Ruvyn’s talk.

“Don’t do it,” Meera whispered urgently, immediately making me lean in closer to eavesdrop. It was unlike Meera to give orders at all, let alone panicky-sounding ones. “Don’t interfere. It’s between them.”

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