Page 106 of Crown of Wings and Whispers

“Gloir only laughed. Before I could remove his head, the guards came to his rescue. And as they led me away, he confessed he had divided his powers long ago and gave a portion to each of his daughters. The only power left to him was that of Beauty, which he kept to prevent any of those daughters from succumbing to Vanity.”

I could tell Orion’s memory of it was still alive enough to rile his emotions, because his irises were black again. And for a long time, he glared at the sky like it was somehow responsible. Eventually, he sighed and remembered he wasn’t alone in that gondola.

“Much of the rest you know because of The Covenant,” he said. “I was incarcerated for a time, but Gloir worried I would escape and come after his family—which I had vowed to do. So he and his brother carved out a section of Hell for me and created the contract to seal me inside. My only view would be of Orion, the one who hunted in vain, who would forever pursue the seven daughters of Atlas and never succeed. A bedtime story for eternity. A nightly torture supplied by the universe itself.

“Gloir reclaimed The Naming Powers and hid them among those set apart—Afi’s witches. And Moire and her seven daughters were sent back to Hestia for their safety. You see, Moire prophesied many things. Among them, she saw that I would, one day, escape. The rest of her foretellings are known only toThe Queevna.

“This nonsense about the end of the world is just hysteria caused by the wording of the contract. It reads,That these powers can never be reunited…to the probable destruction…and sorrow of all.But all I want is justice. I want Rowena back. And I will exact revenge. But not on the entire world.” He tapped me under the chin. “And you should want the same. Your race was nearly eliminated for the sake of Gloir’s family. You’re lucky you survived.”

I nodded, vaguely, committing to nothing. I knew how lucky I was. After all, I thought my own friends would have to kill me…

“One day, the walls of my prison vanished. I knew The Covenant had been broken, which could only mean that one of those set apart had given their power to another. I went directly to the throne room, much to Gloir’s surprise. I took his head and I took his one power, then went in search of the other seven and the DeNoy I would need to return to Hestia.

“Imagine my surprise when I was told there were no DeNoy left, and I would have to settle for revenge only and abandon hope for justice.”

“Then, one day, I heard Colm Mulrooney speak of a woman with an odd haircut, staying with the Carew brothers. I was convinced she could lead me to the witches I sought… You know the rest.”

I believed all of it. Orion hadn’t tried to paint himself as some noble soul that deserved my pity. He hadn’t tried to convince me there was anything truly redeemable in the choices he’d made. And he hadn’t used any of his powers to sway my opinion of him.

For a long time, we sat and stared at the darkening sky and watched stars struggle to be seen. There was a rhythm to the trickle of water against water each time the boatman lifted his oar and put it down again. The music of voices and laughter and accordions sounded far above us as we slipped, quiet as thieves, below their notice. We were interlopers in a city that wasn’t ours, in a realm that wasn’t ours. And I had a sudden urge to go where I belonged.

“Orion?”

“Yes?”

“Let me treat you to a dragon ride.”

39

Showing My Cards

If Orion hadn’t known the difference between a locked and unlocked DeNoy, he sure didn’t know how things worked between Kivi and I. So when I called her to me, I tried to make it a little more complicated than it was. For my own safety, he needed to believe that he couldn’t just chop off my arm and use it to make my dragon whole. Nor could he call her himself.

The gondolier pulled up against a low dock and Orion helped me climb out. Then we wandered through a maze of sidewalks until we found a large open space without an Italian in sight.

Kivi.

She hesitated.Just hover?

No. I feel like riding.

With him?

With him. Play nice. It’s just a ride. A little taste of reciprocity.

When Kivi appeared, she couldn’t hide her distrust, but I figured a show of honesty was a good thing.

Press your head to mine, close your eyes, and pretend this is more complicated than it is.

She did as I asked and was able to hold off becoming solid until after we’d finished bonding.

First thing she did was hiss.

Orion took a small step back, then chuckled. “So this was the hissing I heard at the wake.”

“Yes. It was here, communicating through mycloch realta.”

His eyes lit up. “There were more of them, in a box—”

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