Page 5 of The Iron Flower

We’re all grimly quiet for a moment.

“Keep Fern hidden,” Yvan says to Fernyllia, stark warning in his eyes. “Wellhidden.”

A wave of horror sweeps over me. The thought of someone grabbing up little Fern, shearing off her rosy braids and cutting off the points of her ears—it’s so ghastly, I can barely wrap my mind around it. A few months ago, I never would have believed that even the threat of such cruelty could exist in the world.

Now I know better. And it sickens me.

“One last terrible announcement.” Jules turns to face Tierney and me. “The mandatory wandfasting age for Gardnerians has been lowered to sixteen. All Gardnerians over the age of sixteen not fasted by the end of the fifth month will beforcedinto a fasting by the Mage Council.”

I glance down at my hands, nails chipped and skin stained blue and green by medicinal herbs. Blessedly unmarked.But not for long.

I shudder as I imagine black fasting marks creeping across my hands, forever binding me to someone I barely know. My aunt Vyvian has started sending threatening letters in the last few weeks, hinting that she might need to cut back on the expensive medical care for my sick uncle if I don’t fast to Lukas Grey soon.

Ire rises in me at the thought, along with a burgeoning sense of desperation. Who will I fast to, if not Lukas? There might not be any way to avoid fasting, even if I stay in Verpacia and refuse to return to Valgard. There’s enough of a Gardnerian presence here that my aunt could easily enforce the new fasting mandate.

Tierney’s face has grown rigid with anxiety over the looming threat of wandfasting—and the iron-testing that Vogel has ordered to precede each ceremony. A test that would not only reveal who Tierney really is, but potentially kill her.

“We’re trying to negotiate with both the Lupines and the Vu Trin to get you and your family and the rest of the hidden Fae out,” Lucretia tells Tierney as Jules rolls out a map of Verpacia, flattens it on the table and leans over to examine the handwritten notes.

Escape routes. For Urisk and Smaragdalfar Elves and the Fae-blooded fleeing east.

“Have Rafe and the Lupine twins come see me, Elloren,” Jules says, looking up from the map. “We need trackers to scout out new trails for refugees. The Verpacian military has shut down most of the northern routes.”

I nod, heartened by the contributions my family and friends are making toward the Resistance efforts. My brother Trystan has enthusiastically fallen in as well, fashioning weapons on the sly for the refugees and their guides.

Everyone in the room knows about all of this.

But Iris and Bleddyn have no idea who was really behind the destruction of the nearby Gardnerian military base and the theft of an unbroken dragon.

And of the people here, only Tierney and Yvan know about Marina, the Selkie hidden in my lodging.

“We’re going to need help from you and Tierney, as well,” Lucretia puts in. “There’s a bad outbreak of the Red Grippe among the refugees streaming into Verpacia, especially the children.”

“And instead of showing one shred of compassion,” Jules interjects, disgust edging his tone, “the Verpacian Council is using their illness as a reason to bear down on anyone who’s here without working papers, making it impossible for the refugees to seek help from physicians and apothecaries.”

Tierney and I exchange a resolved glance, but we have no illusions about the difficulty of what we’re being asked to do.Norfuretincture is tricky and expensive to make, and the ingredients are difficult to procure. But we’re the only ones in our small Resistance group who have the necessary skills to prepare it.

“We’ll make the medicine,” Tierney promises, her voice shot through with rebellion.

“Thank you,” Jules says gratefully, then turns to me again. “And Elloren, let your brother Trystan know that we’ve found someone who can train him in the use of combat spells. His name is Mavrik Glass. He’s the head wandmaster at the Fourth Division Base, but he’s come over to our side. He’s been holding back in his training of the Gardnerian soldiers and saving the best instruction for our people. He’s also secretly working flaws into the Mage Guard’s wands.”

Trepidation flashes through me. I’m sure this was easy to hide when Damion Bane was in charge, but the base has a new commander now. And there’s no fooling Lukas Grey.

“Tell him not to hold back on his training anymore,” I insist. “And he should stop making flawed wands.”

Yvan’s eyes fly to mine with surprise, and the others immediately look suspicious “Why?” Jules asks.

I meet Jules’s gaze evenly. “Because Lukas will know.”

He shakes his head. “Damion never did—”

“Maybe not,” I cut in vehemently, “but Lukaswill.”

Iris’s lip curls up in contempt. Her eyes flick to Jules. “Isshegiving the orders now?”

I hold my hands out defensively. “You need to trust me on this.”

“Trustyou?” Iris asks scathingly.

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