Page 6 of The Iron Flower

“You’re still in touch with Lukas Grey, then?” Bleddyn’s eyes are hard on mine.

I swallow the dry lump in my throat. Lukas’s tree pendant thrums enticingly beneath my tunic, and an uncomfortable warmth slides down my neck. “He’s...friendly with me. Which could be of use to us.”

Yvan’s gaze flashes with rancor, and I swear I feel heat surge through the air between us. His mouth sets in a hard, unforgiving line that sends a palpable sting through me.

Jules’s and Lucretia’s expressions have turned calculating as they coolly appraise me, as if suddenly seeing me in a new light.

Iris stands abruptly, gesturing angrily in my direction. “She shouldn’t be here!” she cries. “We shouldn’t be working withanyGardnerians. Or Alfsigr.”

I bristle at this as Lucretia considers Iris calmly, seeming unfazed by her pronouncement. I know Iris doesn’t like working with Gardnerian Lucretia, either, but she doesn’t have much of a choice in that regard, since Lucretia is one of our leaders.

Tierney throws Iris a caustic look. “I understand where you’re coming from, Iris. I really do. But what you’re suggesting would put my entire Gardnerian family in danger.”

Iris ignores Tierney as she rounds on me, outrage blazing in her eyes. “Are you planning to have Lukas Grey come back to threaten us again? To threaten Fern?”

I remember how Lukas terrorized Fernyllia’s granddaughter, and for a moment, I can’t even look at Iris. Or Fernyllia.Especiallynot Fernyllia.

“No,” I counter, my voice breaking with shame, “of course not—”

“And why does she dress in our clothes?” Iris demands of Jules.

I shift uncomfortably in my dark brown tunic and skirt from home. I’ve taken to wearing the simple garb again when working in the kitchens, saving Aunt Vyvian’s elaborate silks for classes and events.

“Iris, Elloren is one of us,” Jules says firmly. “You know how I feel about this.”

Iris glares at me. “You’re notone of us. You’llneverbe one of us. You’re simply bringing attention to yourself. And that placesusat risk.”

Yvan places a hand on her arm. “She’s on our side, Iris.”

“No, Yvan. You’rewrong.” Iris wrenches away from him and sends me a penetrating glare, as if she can look straight into my soul and spot my grandmother’s dark power hidden there. “You forget who she is,” Iris says, her voice low with a foreboding that sends a chill down my spine. “You forget who her family is. She’sdangerous.”

Then Iris gets up and storms out of the room. Bleddyn shoots me a hostile look and follows close on her heels.

Bereft, I glance toward Yvan to find his concerned gaze suddenly riveted on me, open and impassioned. And for a brief moment, the rest of the room recedes as a flare of what he once seemed to feel for me breaks through.

Then it’s gone again, his open expression shuttering as the wall between us slams back down. He gives me one last tense, pained look before he gets up and follows Iris and Bleddyn out.

* * *

“Elloren, can I speak with you for a moment?” Lucretia asks as everyone else filters out of the storeroom. Tierney looks at me curiously for a moment, then offers to meet me in the apothecary lab. I nod, and she takes her leave as Lucretia quietly closes the door.

Lucretia turns to peer at me through gold-rimmed spectacles. “I don’t know if you’ve realized this yet, but your connection to Lukas Grey could prove to be important for us,” she says.

An unsettling tension spreads through me at the mention of Lukas’s name.

“He’s turning out to be a voice for moderation in the Mage Guard,” Lucretia explains. “He might be someone we could influence.”

I look to her with surprise, thrown by this new information. Lucretia seems to register my shock and quickly adds a word of caution. “He could be an ally, but don’t let your guard down around him, Elloren. He’s not to be trifled with. Still, we’ve been watching him closely, and he’s already been reprimanded several times for refusing to enforce some of Vogel’s new religious strictures.”

“How does he get away with defying Vogel?” I ask.

“Power. Vogel wants Lukas Grey’s power on his side. So, he’s overlooking his insubordination. For now, at least.”

I’m suddenly wary of what she might be preparing to ask of me and draw slightly away from her, giving her a narrow, guarded look.

“You’ve made it clear you don’t want to fast to him,” Lucretia says, her tone full of import. “But...perhaps he doesn’t need to know that at the moment. Do you understand?”

I consider this and give a slight nod.

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