Page 58 of Sanctifier

Ru leaned into him, her cheek against his, biting back her revulsion. It wasn’t as difficult as it ought to be. The effects of the wine surged to her cheeks. “Maybe you were right all along. Maybe I’ve been a fool to ignore it, and destruction… death… they’ve always been my destiny.”

“Delara,” he said, pulling away from her, his eyes searching. “How much wine have you had tonight?”

“Hardly any,” Ru said, smiling coyly. “Why, did I say something you disliked? I thought…”

The music stopped then, the dance over.

The dance floor became a chaos of talking and laughter, of courtiers looking for new partners. Ru and Hugon stood still in the midst of it, facing one another. Slowly and deliberately, he stepped backwards, separating them by mere inches.

“Whatever you thought,” he said, his voice hard-edged, “it was wrong.”

And there it was again, as she’d hoped — the curtain drawn back, the man revealed. She studied his face, his downturned lips, aristocratic nose, pale lashes framing sapphire eyes. There was a freckle above one of his eyebrows. She’d never noticed before.

“Hugon,” she said softly.

“Thank you for the dance,” he said, his movements stiff, his expression closed off once more.

Then he was gone, and Ru stood alone in the throng. When she spoke of the Destruction, of giving in to it, of dying… that was when he cracked, when Ru found herself able to peer through to the truth of him. Was he frightened, then? Afraid of what would happen if she didn’t succeed?

Or was it something else altogether?

Deep in thought, she made her way to the edge of the dance floor. She felt strangely empty, despite getting Hugon to do exactly as she wanted. The room was hot and too crowded, and she became painfully aware of her mask. Constricted and annoyed, she yanked it off, setting it on a nearby dessert table.

“Are you all right?”

Ru turned to see a girl, a young courtier in ruffles of silk, smiling at her. She couldn’t have been older than seventeen.

“I’m fine,” Ru said. “Thank you. It’s just…”

“The heat in the room?” the girl finished for her, nodding in understanding, her dark curls bouncing. “I fainted during a summertime ball, once. It was terribly embarrassing. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Ru blinked, unsure how to proceed. This was the first courtier who had treated her as a human, an equal, rather than some romantic fantasy.

But the girl rattled on, unperturbed by Ru’s silence. “I’m Georgina, by the way. My father’s a duke, but he’s off on business, so I’m allowed to attend balls as long as I go with a friend and leave by midnight. My father studied at the Cornelian Tower, you know, and has all sorts of books. He tells me not many people have books in their own homes. They’re expensive to print, though I suppose you know that if you’re from the Tower. Have you seen a printing press before? They’re ever so fascinating! I could go on and on about books. Oh, I nearly forgot!” She brightened, reaching into her bodice and removing a tiny book from within. “I brought this for you. It’s a book. Obviously. I know you’re an archaeologist, which sounds terribly exciting to me, but Father won’t allow me to go away and study. Not yet, anyway, not until I’m twenty. He wants me to learn about being a lady first, which is horribly boring, but there’s no avoiding it. I’d love to study artifacts one day, or even magic. I hope you like it.”

She held out the book expectantly, smiling brightly.

“You brought this forme?” Ru asked, still trying to take in everything the girl had said.

“Oh, yes,” said Georgina. “I’m ever so intrigued by you. Father said this was the only known copy ofGods & Gloriesto survive after the Destruction. Isn’t that fascinating? There used to be loads of copies, all of them were in Ordellun-by-the-Sea, except for this one! It’s worth a fortune, you know. Father had it appraised. He gets everything appraised, of course. I thought you might like to read it if you’re ever bored or tired of parties. There’s a story about Festra in it. Isn’t that terribly enticing?”

Plucking the book from the girl’s fingers, Ru studied the cover. It appeared to be an illustrated children’s book, but the painted leather cover was faded and chipped. “Thank you,” she said. “But how will I return it to you?”

Georgina shrugged. “Just give it to a footman or a pageboy and ask that they return it to Georgina Brantforde. I don’t know how they find anyone in this maze of a palace, but they do. It’s terribly fascinating! I heard they use their own system of corridors and tunnels, ones that not even well-bred ladies like us are allowed into.”

“Is that so?” Ru said, genuinely interested. “I’ll have to investigate that claim.”

“I hope you do,” said Georgina. “I’d better go, or Father will have a conniption when he gets home. Last time I stayed late at a ball, he wouldn’t let me attend another for amonth. No dancing for a month! Not even a gavotte. Not a single gigue. Isn’t that dreadful?”

Ru swallowed a laugh, utterly charmed by Georgina. “Thank you again, Miss Brantforde. I’ll take good care of your book.”

“I know you will,” said Georgina, and she flounced off into the night.

Ru tuckedGods & Gloriesinto her bodice, just as Georgina had done, not believing her luck. This would be the first book Ru or her friends had come across since leaving the Tower that mentioned Festra. And it had just fallen into her lap.

CHAPTER 21

The tinkle of silver against fine china, the bittersweet aroma of tea and honey, retreating footsteps on carpet, angled afternoon light through broad windows. Ru focused on her senses, the minutiae, anchoring herself in the moment.

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