Page 91 of Fate's Sweetest Curse
She hummed low in her throat.
“Will you help me or not?”
“What doyouthink?”
“I don’t doubt your capabilities,” I said, jerking my chin in the direction of her shortsword. “Only your willingness—and the limits of your Oath.”
“You’re clever,” she said, as if that were unexpected.
I tried not to feel insulted.
Mariana rested a casual palm on the hilt of her weapon. “What’s in it for me?”
“The pleasure of assisting an apprentice in need?”
She chuckled menacingly and took another step closer. “And what is it you actually need?”
I clenched my teeth, willing my jaw not to quiver.This is it, I told myself.This is your chance to lay it all out. I was walking the same path Viren had started down, and when I spoke next, I knew I was venturing past the point of no return.
“There’s Gildium in monster blood,” I began, holding Mariana’s withering gaze. “What I can’t figure out iswhy. How did it get there? And does the metal create the curse, or is it related in some other way?” I rolled my shoulders back, relieved that my Oath had not yet limited my questioning; Mariana no-doubt knew far more than I did and was therefore safe to speak with plainly. “I need to know the cause of curses so that I can undo them.”
“You’re bold, I’ll give you that.” Mariana’s demeanor softened. “But you know I can’t speak of—” She broke off and glanced down the length of the alley.
“Is this knowledge you possess?” I asked.
When she met my eyes again, she shook her head.
“Is it knowledge you’re actively seeking?”
“I am not an alchemist; I am a sword.”
For some reason, I didn’t think she meantnoby that statement.
“Are you workingwithPhina?
“I already said I wasn’t an alchemist.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“All I know is that it burns,” she said tightly.
I perked up. “The blood?”
She made a disgusted face, and I realized she must’ve tasted the warning of her Oath. Clearly, that nugget of information was all I was going to get on the topic.
“Has anyone ever requested blood from you or someone you know before?” I asked.
Mariana glanced down the alley again, lips pursed. When she met my eyes again, her expression was hard. Guarded. “I’m getting bored of this conversation. You don’t want me to get bored.”
“You haven’t killed me yet, so it must be somewhat interesting,” I joked, even though adrenaline hummed in my veins. “When you came to the Possum, you asked about blank Fates.”
She perked up, interested again. “Do you know—”
I held up a hand to silence her. She broke off, but her expression was dark and hostile, and I lowered my hand with a cringe.
She didn’t continue, though. She waited.
I balled my fists at my sides, trying to muster the bravery to ask the question I’d been building toward this whole time. “Do monsters have blank Fates?”
