Page 8 of Court of Shadows
Cold lingered in my bones, but I slowly followed the two strangers, wondering how exactly they could fly about on unseen wings. It had to be believed, since they had fallen so far and apparently sustained no injury greater than a ruffled hair.
“You’ve been here before?” I asked, still confused but eager to make conversation. Ahead, I saw that Lee had vanished, though Chijioke was waiting for us by the fence, leaning on it,a faded work cap dangling from one hand.
“Loads of times,” the girl, Sparrow, replied. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a severe and intricate braid, the crown of which arced over her head and then ended in a dizzying knot at her nape. They wore matching gold rings on their right pinkie fingers. “Still utterly hideous, I see. Henry should really stop hiring so many maids and invest in a painter or two.”
“We’re here for the Court,” Finch said, glancing over his shoulder at me. He had a noble face, with a broad nose and easily smiling lips. And were I less baffled by their sudden appearance, I might even have counted him handsome. “It, well... It seems there has been some trouble here lately, enough of it to convene the Court. Which means...”
“Somebody’s in trou-ble,” Sparrow finished, singing her way through it with a sneer. “Henry’s gotten himself into a mess, surprising literally no one.”
“Oh,” I said, fiddling nervously with the spoon around my neck. “Yes. There was something of a scuffle here a few months ago. I never realized it had caused so much attention. It must be severe if you came here from, um, from wherever you’re from to look into it.”
The young woman stopped short, spinning swiftly on her heeled boot. She squinted down at me, a sharper counterpoint to her brother. Another chill shot through me, the whisper in my bones giving a menacing hiss. Whatever or whoever this strange voice was, it clearly had no love for these two strangers.
“Whoareyou?” Sparrow asked, leaning toward me. “Or rather,whatare you?”
“Irish?” I glanced between them, squeezing the spoon in my fist. “An Irish chambermaid?”
Finch smirked, quirking his lips to the side as he chuckled.
“You think you’re clever, do you?”
“Not particularly.”
“Don’t lie to me, clever thing,” Sparrow said, narrowing her eyes. “I can have the truth from you whether you want to give it or not.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Finch put in with a grumble, placing an arm between his sister and me. She leaned away from me, but only a little. “She means to ask what your name is, I think, and also what youareare.”
I did not like the way this girl had chosen to menace me when I had done nothing but show concern over their well-being. Curiosity was not a crime, and her instant cruelty rankled. Though I would never have her height, I could still do my best to appear dignified and unimpressed.
“You first,” I replied tartly. “I may have your names, but I still have no idea whatyouare.”
“Are all of Henry’s servants this ignorant?” she sighed, rolling her eyes. She propped both wrists on her hips and gave yet another heaving sigh. “We’re Upworlders, Adjudicators, which is why the very sight of you makes me feel ill. And since you make me feel fit to vomit on my shoes, that means you’re one ofHenry’s lot. Or something fell. So out with it, mm? You’re not a bairn, too tall. A soul whisperer? A witch? Definitely not a succubus, too plain.”
“How kind of you,” I muttered bleakly. Before she could insult me further, I added, “My name is Louisa, and according to Mr. Morningside, I’m a Changeling.”
“A skin changer?” It was a brief moment of triumph, as Sparrow’s eyes widened and she reeled back as if scalded. She looked, satisfyingly enough, frightened. “I thought you were all but gone. You’resupposedto be all but gone.”
“Apparently not,” I told her with a shrug. “But if it makes you feel any better, I’m the only one I’ve ever met.”
Sparrow’s lip curled as if smelling something unpleasant. Her eye caught on the silver pin shining on the shoulder of my apron and she flicked it, hard. “No bloody wonder the Court is being convened,” she spat, throwing up her arms and turning as she stalked toward the fence and Chijioke. “He’s lost it for good this time—the jailers are in the cells and the inmates are running amok.”
Chapter Six
Chijioke did not welcome the strangers with a smile.
He brooded over the fence railing, humming a melancholy tune to himself as we drew near. I could only surmise that he had met Finch and Sparrow before, and judging by my brief interactions with her, she had also left a not-so-kindly impression on Chijioke. He didn’t so much as glance at Finch, but he did glower noticeably at Sparrow.
“You can stay right where you are on the other side of that fence,” he said by way of greeting. Then he gave me a quick smile and a gesture. “Not you, of course, Louisa; you’re always welcome with us.”
“The ages certainly have eroded courtesy here at Coldthistle,” Sparrow said with a theatrical laugh. I didn’t much relish the thought of climbing clumsily over the fence and making a fool of myself, so instead I simply went and stood as close to Chijioke as I could.
Finch stopped a polite distance from us and rolled his big dark eyes at his sister. “What my twin obviously means to say is that we came ahead for the convening of the Court. We have no expectation of hospitality, but it only seemed proper that your employer knew of our arrival.”
Chijioke nodded and slapped his floppy blue cap back onto his head. “Mighty polite of ye.”
“Now, now, be generous,” Sparrow said, syrupy. She batted her eyelashes, but Chijioke simply stared at her. “We came a long way and we’re weary. Could we not at least enjoy a bit of tea? A nip of brandy?”
“Ha,” he said, turning away from the fence. “No.”
