Page 10 of Tomb of Ancients
I let go of Justine’s hands. They had stopped shaking. She looked at me now as if I were a stranger. It hurt, but I let it go, knowing how gravely the knowledge and the carnage had disturbed her.
“There now,” he said to the crowd gently, gazing at them with a serene expression. “What a scandalously bad party that was. You must all scold Lady Thrampton for her mediocre punch and talk endlessly of the flat cello in the quartet. And Lady Thrampton? You must remove your household to the country for a while, to recover from the shame of this sad little fete.”
Lady Thrampton, whom I had not seen among the followers but now realized had been one of the attackers slashing at us, lifted a bloodied hand to her lips and frowned.
“That should give me time to clean up your misadventure,” he said, then he gave a short, casual bow. “Dalton Spicer, the fool stupid enough to help you out this evening.”
“Spicer,” I repeated, following him toward the gates that led away from the estate. It was my turn to feel as if I were in a haze. The crowd mingled for a moment behind us and then gradually began drifting away. Justine had found her guardian, but I had to wonder just how much of the evening she would remember. Our discussion in the library, for example... She would remember none of it, if fate were kind.
“I know that name,” I added. “Why does it sound familiar?”
“Because I’m an old chum of Henry’s,” he said lightly. “And an Adjudicator. The missing tine on the Sparrow and Finch trident.”
At that, I froze, Khent and Mary flanking me. Dalton Spicer beckoned me along.
“There’s no need for that. I’m not your enemy. I gave up judging and doing the shepherd’s bidding a long time ago. Thus—” And here he pointed to the bandage covering his eyes. He tugged the covering away, revealing empty pits where eyes might have been. “We begin to go Sightless when we turn away from him.”
He replaced the covering and strode right out of the gates, continuing briskly in the opposite direction of our home.
“Sightless?” I asked.
“I could not Judge you if I wanted to. My talents noware limited... and growing lesser by the day. It’s worth it, though. I’d rather slowly turn into a hedgehog than become like Sparrow.”
He fell silent, and so did I, both of us appreciating the weight of her passing. It felt impossible that someone as powerful and magical as she could just begone. And gone because of me.
“I wish you could’ve known her in a better time,” Dalton told us, as if reading my dark thoughts. “She changed after I left. If I had known my going would make her so angry, so cruel, I might have done things differently. Many things. But that and your relationship to Henry are discussions for another time. Right now we need to take you all to a safe house.”
A modest carriage with two immaculate white horses waited down the street, well away from the revealing lamps and the crowded lawn of Lady Thrampton’s estate. He guided us to it with purpose, but I hesitated when we reached the door and he opened it. I noticed no driver.
“Wait,” I said. “I appreciate your intervention, I think, but this is all rather sudden.”
Khent nodded. “Mm. How can we trust you? You’re one of them. I do not like it.”
He was right. Dalton gave me that icy sensation in my veins, though it was far less noticeable than the way Sparrow and Finch made me feel. I studied the young man closely, but his face was unreadable.
“Sparrow and her followers know where we live,” Marypointed out. “They were leaving dead things outside the door to warn us. I don’t like this, either, but I think we should avoid the house for now.”
“At last,” Dalton snorted. “Sense. Look, I don’t need you to trust me yet, but I do need you to listen. Those followers will not remain confused forever. Sparrow was no doubt using them to her own ends, and with her gone, someone else will come to take her place and control them. Their sense will return and so will their loyalty, and their first inclination will be to follow whomever is sent, Finch most likely, or another of the shepherd’s minions. I bought you time, but only a little.”
I fidgeted with the knife in my hands, passing it back and forth under the coat. “But all of our things! Agnes and Silvia will be concerned if we disappear completely. We shouldn’t let them stay in that house if it’s dangerous.”
“I will go,” Khent said with a decisive nod. “Agnes and Silvia can be dismissed, and I will gather what I can of our things in the phaeton. Where do I meet you?”
His forwardness seemed to please Dalton, who gave an approving grin and then jerked his head toward the carriage. “Deptford. It is not far. There’s a little church there for St. Nicholas. You’ll know it by the skull and bones on the gates outside.”
That sounded ominous. But Khent simply touched both Mary and me on the shoulder, waiting for our responses.
“Of course, of course,” I said hurriedly. “Go. I think tonightproved I can more than handle myself.”
“I never doubted,eyachou.” Then, more seriously, he said to Mary, “But you watch over her all the same.”
“Aye. We will watch over each other,” Mary told him. “I promise.”
With that, Khent disappeared into the night. He was unbelievably fast when he wanted to be, and I wondered if perhaps he would transform into his other self in order to cut through the darkness at even greater speed. Dalton did not wait to watch him go but climbed into the carriage and hustled us in with an impatient sound.
“We should make Deptford before dawn. The less this city sees of you, the better.”
The fog clinging to London’s streets eased as we approached Deptford. I had never seen that part of town, and I let the orderly rows of homes and pockets of gardens distract me from the lingering unease in my heart. Mary, exhausted, fell asleep with her head on my shoulder. The carriage drove itself, the horses navigating through the city as if they had been trained for just that purpose.
