Page 42 of Ruin of Revenants

A single mother, living alone, turned in by her neighbor? Misgiving coursed through me, but I tried to brush it aside, tried to stifle my hatred for this job. I wanted to protect my people, and I hated and feared the phoenix shifters as much as anyone, but sometimes, innocents were caught in these hunts. What if we stormed to this female’s door and questioned her and found it was all for naught? What if we tested her and she burned? Sometimes, the reporters were wrong.

“Is that all?” I asked, trying to keep my tone nonchalant.

Grey shifted his stance. “You know it’s enough, Your Highness.”

I scrubbed a weary hand down my face. “And how far away is this Scarlet Tideglow? I told you, I can’t be far from the castle these days.” My voice was tight. “I…don’t want to leave Isoria alone, even with the guards to protect her. Too much unrest. Too many phoenixes.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Grey said. He’d already heard all these arguments, but for some reason, I felt the need to voice them again, as if that would convince him, convince everyone, that I was in love with the death-lover, not trapped in her presence. “She’s only a few blocks away.”

“Less than a mile?”

“Close enough you could run the distance in mere minutes,” Grey affirmed with a soft smile, repeating the words I’d given as my excuse when I’d first told him I’d no longer join hunts more than a mile away.

Without another word, we left my quarters, passing Isoria’s closed door, and wound our way through the castle. The other guards joining us already waited outside in the courtyard, where a pair of carriages sat, ready to carry us to our destination. Grey and I settled into my personal one with my driver, Cliff, already prepared to go. Pulled by a pair of Cliff’s jaguars, it was swifter than any other carriage, but it meant the other guards kept their distance. It was a great way to intimidate a death-lover, though.

While the party continued throughout the castle grounds, spilling into the city itself, everyone who saw our royal carriages was swift to move out of our way on the streets. Darkness still clung to the world, and the air was heavy and damp, only the slightest breeze stirring the palm branches we passed under.

The Upper District was nestled near the northern edge of Rainsong, close to Cinderwood. Out here, the festivities were only a muted jumble of music and noise. The residents of the modest homes here were all either out closer to the castle to partake in the fun or settled in their homes to sleep.

Cliff, taking Grey’s cue when the guard knocked on the carriage ceiling, paused outside a one-story building painted a rich green that blended with the jungle foliage. Bright pink shutters and cheerful window boxes of flowers adorned Scarlet’s home.

My stomach coiled with revulsion. Near the front door, a few wooden toys—mostly carved animals and soldiers from what I could make out—sat in a box, waiting for the little male who lived here to return to playing outside.

This didn’t look like the home of a monster.

I forced myself to exit the carriage and approach the door anyway, pounding loudly and confidently on its surface with a gloved fist. My heart matched the intensity of that pounding as it pulsed in my ears.

Noises from within reached us as the female stirred and hurried to open the door. As it swung open, she blinked wide, terrified brown eyes at us. She had tawny skin that looked like she spent long hours out in the sun, and her hair hung in loose curls of varying shades of pink and red. Like a living flame.

Unease shot through me—but any fae could look like that, not just a phoenix shifter.

What made me useful on these visits was the fact that I could make our suspects want to cooperate and answer our questions, without having to resort to testing them with fire. It was a small mercy.

Over the female’s shoulder, I caught a glimpse of her son, likely no more than five, watching us with confusion in his sleep-bleary eyes. My stomach churned. I had a sudden, vivid memory of Mother cradling me on a distant night, brushing her hand through my hair and singing in soft tones to comfort me after a nightmare.

Doubt clung to me. If this female was a phoenix shifter, she was a threat.

Right?

But as my eyes scanned their simple home, all I saw was evidence of a quiet, peaceful life: dishes drying by the sink, more toys scattered near the low-burning hearth, a pair of socks lying in a basket of sewing materials by an armchair, waiting to be mended.

“Mama?” the boy called out nervously.

“Do not worry, my love. Go back to bed,” Scarlet replied, even though there was a quaver in her voice. Her eyes were scanning our royal uniforms, noting who we were.

“Scarlet Tideglow? A neighbor sent word of suspicious activity,” Grey announced. “We need to question you.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “What sort of suspicious activity?”

She knew, but she wanted to feign naivety.

“There are concerns you are a phoenix shifter. Let us in, and if you are innocent, this will be brief and you’ll be back in your bed in a few minutes.”

Scarlet’s jaw clenched. “There’s a child here,” she said firmly. “I don’t want to frighten him. Couldn’t this be done elsewhere, when he is at school?”

“This cannot wait.” Grey muscled his way forward, and her eyes widened. She stepped back, letting us in, standing tall and quiet.

The two other guards from our other carriage filed in after Grey and me, forming a semicircle around the female. Still clothed in her nightgown and barefoot, she looked anything but intimidating, but I knew phoenixes could be tricky and deceptive.