Page 144 of A Touch of Poison
“Don’t lecture me on terrible choices, Bastian. I could’ve chosen to die rather than…” He shook his head. “Rather than doing what I did. That is always an option.”
One I’d considered for a moment during my battle withBaba—for as long as it had taken him to cut me from collarbone to bellybutton and step back, eyes wide at the blood spilling from me.
“Die and give up any power you have to affect the world for better or worse, you mean?”
“Exactly,”Athairrasped. “Some people shouldn’t have that power.” He turned and I understood what he was thinking.
Ishouldn’t have that power.
If I didn’t,Babawould still be alive.
His expression hardened. “What did you come here for?”
“I need a favour.”
He scoffed, raising one eyebrow. “You have fifteen seconds before I tell you to fuck off.”
“The attack.” That would be enough to tell him how important this was—not tome, but to Elfhame. “I have one of the people responsible. He won’t talk. But you could scrape his mind, find out where their base is, how many there are, what they really want.” His gift was a rare one—there was no one else in the city who could do this.
His lip curled. “You might be willing to do anything for your queen, but I am not. I don’t toy with people’s minds without their consent. Not anymore.”
“But—”
“No.” His voice boomed in my head as well as around the room, silencing my arguments. “You’ll have to find someone else to do your dirty work.” He opened the door and gestured out into the night. “Now, fuck off.”
55
Bastian
Folk swept the streets and set to work on repairs while low laments drifted through the crisp night air. They nodded as I passed, and some placed a hand on their heart as they did.
Even though I wasn’t deserving, I touched my brow in acknowledgement.
I still wore my bloodied and acid-pitted armour. There was a good chance it was about to get messier, too.
My jaw tightened the closer I got to the Hall of Healing, and when I entered and spotted Elthea, my blood boiled.
“He’ll live.” She indicated a door at the far end of the wide entrance hall—one I’d never entered before.
I arched an eyebrow at her as she fell into step beside me. “No favours this time?”
“This isn’t foryou. It’s for Elfhame.”
The sun had set now, but it had still been high when Orpha brought the man in—Elthea was under no obligation to help. Useful to know she would forego a favour for the realm’s sake.
“Who’s with him?”
“No one, currently. I was just in there making sure he was… comfortable.”
“Good.” I went to open the door, but she hung back. “Not joining me?”
Her usual calm stiffened—not quite a change in expression, but almost. “I’d rather not. There’s nothing for me to learn about his health from your… activities.”
My teeth ground behind my smile. “Ah, so you like torturing human patients, but when the subject is a traitor responsible for dozens of deaths, suddenly you can’t stomach it. Noted.”
She backed off a step, perhaps mindful of the fact we were past sunset. Dusk was ascendant now and I could order her to accompany me. For a second I was tempted, but this would be easier without any interference, so I dismissed her and entered.
Another bright space, like her treatment room, but this one had a chair at its centre and a slumped figure strapped to it. Blood and dirt caked the Ascendant’s dark hair and clothes. It had once been a smart uniform but from the tattered hems and tears on the knees, it looked as though he’d been dragged across the ground for miles. Maybe that was how Orpha had brought him here.
