Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald

Author:Mara Fitzgerald [FITZGERALD, MARA]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Published: 2020-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

WE REACH THE EDGE OF THE CATHEDRAL SQUARE. ALE moves in the direction of a quiet, unassuming street, but I grab his wrist.

“Let’s go to the gardens,” I say.

He gives them a nervous glance. “It sounds like there’s a party.”

“Which means they’ll expect us to hide somewhere quieter,” I say.

And I can’t go sit in an empty alley. Not after the darkness of the underground well. It doesn’t seem like the blood-eating shadow we just encountered can venture into the city above—if it could, surely it would still be chasing us—but I’m finding it harder and harder to trust my own instincts.

We head for the gardens and push through an ornate iron gate at the entrance. In Occhia, the name “gardens” is a bit of a misnomer. They’re more of a stone plaza, with plenty of statues of saints and the occasional plant. Everyone crowds the prettiest path that’s lined with tall, skinny cypress trees. There are always, at minimum, three couples trying to have romantic moments. It’s impossible for anyone to enjoy it.

My people would probably faint if they could see the gardens of Iris. They’re so green and so very alive. Ale and I are instantly lost in a maze of hedges. We wind around sharp corners and through ivy-covered tunnels, and I look for a hiding place that feels secure enough.

“So,” Ale says. “You’re… you’re absolutely certain that Verene doesn’t have blood magic?”

“We were fighting,” I say. “I was besting her. If she had it, she would have used it on me the moment she escaped from the trunk—”

I stop short.

“You loosened her bonds,” I say.

“What?” Ale whispers very delicately.

I round on him. “She escaped the trunk on her own. And I couldn’t figure out how. When we were in her bedroom, I told you to tie her up even tighter while I searched her things. But you didn’t. You loosened her bonds.”

The guilt is all over his face.

“I was afraid she wouldn’t be able to breathe,” he says. “And I didn’t—I really didn’t think she was dangerous. I just—”

“And were you right?” I say.

He’s not looking at me anymore.

“You useless piece of garbage.” My ears are very hot. “This is why you’re supposed to do exactly what I tell you. She attacked me. She could have killed me.”

“You left me with her brother,” he whispers. “He could have—”

“You left yourself,” I say. “That was your own incompetent floundering. And it was mortifying to watch, by the way.”

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I just—I thought maybe, if we didn’t treat her like an enemy—”

“She is our enemy,” I say. “She’s taking Occhia’s water, Ale. That water belongs to us. I was right about what’s happening in this city—I was more right than you, at least. These people are a danger to us, and they need to be stopped. Am I wrong about that? Tell me I’m wrong.”

He’s quiet. He’s looking at the blood that’s still smeared on his fingers.

“You’re not wrong,” he says.

I whirl around and march off. I find a gap in the hedges and slip through it.

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