Lightworld and Darkworld #03 - Veil of Shadows by Jennifer Armintrout

Author:Jennifer Armintrout [Armintrout, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-04-21T10:13:47+00:00

“You may speak,” Cerridwen said in her best impression of a Queene. Which was, Cedric realized with a shock, fast becoming her role, not an act.

“Thank you.” Fionnait"s cool blue gaze slid from Cedric to her Queene. “When the trouble started, when that miserable Bauchan came to the Underground, the Guild was, each and every Fae individually, fully set on staying and fighting whatever threat might arise from his warnings. But then, Flidais came to us.”

“She came to the Guild?” Cedric shook his head. “I would have known if she had.”

“She did not approach the Guild, but Assassins, individually,” Fionnait corrected herself.

“There might have been more than just us, we are not certain,” Prickle mumbled, unusually subdued for a member of his race.

Fionnait nodded in agreement. “She came to each one of us with a letter, seemingly by the Queene"s own hand, with the Queene"s seal—”

“My mother could not read, nor write,” Cerridwen interrupted. “The letter could not have been from her.”

Cedric leaned closer to her to say quietly, “Your mother"s illiteracy was not widely known, not even in the Palace.”

Fionnait sat forward, elbows braced on her knees, and spread her hands apart. She brought them back together, entwining her fingers. “Because it was from a trusted member of the Royal Council, we had no reason to doubt the origin of our letters.”

“And what did they say?” A single glance at Cerridwen"s face showed Cedric the impatience and anger inside her; he wondered if they could see it, as well.

“The letters told us all the same thing. That we had been chosen for an assignment of grave urgency. We were to accompany Flidais and Ambassador Bauchan, as their protection, on their journey to the Upworld settlement. We were to tell no one, not even our mentors, of our purpose, as there might be traitors in our ranks who would prevent us from leaving.”

This was the moment that Cedric expected Cerridwen to explode with old rage at Flidais. She did not. “Why, then, did you not protect Bauchan when I killed him?”

It was an intimidating question, but Fionnait did not backpedal. “By the time it became clear that Flidais was not coming, and Queene Ayla had been slain, I sought out the other Assassins who had fled the Underground. Of them, only these five admitted, after much pressing, to being on the same assignment.”

“So, the ones who sit before us are the ones who disobeyed orders they believed came from their Queene?” Cedric did not know how to think of this, but he would not pass further judgment until the whole of the tale was told.

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