“Then why tell me about it?” Brigette slipped her spectacles back into place. “Do you trust me so much?”

“I do not trust you at all. But my clan leader charged me with the duty of assisting Evie, being her diplomat, and aiding her return to her throne.” He arched a haughty eyebrow, looking down his nose. “If you are what Evie needs to accomplish this task, then I will do all I can to assist her.”

“Such loyalty, Niffin.” I fluttered my lashes at him, teasing. It was an act, hiding the fact that his speech had nearly brought me to tears. He’d never defined our relationship so clearly, and I took great comfort in his words. “I’m not sure I’m worthy.”

He harrumphed, folded his arms over his chest, and said nothing.

Brigette squinted at me, distrust showing clearly on her face. “What’s brought you to this pinnacle of desperation, my lady? There are many Magicians who would happily work for you. The honor of being employed in the court of a queen—an elemental queen—is so rare, any Magician would fight for the chance.”

I tossed the uneaten portion of my sandwich on the tray and slumped on the bed next to Brigette. “And if I were to hire such a Magician, how could I trust them? Working for me might be attractive, but working for someone like Ruelle Thibodaux? How quickly might my secrets be sold for such an opportunity?”

A shadow fell over her face. She slumped down and rolled over, giving me her back. “But me, you can control. Give me strong medicine, and I’m yours, like a puppet. Control the pain, control the Magician.”

Heat blazed in my cheeks. “I never meant it like that—”

“I’m tired. Go away and let me sleep.”

Sensing further argument would only dig me into a deeper hole, I slipped off the bed and caught Malita and Niffin’s gaze. “Think about my offer, Brigette. You don’t know me well enough to trust me, but I really don’t want to control you. I’d prefer we be partners.” Ones who managed to reach a mutually beneficial agreement, but it seemed like a bad time to say as much.

Malita and Niffin followed me into the hallway. I closed the door behind them and leaned against it, sighing. Finding Brigette had been easier than expected, but convincing her to help me might require a small miracle. And I didn’t know if she was worth the trouble. Maybe she was a horrible, weak Magician whose spells couldn’t harm a gnat.

Your instincts tell you she’s better than that, Grandfather said. That girl in there is something. I can sense it.

I sense it too, I admitted.

“Give her time, Evie.” Malita gave my shoulder a conciliatory pat. “And remember she has not said no.”

Chapter 12

Brahm must have heard us coming down the stairs. He strode from a nearby room that might’ve been his office, based on the furnishings.

“So what does she say?” He had changed out of his everyman attire into plain but elegant trousers and a black silk waistcoat. He toyed with his pocket watch, swinging it like a pendulum on its fancy gold chain.

“She told us to go away and let her sleep,” I said.

He stuffed his watch into his waistcoat and scowled. “You were with her much longer than the length of time it takes someone to say, ‘Go away.’”

I tossed my hands out at my sides. “She doesn’t trust me. And I can’t say I blame her.”

“Maybe I should try talking to her.”

I gripped his arm, holding him in place before he charged up the stairs. “Let her sleep. Maybe after the mordid’s effects wear off, she’ll be more willing to listen.”

“When the mordid wears off, she’ll just ask for more.”

“We won’t give her any.”

“It doesn’t work like that. If withdrawal is too sudden, it could kill her. She’s too weak to fight the sickness.”

“Can she be weaned off?” Niffin asked. “I know something that might help.”

“I’m not a mordid expert. I only know what I’ve seen it do to others.” Brahm grimaced. “What are you going to do with her, Evie?”

“I want to help her.”

His mouth puckered. “I’m not sure that’s possible.”

“I might know a way.” Niffin peered at his feet.

“What do you need?” I asked.

“Brigette is an apothecary, correct?” Niffin glanced up, meeting my eyes. “She might have the ingredients in her shop.”

“My carriage will take you,” Brahm said.

Niffin kissed Malita’s cheek. “I will return as soon as I can.”

Leaving Niffin to make arrangements with Brahm, I tugged Malita’s sleeve, encouraging her to follow me outside into the afternoon heat. Summer was coming to an end—I smelled autumn in the breeze stirring the fine hairs at my neck and temples. Malita and I strolled the grounds of the Schulzes’ large estate, admiring the gardens and lawns, but my attention drifted to the stables whenever they were in sight.

Gerda used to tell me ghost stories when I was younger, and the spirits in those tales never appeared in daylight or in direct view. They preferred to come out at night, darting through shadows at the corner of one’s eye. Gideon’s father was rather like those ghosts, and I wondered if he’d ever let me see him.

“Brigette will say yes to you,” Malita said. “When she does, then we will go to the Council, yes?”

“Yes.”

“But where do we find them?”

Catching sight of a pond, I tugged Malita’s sleeve again, leading her across a sloping lawn of trimmed grass. “I’m hoping Brigette will know the answer to that.”

Swans glided across the pond, their long necks bent in graceful arcs. Like creatures from a dream, their white feathers glowed in the sunlight. “I wish I’d brought something to feed them.”

Malita glanced at the birds, her brow furrowing. “What do they eat?”

“Probably minnows and frogs. But I’m sure they’d be happy with a few breadcrumbs.”

“We have many birds in Chagda, but none as... fahariya.” She rubbed her chin, thinking. “As proud as those.” She flicked her fingers at the swans and wrinkled her nose. “My favorite is the laughing dove. It is small and plain and brown, but its call sounds like....” She closed her eyes and made a high-pitched chuckling sound. “It is the sound I think of when I think of home.”

We paused in the shade beneath the draping branches of a huge willow. I squeezed her shoulder. “I hope you can go home soon. I know you miss it.”

She smiled sadly. “Not more than you miss yours, and I do not have to fight Magicians when I get there.”

“If you weren’t here with me, if you were still at home, what do you think you would be doing?”

“Father expected me to tend to our goats.” She stuck out her tongue and crossed her eyes, and I laughed.

“I take it you don’t care for goats.”

“I wanted to...” She flexed her fingers as if gripping tools. “Create things. Build things. Our village made plans to build a new water system. I wanted to help.”