in on them at any time. Still, neither of them was in any hurry to move. They curled into each other on the large desk, lightly touching, getting used to the idea of this.
‘You didn’t steal my animor,’ Ashiol observed.
‘No,’ said Velody. ‘You didn’t steal mine, either.’
‘Is this what trust feels like?’
‘Don’t get sentimental.’
‘Hells of a trust exercise.’
‘I have to tell you something.’
‘Is someone else dead? Because I need a nap before any more comforting takes place.’ There was an edge to his voice behind the humour.
‘Thimblehead,’ she said fondly. ‘It’s about Power and Majesty. About it being two people.’
‘You didn’t put on a red veil and wedding bracelets while I was resting my eyes, did you? The wedding doesn’t count unless I slaughter a lamb for the augury …’
She smacked him lightly. ‘I don’t think the sacred marriage involves an actual marriage.’
‘Well, that’s a relief.’
‘Does Bazeppe have one Power and Majesty or two?’
‘One, I think. But they’ve been contaminated by democracy and vote them out if they aren’t happy.’
Velody thought about that. ‘Can I be in the room when you mention that option to Garnet?’
He laughed. ‘Our people are too set in their ways. You know they won’t accept a leader they have to elect.’
‘You thought it would be a hard sell making them accept a woman.’
‘And they were so loyal to you, the second Garnet came back they put a man in charge again.’
She gave him a serious look. ‘I think Garnet has a point. Two leaders, not one. It could be the thing that saves the city.’
Ashiol sighed, sitting up on the desk so that she could see nothing but his bare, muscled back. ‘So marry Garnet. Or whatever it takes. One Power, one Majesty.’
‘Garnet’s crazy.’
He laughed at that. ‘And you think I’m perfectly sane.’
‘Not perfectly …’ Velody leaned against his back, her mouth brushing against his shoulder blade. ‘We’re stronger together than we are apart. You know that.’
‘Did you actually come here plotting to fuck me, form a partnership and save the Creature Court, possibly not in that order of priority?’
‘My plan was to do it without the fucking part.’
Ashiol laughed at that for quite a while. ‘Is that how irresistible I am?’
‘Apparently,’ she said dryly.
He turned then, and kissed her. ‘Can we save Garnet?’
‘We have to save Aufleur from Garnet,’ she reminded him.
‘I know. Can we save him anyway?’
‘I’m not sure.’
He frowned at her. ‘Be sure, Velody. There’s Bazeppe, as well. We have to figure out what’s wrong with this place, protect Lysandor and his family.’
‘Fine,’ she said in exasperation. ‘We can save everyone. Why the hells not?’
Ashiol smiled, an odd light in his eyes. ‘How do you do that? You drag hope around with you like a tail.’
‘Anything is possible,’ she said.
Hw leaned in to her, but she pulled away. ‘I thought you needed a nap.’
‘Later. Much later. I want to see if I can resist stealing your animor again.’
As they kissed, the slow heat of their animor building as their bare skin pressed against each other, a voice broke in on them.
‘Velody, the train station. Quickly!’
A mouse sat on the window sill speaking in Kelpie’s voice.
‘I need meat,’ said Ashiol as he and Velody rattled along in the back of one of the Duc-Elected’s blasted mechanical cabriolets.
‘You should have eaten before we left,’ said Velody, sounding like someone’s mother. Possibly his, but that was a thought he must never, ever entertain.
‘I mean it. Those wretched servants at the Palazzo put vegetables into everything. I haven’t felt like myself in days.’
‘You were willing to live forever in a city that doesn’t feed you meat?’
‘I told you, there’s something wrong with this place. It’s like there’s a veil over everything. It’s foggy.’
She coughed on the dark smoke being belched out by the vehicle. ‘I’m not convinced that’s fog.’
There was a train in at the station as they arrived, and steam billowed across the platform. ‘That’s not fog either,’ said Ashiol. ‘Do you see your steam angels? We’re going to need all the help we can get.’
‘I see Kelpie,’ said Velody, quickening her step as she hurried to the sentinel.
Kelpie stood with her arms folded defensively. ‘Coming with us now, are you?’ she asked Ashiol.
He didn’t have an answer for her yet.
The train pulled out with a shriek and whistle. When the smoke and steam cleared, they saw Priest sitting on a bench, his back straight, hands placed carefully on his knees. He was alone, neither of his remaining courtesi in sight, and there was something