inside me. Something valuable. We need power, dearlings, raw animal power, enough to beat them back and seal the sky over for good. There’s only one way to get that kind of power.’
‘The sacred marriage,’ Velody said breathlessly.
Garnet snapped his fingers at her. ‘See, I knew you had to be smarter than the rest of them. It’s really the only explanation for why they like you more than me.’
‘That’s what happened last time,’ said Kelpie, waving her damned book. ‘The old mad Duc married a flock of ducks or whatever, and the skywar went away. Only it didn’t. We know it didn’t. It shifted into the nox and the Creature Court were left alone, the only ones who could see the danger.’
Poet snatched the book from her and threw it against a wall. ‘Don’t you get it? The book doesn’t matter. Our history is false. Our whole fucking city is false. Nothing matters.’
‘That’s hardly a useful contribution,’ Delphine snapped, picking up the book and handing it back to Kelpie. ‘Why not let them make the sacred marriage? Better to try something than to die whining.’
‘They didn’t do it right,’ Garnet said. ‘Not the mad Duc. No one since the very first Powers and Majesties.’ His eyes flicked in Ashiol’s direction.
Ashiol swallowed.
‘How is it done?’ Velody asked, all businesslike. ‘Is it documented in any of these books? Do the Seers know?’
‘The Seer is a pile of firewood in the kitchen,’ Ashiol snarled.
‘No,’ Isangell said. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. But the Seer is in my head right now.’
He stared at her. After everything else that had happened today, that shouldn’t be the thing that broke his brain. ‘Heliora?’
‘Heliora and Rhian both,’ Isangell admitted. ‘The Seers know all about the sacred marriage. They also say they’re not the only ones. Better to ask the King who tried and failed.’ She frowned, not understanding what she was saying.
Velody understood, though. In that moment, at least. Ashiol could see the surprise and disappointment cross her face.
‘You knew all along about the sacred marriage,’ she said, staring at him. ‘When Garnet stole your powers …’
‘That was what he was trying to do,’ Ashiol agreed. ‘He found the books Poet was hoarding. We stole one — Saturn had pieced together how the sacred marriage worked, what it was supposed to do. Garnet offered —’ His voice broke on that. He could not continue.
Garnet was gripping the bars tightly, his knuckles almost white. ‘I offered to share,’ he said. ‘I was losing you. I had lost everything else, and I offered to share. We would be Power and Majesty together. But you still couldn’t trust me.’
He had the balls to sound upset about it. Ashiol wanted to punch him.
A shock wave from outside shook the nest.
‘I tried,’ Ashiol said between his teeth.
‘You held back, lover. You wouldn’t give me everything. That’s what the sacred marriage is, Velody-my-sweet. You pour everything of yourself into the other vessel. Exchange animor fully. But even with everything I was offering, he held back.’ Garnet smiled horribly. ‘So I took it from him instead.’
‘You didn’t give me the chance,’ Ashiol said. ‘It was only a moment.’
‘That was enough.’
‘A split second of hesitation!’ Ashiol roared at him. ‘After everything you’ve done to me, that was the unforgiveable act?’
Garnet gazed at him, mouth twisted. ‘Yes,’ he said simply.
‘I can’t do this any more,’ Velody said suddenly. She looked from Garnet to Ashiol, throwing up her hands in frustration. ‘The sacred marriage can’t be about you and me, Ashiol. I’m not the one you have to work things out with.’
Garnet began to laugh.
‘You can’t be serious,’ Ashiol demanded.
‘I mean it,’ Velody snapped. ‘It’s up to you and Garnet. I’ll be defending the city while you talk in circles and try to tear each other to pieces.’ She turned and headed for the kitchen.
Ashiol ran after her. She had obviously gone insane.
‘You can’t be suggesting that Garnet and I make the sacred marriage. The sky will infect me, too.’
‘Will it?’ Velody’s eyes were luminous in the low light of the kitchen. ‘The sky couldn’t have taken him over unless she let it. Maybe he thought he was strong enough to handle it; maybe he really did think it was necessary to keep them believing he was on their side. But it was his choice. You have a choice, too. You spend your whole life trying to let other people decide for you. I won’t do that, not now. Sort it out, Ashiol.’
‘Stop saying that!’
‘I