because I understood them now. I took his hand and let him lead me back to the den.
PART IV
Tournament of Kings
10
Two days after the Ides of Bestialis
Velody could smell the steam and coal dust from the train clinging to her skirt as she let herself into the kitchen. Crane followed her in, unapologetic about the fact that he had been trailing her since the station.
‘What are you going to do?’ he asked, but she ignored him, stumbling through to the workroom.
Delphine and Rhian weren’t even pretending to keep busy. Delphine was tucked into a chair, foot rocking impatiently back and forth. Rhian sat still, staring at nothing. They both started up when Velody entered.
‘What happened?’ Delphine demanded.
Velody’s legs were wobbly. ‘I have to fight,’ she said. ‘This nox.’
‘Who?’ Crane asked.
‘Ashiol. Garnet.’
‘Both of them?’ Delphine demanded. ‘You can’t do that on your own — it’s crazy.’
‘They’re not together — none of us is on each other’s side,’ said Velody. ‘The three of us have to duel to prove who is to be Power and Majesty.’
‘But that’s ridiculous,’ said Delphine. ‘The Creature Court chose you. Months ago.’
‘I’ve been gone,’ said Velody. ‘The Lords and Court only agreed to it back then because Ashiol stepped aside for me. He’s not doing that any more. He seems so angry. He wants us to fight to the death.’
‘But we do the fighting for you,’ Delphine said earnestly. ‘The sentinels. That’s what the swords are for, right?’
Velody looked at her in alarm. ‘You’re not going to fight them in my place, Delphine.’
‘More to the point, she can’t,’ said Crane.
‘But our job is to protect Velody,’ Delphine argued.
‘To protect all of the Kings,’ he said firmly. ‘That includes Ashiol and Garnet.’
Delphine was furious. ‘The rapist and the psycho? I don’t think so. I’m on Velody’s side.’
‘We can’t take sides, Delphine.’
‘He’s not a rapist,’ said Rhian.
Delphine turned on her. ‘You don’t get to talk about this. Don’t talk about anything.’
‘Dee,’ said Velody, shocked by the violence in her voice.
‘Oh, don’t you dare take her side. You don’t know anything of what she’s been getting up to while you were away. Remember how we cosseted her, how we did everything to protect her, turned our lives upside down because she was sick, because we loved her, because she was so afraid of men …’
‘Delphine, stop it,’ said Rhian.
‘No,’ Delphine howled. ‘Because either he’s a rapist or you’re a liar. You’ve been lying for nearly two years, about men, about everything!’
Rhian was shaking now, her hands pressed to her mouth.
Velody gave Delphine an accusing look and went to Rhian. ‘You’re speaking nonsense.’
‘Ask her, then,’ Delphine demanded. ‘Ask her what made her fall into bed with Ashiol Xandelian the second you were gone.’
Ashiol? Ashiol and Rhian? Of all the combinations, that one had never occurred to Velody. She frowned at Delphine, and then looked at Rhian. ‘But she can’t …’ Rhian could barely stand to be around men. Her rape had broken her mind, made her so afraid of life, of men, of people.
‘Unless she’s a liar,’ Delphine said in grim satisfaction.
Tears ran down Rhian’s face. Velody reached out a hand to comfort her.
‘Don’t touch me,’ Rhian shrieked.
There was a burst of heat where Velody’s fingertips had brushed Rhian’s arm. Velody stepped back, startled. There were black flames running over Rhian’s skin, just for a moment, and then they were gone. Had Velody done that, or Rhian? What powers did the Seer have?
Rhian stood up, panicky and taking quick, shallow breaths. ‘I have to go.’
‘Run away again,’ Delphine said cruelly. ‘Why not? Make us all look for you, worry about you, over and over, because you’re too fucking selfish to admit you have been playing us for fools.’
Rhian walked slowly to the staircase.
Delphine leaned in as she passed her. ‘He thought you were Heliora. That makes you the rapist.’
Rhian gave her an odd smile. ‘I know.’ She kept going, up the stairs to her room.
Velody blew out a long breath. ‘What has been going on around here?’
Delphine collapsed into a chair. ‘So,’ she said to Crane, as if nothing had happened. ‘If we’re not allowed to protect or help Velody in this battle, what are the sentinels supposed to contribute?’
‘We make sure no one cheats,’ said Crane.
Ashiol prepared for battle on the roof of the Palazzo. It was a long time since he had let himself fall into a meditative trance. All the anger and annoyances and grief piled in on him, making it almost impossible to still his mind.
Then there