new soldiers. Yvonne’s reaction to Gabriel’s death had been quiet.
It did make sense, in a horrible way, once I’d thought about it. Coline was shocked it had happened at all, and I wondered sometimes if she would believe it if she hadn’t been there. I didn’t tell either of them we were working with Laurel. The revolt disbanded, still committed but distracted. It would be hard to rally people when the crown was playing war hero.
“Write exactly what you saw and send it to me. We can do this together,” Aaliz had said in their letter.
“We can manage to make a few without anyone noticing, and you should send those to your friend in Segance,” Coline said, not looking up from her book. She had been practicing illusions nonstop. “Aaliz will have to make copies for the rest of Laurel and send them out. Vivienne will definitely notice if we try to do that.”
Serre—the crown was hosting a get-together for the important families of Demeine to celebrate taking back Segance and the plans for going forward. Isabelle and Coline were not invited. Emilie des Marais was.
Her mother, Vivienne had said, was too busy to attend, and so I was to represent the family alone. Estrel thought it hilarious.
I hadn’t told her about Laurel or Gabriel or the king’s hacks yet.
“I can help with some before I leave,” I said. I poured a cup of cold tea from the kettle we’d all forgotten about and picked out the leaves. We would not be portents today. “Isabelle?”
At least she took the tea, even if she didn’t drink right away.
“Good. You’ll have Estrel with you, which is good. She likes you, and Bisset probably won’t hang around you given your disagreements,” Coline said. Vivienne was staying here. She wasn’t noble, only useful. “I already picked out what you should wear, for which you may thank me later, but you’ll either need to practice your illusions or take my cosmetics.”
Seeing illusions was easier than creating them, and I much preferred portents and divining.
“Cosmetics,” I said. “I think I’ll have to wear Estrel’s spectacles anyway if everyone’s illusioned up.”
Coline made a disgusted noise, and I glanced at Isabelle who would’ve laughed before.
She didn’t now.
* * *
Yvonne was boiling down honey when I got to the kitchen. The sleeves of her blouse were rolled up, her skin ruddy from the heat. She laughed when I offered to help, but I didn’t take offense. Emilie des Marais didn’t know how to make syrups, so Yvonne must’ve thought my words an empty offer. I sat in the corner of the kitchen packaging up vials for Aaliz.
“Remember that apothecary I was selling to? The one you wrote to saying my work was legitimate?” she asked, voice biting as vinegar. “He’s selling his business, and Mademoiselle Gardinier hired me mostly to help the head chef, but she knew I was looking for alchemistry work, and one of the people who came in to bid on the shop is an alchemist trying to make a line of alchemical agents to help counter and prevent dangerous reactions to foods and medicine.”
She couldn’t help her grin, even though she’d been scowling a minute ago.
I nodded. “You got a job?”
Her smile could’ve replaced the sun. “I’ll need more training since I didn’t go to university, but she was impressed by my theoretical knowledge and practical know-how. I’ll be part of a team of other alchemists, university and self-taught. She was going to pay for us to travel to Amleth and study there since alchemistry’s their specialty, but with the war, that’s on hold.”
Yvonne drew her hand through the air as if writing, and her eyes shone. Passion. Purpose.
Even in the middle of the mess, that was Demeine.
“I’ve wanted a job like this forever,” she said softly. “No nobles, no hacks. Finally getting recognized for work. It could all go under, but it’s something.” She glanced at me, eyes half-lidded. “And she’s one of Laurel’s. I asked about her, and she was the contact in the north.”
“Good.” I pulled a violet from one of the dried bundles in the rafters near the door and sat at the table behind her. “I’ll miss you, though, if you leave here.”
“I won’t be leaving quite yet,” she said, sitting across from me. “Do you like violets?”
“I’ve never really thought about it.” I rolled the stem between my fingers, feeling the gentle crush of it. “They’re lovely, but seeing something pretty’s never really spoken to me in the same