Look—Count Saklas is Samael, the man writing his name in blood. You can tell the Free Men that he is planning to spy on them tonight—at the music hall. He wants to listen in.”
His expression turned furious. “You’ve let him beguile you, haven’t you? You’re letting them charm you with their fancy things. I knew this would happen. You don’t belong in there. You belong here.”
Was he even listening to me? I narrowed my eyes at him. “Have some faith in me, Finn. I’m not beguiled. I just had a nice place to sleep for once.”
His jaw worked. “But how do I know you’re okay in there?” He looked agonized. “Is there a place you can get to? At night maybe, so I can come look at you? I just want to know you’re okay. If you’re not in prison there, you should be able to get somewhere to wave at me.”
“It’s too risky. What if I just send a mark back on the notes from Ludd? A symbol.”
“And what if it’s intercepted? And they learn the symbol? How will I know it’s really you?”
I thought for a moment, then nodded. “There’s a fragmented bridge that once connected two towers. You know, the one that juts out over the dark river, on the western side?”
He nodded. “Of course, yes. Like a dark tooth.”
“At nine p.m. every night, I’ll come wave to you from that bridge. Okay? But just don’t freak out if I’m late, or miss a night. The count has me sleeping in his room, so I can’t always get away.”
The color drained from Finn’s face. “He what? In his room? Lila, you’re not … You can’t …”
I didn't really have time for his opinions on that matter. I turned to look behind me. The Clovian guards were still caught in the throng of people. But I could no longer see Sourial at all. The mortals seemed to be trying to flee, terrified. Someone screamed, and a sense of unease rippled up my spine. Absolute chaos. “Finn, it’s not important.” This conversation had gone very off track, and I felt like Finn was judging me somehow.
“It’s not right.” He looked around furtively, then leaned in to whisper. “I’ve been talking to the Free Men. They think Samael killed the servants.”
My mouth went dry. “And Alice? She was one of the servants. Did they say anything about her?”
“No one knows for sure. She could have escaped. We’re working on getting more information. But they think the angels are going to start killing more and more women. There’s a man they call the baron. I don’t know his real name, but he’s the leader of the Free Men. Only he can stand up to the angels. He’s the only one.”
“You will pass on the message, right?”
“Listen, Zhara, the angels want Armageddon. The count is going to cause this apocalypse. It’s starting soon, and we all have to be ready. The Free Men say nothing can stop the coming storm. They say they’re the only ones who can fight back to end this once and for all. We have to root out every last one of them. Don’t let them corrupt you, Lila. And you have to be ready to fight back against them.”
I wouldn’t mention to Finn what “fighting back” entailed. That I’d have to shag the count.
“Of course I won’t be corrupted.”
The sound of fighting was growing louder and more frantic. When I looked behind me, I caught a disturbing glimpse of Sourial swinging his sword at a man, blood dripping from the blade.
I turned back to Finn. “Finn, listen. You heard what I said, right?”
Except Finn was already putting a finger to his lips, his gaze over my shoulder. He’d wasted my time bloody interrupting me the whole time.
Another loud scream rent the air. And in the next heartbeat, I felt the iron grip of the soldier’s hand on my arm. “You’re taking too long, Miss. What are you chatting about, then?”
Finn looked like he wanted to leap over the table and fight the soldier.
When I turned, I saw a street of people fleeing, desperately trying to get away. A sense of unease trembled up my spine. What exactly had Sourial done? Screams rang out all around. A woman was vomiting by an overturned table of pies. Market stalls had been tipped over, eggs smashed in the street, jars shattered. I clung onto my silky underwear, a deep feeling of dread building in me.