or within the boundaries of the law. But at least I hadn't been living among monsters.
40
Lila
I’d crawled from the moat like a primordial monster. My thoughts were a haze as I ran, and the streets started to grow more crowded as I went up toward the market areas, making for Underskirt Lane. When I saw a patrolman in his black uniform and his tall black hat, I'd never felt such a sense of relief. Here I was, safe in the mortal world again.
I rushed over to him. And as soon as I saw his silver cufflink with the lightning strike, I knew I could confide in him. I grabbed his arms, staring into his eyes.
"Easy there, love," he said.
“The count murdered all his servants. He’s been killing women, I think. Carving them open. You have to keep patrolling the streets.”
He leaned in. "I know, love. We're working against them. We're doing everything we can. Their kind are a vermin that has infected our country. Do you understand? And we will have to exterminate them one by one. But you must stay away from them.”
One by one … How many of them were there?
This response was considerably darker than I'd anticipated. It wasn’t quite the reassurance I was hoping for. I nodded, taking a step back from him.
“It’s just the count,” I added. “He’s the murderer, killing servants. I saw a photo. It was my sister. Alice.” I felt flustered, like this was all coming out wrong. “You just need to patrol the streets around here, and make sure women aren’t out walking alone.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, then looked me up and down. “You’re naive if you think he’s the only problem we’ve got. They’re everywhere.”
What was he talking about?
I backed away, then started running to find Finn. When I got to the market, I found it bustling, as if life were just carrying on as normal, as if we couldn't lose our heads at any moment. As if I weren’t in hell.
I found Finn just where I expected him: at his market stall, surrounded by knickers. All perfectly normal, except his expression was grim, skin pale as cream. And he had a new addition to his clothing, a little silver badge with a lightning bolt.
"Finn," I gasped.
He turned to look at me, sorrow shining in his blue eyes. "I'm sorry I had to send you that picture, Lila, but I thought you needed to see it. Because of what you'll be asked to do."
I swallowed hard. “What will I be asked to do?”
He looked around the market. "We should go somewhere else."
I nodded.
He called out to an old woman nearby, asking her to watch the stall in exchange for lunch. Then, he was leading me through the crowded streets.
As we walked, he turned to me and said, "I'm taking you to a pub where we don't need to worry. It's all Free Men there. They're all like us."
God, it was good to see his face again. It seemed unbelievable that it had only been a few days since I'd gone to the castle.
Finn led me to an old pub accessed through a narrow alley—the King and Crown. I’d never been in there before, because it was outrageously expensive. It was a pub for bankers, not people like Finn and me.
There weren't many people here today, just the bartender and two men at the far corner, smartly dressed. Like aristocrats.
Finn ordered us two glasses of wine, and I sat there staring at the table until he returned.
I let my head fall into my hands, still reeling from the shocking memory of that photo. Burned into my mind forever. For a moment there, I’d wanted to believe the best about Samael. Then, I’d been shown incontrovertible proof. The worst thing I could imagine.
When Finn sat down and slid a wine glass across to me, I drank the whole thing in about two gulps. I needed to dull the jagged pain running through my nerves, to quiet the screaming in my head. I didn’t have the Raven King’s ghost to calm me anymore.
I hadn’t quite muted the shrieks yet, but with the wine in my system, I was ready to talk.
Finn leaned in close to me. “The very top know about you now.”
I frowned. “The top of what?”
“The Free Men. Our leader goes by the name of the baron. I haven’t met him, but he knows who you are. He says that if you do this for us, you’re a true