to what was effectively kidnapping for ransom. The bridge was hard to get to, but it was hard to get to for everyone, and therefore fair and neutral ground.
But it hadn’t been called the Ash Bridge at first.
A prisoner exchange had gone wrong between two Great Houses. No one remembered which Houses, but it didn’t matter; they were all capable of horrifying betrayal. One House had booby-trapped their enemy’s end of the bridge; once the prisoners were most of the way across, it would go up in unquenchable flames. They would get the prisoner being returned to them, as well as force the prisoner they were returning to retreat back into their hands before the bridge collapsed.
Only, their enemy had done the exact same thing.
Trapped on the bridge from both ends, both sides’ prisoners had plunged to their deaths as the timbers gave way to flame.
The bridge had been rebuilt with sturdier materials, but the Great Houses were still Great Houses. My stomach twisted with dread, only Darshan’s hand keeping me moored. Nothing could make a deal between them safe.
“Are you done?” said Arcturus, striding out of the plane. He’d distributed most of the magical weaponry to his subordinates, but he’d left two swords casually floating alongside him within easy reach, An Everblade, and one of the swords I hadn’t been able to recognize. He seemed untouched by lack of sleep, powered by magic and force of will and a dark anticipation I just barely glimpsed in his eyes. He… looked like he was here to have fun.
I took in the sight of him. Arcturus was a dangerous combination of cold ruthlessness and burning vengeance that I didn’t fully understand. He was closer to villain than hero, a terrifying power bound to me by little more than our shared enemy.
But right now, he was on my side, and for that I was more grateful than I could put into words.
“Here’s the list,” said Darshan, handing him our notes. “There’s not much to add, but I think the poison detection ward can definitely be upgraded, for one.”
Arcturus read the notes, nodded, and summoned over a vassal to take them. “We will implement your suggestions. Excellent.”
As the vassal left, Acubens emerged from the plane. For some reason, he was shirtless, and also carrying a neatly folded bundle under one arm. “Cass! I’ve got clothes for you! Sexy clothes!”
It was at once so unexpected and so Acubens that a laugh burst out of me. “Show me!”
“I’ve been getting stuff for you since the duel,” Acubens admitted. “So you have a great selection of bras and panties, and also nicer versions of the jeans and jacket you usually wear. But then I realized I never bought you a top, so I modified my shirt to fit you. It’s fine, I’ll steal another one from Arcturus after this.”
He was as mercurial as a summer storm, and yet somehow, he kept finding me during my droughts. “Wow. Thank you.”
Acubens grinned, pleased as a cat. “Until then, feel free to admire me.”
“I did not expect you to have such great abs,” I said honestly.
Arcturus was starting to look pissed, like he wanted to tell Acubens to put on a shirt before he caught cold, never mind that mages couldn’t get sick. I decided not to provoke him today. Reluctantly, I squeezed Darshan’s hand one last time and let go, preparing to go back in and change.
But I didn’t move immediately.
I looked at the people around me, the people who’d chosen me in my darkest hour, and were now with me to see the dawn. The realization took the breath out of me: I was no longer alone.
“If all this works out, I want to date all of you,” I said. “Just so you know. I’m inviting all of you to the Halloween school dance.”
Arcturus made a dismissive sound, but Acubens’s face lit up. The quick little exhale Darshan made sent an ache of warmth into my chest.
The horizon glowed with the first light of dawn.
Chapter 29
I went with Arcturus down to the Ash Bridge.
Behind us, Nightfeld vassals escorted Cly and Aegis. Cly didn’t resist this time, stumbling along in her chains, hands bound behind her back. Aegis couldn’t actually walk in the restraining harness, but the vassals could carefully levitate the harness, which carried him along through the air.
The mist was fading as the sky brightened. My breath caught as I enhanced my vision and looked toward the other end of the bridge. There was Leda Redbriar,