Chain of Iron

“Not properly,” Anna said. “My father wanted us to meet, but Aunt Tatiana forbade us to see him. One day I do recall, though; I must have been around eight years old. Aunt had come to our house to retrieve a pair of candlesticks she insisted were family heirlooms.” Anna rolled her eyes. “She didn’t come inside, but I looked out the window because I was curious. I saw Jesse sitting in the open carriage. A skinny thing, like a little scarecrow, with that straight black hair and sharp little face. Green eyes, I think.”

Lucie started to nod, and stopped herself. “He was kind to Grace,” she said. “She remembers it as the only kindness she ever knew.” She took a deep breath. She knew she could not tell Anna and Ariadne the full truth: they could not know of her hopes to raise Jesse, or about the preservation of his body. But if they knew just enough to wish to help … well, there were other warlocks besides Malcolm Fade. “What I am about to say must stay between the three of us. If Grace finds out I told you, she will be very upset.”

Ariadne nodded, her amber eyes catching the light of the hearth. “Of course.”

“Jesse died when his first rune was placed on him. It was an awful thing,” said Lucie, letting a little of the real grief she felt creep into her voice. Anna and Ariadne might think it was empathy for Grace, and a bit of it was. But it was also sorrow for Jesse, for all the days he had not lived, the sunrises he had not seen, for the quiet hours trapped in an empty house all the years since his death. “And—well, let us say, there were mysterious circumstances surrounding the event. Now that Tatiana is in the Adamant Citadel and can no longer control her daughter’s movements, Grace has become obsessed with finding out the truth.”

Ariadne looked intrigued. “She’s playing detective?”

“Er,” said Lucie, who had not expected quite this reaction. “Yes. We went to see Malcolm Fade to ask if he knew anything of Jesse Blackthorn. He is High Warlock, after all; he knows a great deal. He implied that there was more to the story of what happened to Grace’s brother than what the Clave believed. And that a warlock was somehow involved.”

“Involved in what manner?” Anna demanded.

“And who was the warlock?” asked Ariadne.

Lucie shook her head. “He wouldn’t say.”

Anna gazed into the fire. “I would not normally feel much sympathy for Grace Blackthorn. But I do remember when Tatiana adopted her. I was only ten or so, but there were … rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?” Lucie asked.

Anna set her wineglass down. “Well, you know that Grace was orphaned. Her parents were slain by demons.” She cast a quick look at Ariadne, who had been another such orphan. “Ordinarily, a surviving child would have been sent to live with a family member. If there were no family members who could take an orphan in, they would be sent to the orphanage in Idris, or placed in an Institute, as happened with Uncle Jem. There are living Cartwrights. Grace was to be sent to live with her father’s cousin, until Tatiana intervened.”

“What do you mean, ‘intervened’?” Lucie asked.

“Tatiana bought her,” Anna said flatly. “The Cartwrights were already overstretched with their own children, and she apparently offered them quite a handsome sum. The story is that she’d been skulking around the orphanage for years, claiming she wanted a daughter, but she hadn’t found any child to her liking. Until Grace.”

Lucie was horrified. “Does Grace know? That she was a—a transaction?”

“I rather hope not, for that would be a monstrous thing to face,” Anna said. “Though perhaps it is better to know the truth.”

The echo of Grace’s own words gave Lucie a start.

Ariadne said, “I wish there was some way we could help her.”

“I think there might be,” Lucie said, choosing her words with care. “Only she mustn’t know we’re doing it. Perhaps we could … inquire into the circumstances of Jesse Blackthorn’s death. We are better connected than Grace; we might be able to learn things she hasn’t.”

“Do you really think it would help her, to know the truth about her brother’s death?” Ariadne asked. “It does not always do good, to dig up the past.”

“I think any sort of resolution about the matter might bring her peace,” Lucie said.

For a few moments, the only sound was the crackling of the flames. Anna gazed restlessly into them; it was always a paradox, Lucie thought, the way Anna—generous, openhearted Anna—could be as opaque as clouded glass.

When she looked up at Lucie, her eyes were thoughtful, a little curious. “So what did you have in mind for this investigation?”

“We must find someone to talk to,” Lucie said, “someone who might know if there really was a warlock involved in Jesse—in what happened to Jesse Blackthorn. Ragnor Fell is in Capri, Malcolm Fade will not speak of what he knows, Magnus Bane is close with my parents…. We need to find another source. I thought perhaps you might speak to—Hypatia Vex?”

She tried not to look too eager. As far as they knew, this mystery mattered to Grace—not to her. Anna raised her eyebrows. Ariadne said nothing, though she didn’t look at all thrilled with the idea.

“Hypatia remains somewhat displeased with me about the way our last encounter ended,” said Anna. “Though not displeased enough to bar me from the Ruelle.” She stood up, stretching like a cat. “I suppose the question is whether I wish to test her patience again or not—”

There was a knock at the door. Jumping down from the desk, Ariadne went to get it. “Oh, goodness,” Lucie heard her say, “and who are you, little man?”

“That’s Neddy,” said Anna, with a wink at Lucie. “Runs about delivering messages for the Merry Thieves and their sundry friends. What is it now?”

“Message from James ’erondale,” said Neddy, ducking into the room. “’E wants you at ’is house, soon as possible, and ’e wants you to give me a half crown, for my troubles.” He squinted at Lucie. “Same message for you, too, miss,” he said. “Only now as I don’t ’ave to go to the Institute to deliver it, I s’pose that saves me an errand.”

“But not me a half crown,” said Anna, producing the coin as if by magic; Neddy took it with an air of self-satisfaction and scampered out of the room. “What could James want? Do you know, Lucie?”

“No—not at all, but he wouldn’t call us there if it wasn’t important. We can take my carriage; it’s just around the corner.”

“All right.” Anna shrugged on her jacket. Ariadne had returned to sitting on the desk. “Ari, get yourself added to my next patrol. I’ve an idea about Hypatia.”

“But if you’re going to talk to Hypatia, I want to be there too,” Lucie protested. “I know the right questions to ask—”

Anna shot her an amused look. “Don’t fuss, pet. I’ll let you know where we’re meeting Hypatia.”

“Oh, good, a secret message,” Lucie said, pleased. “Will it be in code?”

Anna did not reply; she had started out of the room—then paused in front of Ariadne. She slid a finger under Ariadne’s chin, raised the other girl’s face, and kissed her, hard—Ariadne’s eyes flew wide with surprise before she closed them, surrendering to the moment. Lucie felt her cheeks turn pink.