“What questions did he ask you about Roux, honey?”
“Hang on, I gotta remember, ’cause there were tons.” The little girl thought things over for a minute, then brightened. “Oh! He asked what I heard and saw while I was trapped inside the Astra. If I’d learned any of his secrets. What I think of him. If I’d like to kill him forever dead, and if so, how did I plan to do it.” A hard glint entered her mismatched eyes. “If I wanted Roux to be my new daddy.”
He went stiff all over.Will rip out the Dark One’s organs two at a time.
“And what did you tell...Bus?” Blythe asked with a strangled tone.
“I didn’t tell him nothing, promise.” Isla spread her arms, allWhy don’t you know this already?, reminding him of her mother. “He was a stranger back then, and smart kids never talk to strangers. We rip out their intestines. Right, Momma?”
“That’s right, sweetheart.” The harpy offered her daughter a wobbly smile of approval. “Did you ever speak with—” she drew in a deep breath “—Grandpa Bus before the Astra invasion?”
“Nope. Only after.” The little girl glanced between Roux and her mother, the first sign of concern falling over her features. “Am I in trouble for coming here? Are you and Roux friends now?”
“You are not in trouble. But I need you to help me understand everything that’s happened while I’ve been gone, okay?” Blythe reassured. The girl relaxed, but Roux grew stiffer. Hisgravitahad avoided the question about being friends. Something he realized he craved more desperately than her body. “What else has Bus said to you?”
Isla chewed on her bottom lip. “Well, a few days ago he visited and told me how you were in so, so much danger but he could save you if he could get a message to you. I told him I’d deliver it, because I knew I could do a better job than anyone.”
Dread curled in Roux’s stomach as he awaited the response.
“I—I see.” Blythe licked her lips. “What message did he have for me?”
“Well, he told me to tell you that the Phoenix and the harpy are big ole liars. That they have a ’genda of their own.”
A lie meant to confuse Roux? Or the truth...to confuse him? Had the pair actually found a way off the realm?
Frowning, Isla scratched her temple. “What’s a ’genda?”
“It’s a personal plan.” Blythe slid her fingers down her daughter’s arms to clasp her small hands. “Did Bus say anything else?”
“Yep. He told me you guys are wrong ’bout some stuff, but that was okay, because he’s gonna prove the truth as soon as you get home. He’s real excited ’bout it, too.”
So, either they were right or, yeah, they were wrong. Roux scrubbed a hand over his face. He hated Erebus Phantom with every fiber of his being. The only good thing the male had ever done was contribute to the conception of his daughters.
Once again, the color drained from the harphantom’s cheeks. “Anything else?” she croaked.
“Nope. That’s it, I think.” The little girl scanned the destroyed room and gaped with amazement. “Can I break something, too, or do only adults get to do it?”
“Break whatever you want, love.”
As Isla skipped off, laughing, picking up pieces of wood and glass to smash into walls, Blythe straightened and approached Roux. The urge to wrap his arms around her nearly overpowered him, but his thoughts stopped him. Would she derive comfort from Roux or Laban? And the little girl might not be ready to know her mother had chosen a new consort.
Isla might not ever be ready.
“I knew Erebus was pure evil,” she whispered, “but I didn’t realize the depths of his depravity until now. To send a child into Ation...to use her against us...” Rage simmered in her quiet tone.
Us, she’d said. “We will get her home.” No matter what measures they must take. “Let’s talk about what will happen tomorrow. When the tournament ends, you’ll be crowned the winner.”
“Obviously.”
“You need to kill the Phoenix and the harpy. They are a hazard we cannot afford.”
“Now hold up.”
He didn’t. “No doubt the royal council plans to attack you the moment you claim the royal title. I’ll deal with them. In fact, I’m greatly looking forward to it. You must only ensure the girl’s safety. When the last female is dead, I’ll flash topside to cut a hole into the atmosphere.”
“By hole do you mean door?” she asked. “Either way, I plan to stay by your side.”
“It’s a door, but it’s also far more. I’ll be cutting through planes and dimensions, and if you are nearby, you could be maimed. Once the process is completed, I’ll walk through the opening, if I can, and explore where it leads. When I know it’s secure, I’ll return and—”