In the Wake of the Wicked (Veridian Empire #1)

51. Leo

51

Leo

“ Y ou have got to be kidding me. You expect me to wear this?”

Rose laughed next to me on the settee. “It’s a masquerade , Lark. What did you think you were going to wear?”

“I look ridiculous.”

“Rose is right—you have to wear the mask. And you look amazing,” Rissa said, standing next to Lark and the full length mirror. Snapping at Horace, Chaz, and me with her fingers, my twin said, “Doesn’t she look amazing, boys?”

I eyed Lark in her pale pink gown and silver mask with light blue stones framing the eyes, a matching pink feather extending from the left side. To be quite honest, I didn’t care what any of them wore to the Decemvirate ball in a week and a half. The whole thing felt ridiculous, another way to turn the tournament into a pageant. But my sister thought we could all use a reprieve from the intensity of the past weeks, so here we were. Picking out ball gowns and masks for an evening only three of us would be able to attend.

Perhaps she was right, though. This afternoon was one of the first ones in recent memory where we were all together with no mission or emergency to discuss. I’d almost forgotten what it was like.

Chaz, who was slumped in the velvet chair opposite me, cleared his throat. “You look?—”

“Like a flamingo,” Lark finished. “I look like a bird .”

Rissa pinched her lips together to keep from giggling. “But a very pretty bird.” At the glare Lark shot her, my sister lifted her hands in the air. “Alright, fine. Let’s try the next one.”

The two of them shuffled off into the back of the shop. Horace and Chaz struck up a conversation, and I looked over at Rose, who was smiling softly into her glass of sparkling wine.

“What’s that look for?” I murmured.

Trailing a finger along the rim of the glass, she shrugged and said, “This is…nice. Being with you all.” She met my eyes and smiled. “Being with friends.”

I would give the world for that smile. It got a little brighter, a little more genuine, with every night we spent together.

A small crease appeared on her brow. “Are you sure it’s safe for us to be here? Don’t you and Rissa try to stay out of public as much as possible?”

“In most areas of the capital, yes. But here in the south sector, we can roam a bit more freely.” I motioned to the front of the dress salon, where the owner moved about organizing her displays. “Mali is a close friend. We trust her. She’s a Sentinel, as are many of the shopkeepers and merchants around here. They’ve all been victims at some point or another and want to see change. Almost anyone who may walk through that door is someone who knows us and wouldn’t dare report us. And if we get worried, that’s what Horace is for.”

“Why, because he’s a member of the Guard?” Rose asked.

“That, and he’s an Illusionist. He’s used to disguising our appearances if we get in a tight spot.”

The color drained from Rose’s face. Her lips parted and she clenched the stem of her flute. “He’s a what ?”

Sensing a shift in the mood, Horace and Chaz paused their conversation and glanced back at the two of us. Fixing Horace with an expectant stare, Rose asked, “Why didn’t I know you’re an Illusionist?”

“You never asked,” he said simply.

I squeezed Rose’s knee, confused by her reaction, until I saw fear flash behind the outrage.

Her father. He’d been murdered by an Illusionist.

Still staring at Horace, she asked, “After what Callum did to me, you didn’t think that was something I’d want to know?”

“Don’t compare me to him, girl,” Horace said, a warning in his voice. “There are bad seeds in every province. Just because we share the same magic doesn’t mean we’re anything alike.”

Rose’s jaw shifted as she swallowed, her eyes searching Horace as if looking for some hidden secret. Nobody spoke, the tension thick and heady, until Rissa strode out from the back of the shop.

“Are you ready to see the next one?” she asked.

“I need some air.” Rose abruptly stood and made her way to the front, the bell above the door chiming as she exited.

Rissa crossed her arms. “Leo, what did you do?”

“What makes you think I did something?”

“Just a guess.”

I ignored her and rose from the settee. “Let me go talk to her.”

Following Rose’s path, I left the shop and spotted her pacing in front of an alley adjacent to the building. I gathered her hands in mine and led her into the alleyway, away from wandering shoppers. Several rough bandages on the tips of her fingers scratched my skin.

“Talk to me, Rose,” I said gently.

She took a deep breath. “I can’t believe I didn’t know he was one of them ,” she said, a bite to her tone. “How do we know he hasn’t been lying to us this whole time? He can hide anything. Be anything. Make us think one thing and do another.”

“I know you’ve had bad experiences with Illusionists,” I said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and keeping my hand cupped at her neck. “But they’re not all the same. You know Horace is a good man, Rose. His magic doesn’t change that. He would give his life for any one of us.”

She closed her eyes. “You’re right. I just wish I had known. With what Callum has done to me, and the men who killed my father…” When she opened her eyes, they flashed at me fiercely. “They’re still out there. Illusionists are dangerous .”

I squeezed her neck one more time and let go. “Their magic can be dangerous, but just because some have abused that power doesn’t mean they all have. Take Gayl, for example. One of the most dangerous Alchemists in the world, but you and I aren’t like him.” Rose shifted on her feet. “And Callum may use his magic to torment, but Horace uses it to help . You have to be able to see beyond the power and into the person. We’re more than our magic.”

She met my gaze. “Are we, though?”

A prickle crept down my spine. “What do?—”

“I need to go apologize to Horace, alright?” Placing her hand on my cheek, she softly ran her thumb across my skin. I nodded and kissed the inside of her palm before she took it away. We walked out of the alleyway and reentered the shop to find Lark and Rissa both in ball gowns. Lark wore a stunning black velvet dress that hugged her large curves, with gold beads dotting the waist and neckline. Her mask was solid gold with black lace and had what appeared to be antlers rising from the sides, beyond her mass of black curls.

“Is that bone ?” Rose asked with intrigue, stepping toward Lark. In answer, Lark gave a smirk and ran her gloved fingers along one of the ivory antlers. “That’s incredible. You have to get this one.”

“Rissa, why are you trying anything on? You know we can’t go to the ball,” I said, taking in her red gown and brown fur wrap. Chaz, my sister, and I were here solely for moral support.

Rissa smiled slyly and pulled a mask from behind her back, holding it up to her eyes. Chaz and Horace let out barks of laughter. Swirls of red, gold, and orange raced across the mask, extending down to the tip of a long nose and up to a pair of pointed ears .

“A bit on the nose there, sister,” I said, grinning at her fox mask.

She winked. “I couldn’t resist.”

As Rissa straightened out Lark’s dress, Rose approached Horace and sat across from him on the settee.

“I’m sorry, Horace,” she said. “I wasn’t trying to compare you to Callum. I was surprised and reacted poorly.”

He grunted in response, rubbing a hand over his beard. “Don’t be sorry. I should’ve said something before. That boy’s messed with your head enough. I guess I didn’t want you to be scared of me, too.”

Her lips quirked up at him. “I could never be scared of you.”

With a glower, he crossed his arms. “Well, now I’m offended.”

Chaz kicked him with the tip of his boot. “She’s right, big guy. You wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

Rolling his eyes to the ceiling, Horace mumbled incoherently under his breath, his beard twitching with the movement as he got to his feet and lumbered away. Something that sounded like “more wine” drifted back to us, and the tension from before dissipated into laughter.

“Rose, come on!” Rissa said, waving a hand at her. “We need to find you something to wear.”

Rose pretended to look disgruntled as she heaved herself from the cushions, but I saw a smile flash on the corners of her lips. She looked back at me and the grin widened, her nose scrunching with hidden excitement, when Rissa took her hand and hauled her away.

“You’re beaming like a fool,” Chaz’s deep voice said from beside me.

Was I?

“She’s got to you,” he continued smugly. “I knew it.”

“Knew what?” Horace asked, rejoining us with a large, murky glass bottle in his hand.

I eyed the bottle. “ That is not wine. ”

Chaz ignored me and answered Horace. “Knew Leo was a goner for Rose.”

“Obviously.” Horace took a swig of the dark amber liquid. “Why do you think I asked you to keep an eye on her when I couldn’t?”

“You little matchmaker,” Chaz said with a chuckle.

I scowled. “You two are ridiculous.”

“That may be true.” Horace shrugged, handing me the bottle. “But are we wrong?”

Without responding, I took the drink and raised it to my lips, swallowing the bitter liquid. I choked as it slithered down my throat like thick acid. My face screwed in disgust. “Fates, Horace, that’s horrible.”

He took it back. “I know. Can only find this stuff here in the south sector.”

“What, is it too offensive for their delicate sensibilities up in the palace?” Chaz teased, swiping the bottle from Horace and taking a drink.

“You’d be surprised by the drinks they have up there,” Horace countered. “That stuff is a little more dangerous than strong liquor.”

Chaz scratched his beard. “There’s the green wine for a good time, and then the gray one, right? The wine that makes it impossible to lie.”

“Grimlock,” I confirmed, nodding. “It makes you more susceptible to telling the truth.”

“They’ve been trying to slip it to me the past few days,” Horace said absently.

Chaz and I both straightened, jokes forgotten. “What?” I snapped. “ Grimlock ?”

Horace closed his eyes and leaned back. “Caught the head of the Guard pouring some into my whiskey cup three nights ago. I created an Illusion to make him think I drank it, but threw it out the first chance I had.”

“Why would they do that?” Chaz asked. “Are they trying to interrogate you?”

“The Sentinels are making waves, even among the Guard. I think they’re suspicious of me. Heard talk of meetings being called in secret, but myself and a couple others haven’t been invited to most of them.” Horace took another drink, his monotone voice hiding any emotion behind his report. “Was relieved of some of my duties yesterday and today. No reason, no notice. It might all be coincidence, but I wonder if they’re planning something.” His jaw clenched ever so slightly beneath his full beard. He was trying to conceal any worries he had about this latest development, but I could tell it bothered him.

“As in, planning something against us?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” Horace paused and practically drained the bottle on his next gulp. He was acting strange. More distant and aloof, even for him. “I’m trying to find out what I can, but there’s only so much I can do if they’re starting not to trust me.”

Grabbing the bottle from him, I set it onto the table in front of us. “Horace, we know you’re doing everything you can. But we want you to be smart. Stay safe. If you need to lie low for a little while and cut ties with us until they trust you again, we understand.”

He nodded curtly, his shoulders dropping a fraction. “Figured you’d say that.”

Something snapped into place. Had he been hesitant to tell us this news because he knew we’d warn him to stay away? I’d never stopped to consider how Horace felt about his precarious position, how much weight the Sentinels had thrusted onto his shoulders. Living a double life, carrying the expectations of both sides of his duties, unable to fully let himself rest or be at peace…and yet he did it without complaint. We were more than a mission to him. More than a job or side project.

We were his only family, and here I was, telling him to keep his distance. Acting as if he meant nothing to us besides another asset to the rebellion .

Scrubbing a hand down my face, I said, “You’re important to us, Horace, but not only for the work you do undercover.” I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “There’s nobody else I’d rather have by my side. You know that.”

“Yeah, and if those bastards get too nosey, just say screw ‘em and come back down here with us lowly folk,” Chaz chimed in.

Horace huffed out a laugh. “It won’t come to that. Wouldn’t want to leave you high and dry without a man on the inside.”

“Rissa would pull you from the palace in a second if she thought you were threatened,” I said. “You’re not a disposable pawn, brother. We need you because of who you are , not what you can do for us.”

Chaz nodded. “Leo’s right. Don’t let yourself get caught trying to be a hero. Or worse, a martyr. Take care of yourself in there.”

With a nod, Horace cleared his throat and swiped at his nose. “Thanks, boys,” he said brusquely. I raised an eyebrow at Chaz. This was the most emotion we’d ever seen from the rough, burly guard.

“Oh, come on, who made Horace cry again?” Rissa said from the back of the shop as she and the other two women emerged.

When I saw Rose, my lips parted on an exhale.

Chaz guffawed. “Like I said. Goner.”