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Either she’d tipped over the edge of terror or gone into shock just like Peter. “From the beginning? Sure, Sir V. Your wish is my command, as always.” She practically curtsied. “You saw us all run as one. We left the castle and ran through the forest. Some of the jewels thought about swimming away—”
Mollie gasped, cutting off Rachel’s story and adding weight to what she’d said.
Victor smirked, enjoying Rachel spilling everyone’s secrets. “Go on.”
“If you’re missing a few jewels tonight, Sir V,” Rachel murmured. “You might find more took you up on the offer to jump than you would’ve liked.”
He shrugged. “No matter. It was getting a little stale in here. I’ll just tell my team to gather a few more while on their hunt.”
Rachel nodded, still numb, still vacant. “We managed to stay together until we reached the Temple of Facets.”
Victor sucked in a breath, arrowing a look at Peter. “Naughty boy. Seems as if someone has been tattling.”
Rachel didn’t stop. “Most of us couldn’t handle what we saw in there, so…we split up. I don’t know where most of the jewels ended up, but we chose the wrong direction and got stuck.”
I gave her a subtle look.
If she mentioned the cave with the skylight, Victor could easily go and see how much she fabricated. He’d see all the blood. See the droplets as we carried corpses up the steps and tossed them over the cliffs.
But all my doubt in her loyalty vanished as she said, “We had to backtrack. Wading into water when the caves were filling up was petrifying.” She shivered dramatically. “We stumbled into the cave where Kyle was having his own little party and witnessed him stabbing Master H. They were fighting.”
“Please,” Victor said softly. “Do go on.”
“I’m aware of Master K’s tastes and didn’t stick around to see if he’d kill Master H. We scattered. We barely made it out before the sea poured in. But…” She swallowed hard as if resisting the urge to gag. “I-I saw what Master H saw. I’ll never forget the sight as a few bodies floated past and—”
“Mollie,” Victor snapped. “If you lie to me, I’ll allow Roland to share his ultimate fantasy with you.” He paused with a smile, knowing full well what that fantasy was and how painfully Mollie would die. “I’d like to hear your version.”
“Yes, Sir V.” With a shallow inhale, Mollie bowed. “I saw the bodies too, Sir V. Masters, not jewels. I spotted Master H wading out after us. His arm bled so much it left a ribbon of red on the water.”
Victor pinned his eyes on me. “And where was Peter in all of this?”
I swallowed hard, hoping I wouldn’t let the team down.
The fact that they covered for Henri?
That they banded around a Master and implicated him in our war effort without even knowing if he was on our side sent my entire nervous system fizzing with fear.
“Peter was unconscious.” I fought the urge to copy my friends and use Victor’s title with respect. I’d refused to do such things. If I started now…wouldn’t that look suspicious?
Instead, I braced to be reprimanded and snapped, “You burned his hands and feet then sent him off running. You knew he might not survive the day. It’s taken the three of us to keep him alive this long.”
Victor shot Henri a look. “How did you end up carrying him?”
Henri’s voice was low and bored as if this entire conversation fucked him off. “I watched the tide spit them out of the cave system. They looked half drowned, and it was well past dusk. I figured you’d be pissed if I didn’t get them home where they belong. That’s also when I shot them.” He smiled like a killer. “They were too tired to run.”
Victor grinned. “That was very considerate of you to carry Peter, mon ami. Especially seeing as you were wounded yourself.”
“It’s fine. Peter’s useful to you.” Henri sniffed. “I figured you’d miss him for whatever odd jobs he helps you with around here.”
Victor stroked his smooth chin. “You’re quite right. He’s a handy boy to have. But I need to ask…why do you even care? You’ve made it abundantly clear you’re not a fan of his.”
Henri hoisted Peter once again and looked down at the unconscious jewel with a sneer. “He pisses me off, and you’re right, I don’t like him. But…this is my home, and you are my friend. So…here we are.”
“Here we are indeed.” Victor let heavy silence fall, studying each of us with terrifyingly intelligent eyes.
My skin crawled the longer he dragged out the pause.
My breath caught on the nasty sharpness centred in one of my ribs.
