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‘I’d like you to start with the loners, and I’d like you to get friendly with Rae, Wakado’s … third.’ I caught myself before I admitted she was his beta; now wasn’t the time to reveal that information.
‘Speak to Daniella,’ I continued, looking pointedly at Seren. ‘She and Finley have been here a while but she hasn’t found her place yet.’ Unlike Finley, who had settled into the pack like a duck to water. ‘I want youto work on that. She’s part of our battle thirteen and she should be brought into the heart of the pack properly.’
‘Yes, Alpha,’ both women chimed, though Seren looked surly.
‘Spit it out, Seren,’ I said briskly. ‘What’s your issue with Daniella?’
Seren huffed, ‘She’s always fussing over people’s minor scrapes and bumps. It makes us look weak, especially with guests here.’
I sat back in my chair and debated how much to share. In the end, I went with a lot because Seren needed to be shocked. She was still very young and very privileged, though she didn’t know how much.
‘You know Daniella is a nurse and you know that she was lone. She comes from an abusive pack. Her alpha ordered her to train in medicine so he could hide the true extent of the abuse he was putting his pack through. She bandaged up women and kids until she couldn’t do it any longer. Daniella’s self-worth is tied up in helping others and redeeming herself for her perceived failure in putting a stop to the abuse. She didn’t report it, didn’t put a stop to it, she just went lone and she lives with that guilt every day.’
I paused. ‘To be clear, I don’t think any less of her for her choices. It’s easy to sit here in my safe house behind alarge desk and say that I would have done otherwise, but being raised in those circumstances no doubt inures you to them. That Daniella left at all is a miracle. I think she’s very brave. But yes, after all she’s been through she’s eager to help with every bump and scrape because every bandage on you is another one on her wounded soul.’
Seren gaped. ‘I didn’t know,’ she said finally.
‘No,’ I said mildly. ‘You didn’t. You don’t know any of the loners’ stories but just accept that they are all dark. Nobody goes lone for frivolous reasons. Each of them –allof them – deserve kindness from you, nothing more, nothing less. So extend it.’ I steepled my hands. ‘Dismissed, ladies. Ask Elena to see me, and ask George to come and man the security desk, please.’
When the women slipped away I took the time to Google Clark Farrier, the man Pollyanna had told me to find. Not much information came up, save for a few articles about his death. The Common realm had put it down to a mugging gone wrong but no doubt the Other realm knew otherwise.
Elena knocked on the door. ‘You asked to see me?’
‘I did. Come in.’
She came in, sat and looked at me curiously. ‘How can I help, my Queen?’
I leaned forward. ‘I’d like you to start a newspaper.’
Sheblinked. ‘What?’
‘A newspaper. An Other one, with Other news. It needs to be runed so that to a Common realmer it looks like an advertising leaflet or something. I’ve been learning woefully slowly that information is power in this realm. If we want to change the Other, we need to start sharing some cold, hard truths. Too much of this realm is cloaked in secrecy, and without honesty we can’t begin to trust each other. Without trust, there are no allies.’
It was a credit to Elena that she didn’t balk at the tall order. ‘What do you want me to write about?’
‘Inequalities, Elena. I want you to find them and report on them across all the species – even within the Connection. I want to shine a light on issues that we shouldallbe looking at. But to start with, I suggest an in-depth article on the depravities of the Black Tourney.’
Elena started to smile. ‘My Queen, you are talking my language.’
‘Good, because this is going to be a huge undertaking for you. I will pay you a salary, so you won’t need to freelance any more. I will pay your expenses – cash – so you can get the publication printed and runed without leaving a paper trail. And you’ll have to write under a pseudonym. It’s time you got your very own pen name.’
‘You want me to stay anonymous?’
‘Ineedyou tostay anonymous.’ Because if I was going to flush the Domini out of hiding, I wasn’t going to paint a target on Elena’s back whilst I did it. ‘Everything must be done with utmost secrecy. Get vows of silence from everyone you work with – the printers, the witches. Do you understand?’
She grinned. ‘Perfectly. We’re going to rattle some cages.’
I shook my head. ‘We’re not going to rattle them, Elena, we’re going to tear the fucking things down.’
Chapter 19
Greg and I frowned dubiously at the brightly coloured sign, but this was the address Jess had given us all right. ‘The Other Circus?’ Greg read the sign aloud.
Suddenly I went cold. ‘Nina kept talking about the circus. That’s where she shipped off anyone who tried to take the crown of Torr.’ I licked my lips. ‘What if she meantthiscircus?’
‘It’s a bit of a leap,’ Greg said slowly.
I shook my head, certain I was right. ‘No. Nina said she sent some people to an underground circus and this is where Jess said we’d find Clark Farrier – or Cain, as he’s now known. What are the chances that there aretwosecret magical circuses?’
