Page 34 of Fallacies

I change the subject. “Alright, I’ll go to the Greenhouse tomorrow and see what Aster can tell us. Devon, please see what you can figure out about the Rogue Disciple's whereabouts, just in case we have to go that route.”

He stiffens at this, visibly upset by it, but I don’t have the patience to care.

“Easton, please pay a visit to Sedona and see what the Lakelets know about blood wards, but be mindful with your questioning. We don’t need Pirn in a state of unrest over the Ward until we know how to cross it or take it down.”

I glance around the table. “Pax, Hunter, and Phoenix, you’re leaving for Streatham in the morning. Her Grace has given us free rein through the Banyan for scouting missions, so find a way to get close and see if there are any whispers of the King’s plans. If we can figure out what Alaric has kept our people alive for, we might be able to negotiate their freedom, but we’ll have no leverage if we’re stuck in the dark.”

Lucina’s eyes shoot up at this, but Hunter speaks before she can get any words out. “How are we supposed to get close?” he asks.

“Rogue hunting,” Pax replies, rolling out his shoulders. Sending my second on this mission means that he’ll be in charge of it, and his response is exactly why I trust him to do just that. “We’ll need to take one that others will notice is missing. Then we can spy on any search party they send out of the Estate.”

It’s exactly what I would do.

“And while you two are spying,” Phoenix drawls, his attention fixed on the switchblade he’s still toying with. “I’ll see what I can get out of our hostage.”

At the grin spreading across his face, I look pointedly at Pax. “Don’t let him torture anyone alone.” He nods. I glance at Hunter and Nix. “Please don’t take any unnecessary risks and make sure you’re back before initiation.”

I get firm nods from Pax and Hunter, and a mock salute from Phoenix.

“Anything else?” I ask the group, and Lucina’s hand shoots up in the air. “Cin, you don’t have to raise your⁠—"

“I want to go with them.”

I think my eyes bulge out of my head. “Absolutely not.”

She looks visibly upset by my reaction. Her hand falls to her side, and her beautiful face twists bitterly. “Why?”

“You aren’t ready to leave Pirn,” I tell her, knowing instantly that it was the wrong thing to say. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Too dangerous?” she snaps, her eyes burning with anger now. Her hand gestures to the door, her still-damp curls falling behind her shoulder with the motion. “Why would you let me in this coven if you were just going to keep me here and tell me what I’m not ready for?”

All eyes flip to me.

She has a point, but I don’t tell her that. “I don’t want you leaving until you’re initiated. I’m sorry, Lucina, it isn’t up for discussion.”

She slouches in her seat, dark brows furrowed as she mutters under her breath, “Like hell it isn’t.”

I keep my eyes locked with hers, and she boldly stares me down across the table—not breaking. “That’s all for tonight,” I tell the group, and chairs scrape the hardwood as my coven quietly shuffles out of the room. When Lucina tries to stand with them, I shake my head. “Not you.”

Pax is the last to leave, shutting the door behind him with raised brows.

Lucina doesn’t leave the table, but she doesn’t sit back down either. Instead, she folds her arms across her chest and says firmly, “I’m an asset to this coven.”

“I know you are.”

Fury sets her hazel eyes on fire. “Then treat me like it.”

I stand, making my way around the table, and she tracks my steps, eyes rising to meet mine as I stop before her. “Lucina, you aren’t just an asset to this coven. You’re its greatest weapon.”

She blinks up at me, her lips pressed into a tight line. I’m sure she has more to say, but she stays quiet for some reason. There’s a war raging in her eyes, and I have no idea what the fight is about.

I exhale, leaning against the table to close a fraction of our height difference. “Have you ever played chess, Chaos?”

“I hate chess.” Something about the way that statement fires off her tongue makes me wonder if it isn’t true and she’s just in the mood to disagree with me. That’s fine.

“So do I.” Her head tilts, unsure of my angle, and my eyes dip to her mouth at the movement. “But do you know what the most powerful piece is?”

She snorts then.