Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)(116)

"Kieran's brother would be better than the King they have right now?" asked Dru.

"He would be better," Emma confirmed. "Believe it or not."

"Kieran will also testify in front of the Council," said Julian. "He will bring the Queen's message that she's willing to ally with us to defeat the King. He can confirm for the Council what the King is doing in the Unseelie Lands-"

"But you could tell them that," said Kit.

"If we wanted to risk the wrath of the Clave for having ventured into Faerie," Julian said. "Not to mention that while we might get out of that, there will be no forgiveness for our having entered into a bargain with the Seelie Queen."

Kit had to admit Julian was right. He knew how much trouble the Blackthorns had nearly gotten in for bargaining with the faerie convoy who had returned Mark to them. The Seelie Queen was a whole other level of forbidden. It was like getting a slap on the wrist for running a red light and then coming back the next day and blowing up the whole street. 

"Kieran's your get-out-of-jail-free card," he said.

"It's not just about us," said Emma. "If the Council will listen to him, it could end the Cold Peace. In fact, it would have to. They'll have to believe him-he can't lie-and if the Queen is willing to fight the Unseelie King with the Clave, I don't think they'll be able to turn that down."

"Which means we have to keep Kieran safe," said Julian. "We also have to do what we can not to antagonize him."

"Because he's doing this for Mark?" said Dru.

"But Mark broke up with him," said Livvy, and then looked around, alarmed. Her ponytail brushed Kit's shoulder. "Is that something I wasn't supposed to say?"

"No," Mark said. "It's the truth. But-Kieran doesn't remember. When the Unseelie Court tortured him, he lost some of his memories. He doesn't recall bringing the envoy to the Institute, or Emma and Julian being whipped, or what danger he put us all in with his haste and anger." He looked down at his intertwined hands. "And he must not be told."

"But-Emma," said Livvy. "Are we supposed to pretend that she and Mark aren't . . . ?"

Kit leaned close to Ty. Ty smelled like ink and wool. "I don't understand any of this."

"Neither do I," Ty whispered back. "It's very complicated."

"Mark and I," Emma, said, looking very steadily at Mark. "We broke up."

Kit wondered if Mark had known that. He wasn't able to hide the look of astonishment on his face. "It just didn't work out," Emma went on. "So it's all right, whatever Mark needs to do."

"They're broken up?" Livvy whispered. Ty shrugged, baffled. Livvy had gone tense and was glancing from Emma to Mark, clearly worried.

"We have to let Kieran think he and Mark are still dating?" said Ty, looking bewildered. Kit felt the whole thing was beyond him as well, but then Henry VIII had beheaded several of his wives for apparently governmental reasons. The personal, the political, and the romantic were often oddly entwined.

"Concealing these things from Kieran isn't ideal," said Julian, hands in his pockets. "And I hate to ask you guys to lie. Probably it's best to avoid the subject. But there's literally no other way to make sure he actually shows up in front of the Clave."

Mark sat, running his fingers through his blond hair in a distracted manner. Kit could hear him saying, "I'm all right, it's fine," to Cristina. He felt a surge of odd sympathy-not for Mark, but for Kieran. Kieran, who didn't know that his boyfriend wasn't really his boyfriend, that he was sleeping in a house full of people who, however friendly they might seem, would lie to him to get something they needed.

He thought of the coldness he'd seen in Julian back at the Shadow Market. Julian, who would sacrifice Kieran, and perhaps his own brother in a way, to get what he wanted.

Even if it was a good thing to want. Even if it was the end of the Cold Peace. Kit looked at Julian, gazing at the parlor fire with fathomless eyes, and suspected that there was more to it.

That where Julian Blackthorn was concerned, there would always be more to it.





16


PASS THE WANDERER


Mark made his way toward Kieran's room, steeling himself to lie.

Uneasiness and exhaustion had driven Mark from the parlor. The others, equally tired, were scattering to their own bedrooms. Cristina had slipped away without Mark noticing-though he had felt her absence, as a sort of pang in his chest, after she was gone. Diana had decided to leave as soon as she could for Idris, and Julian and Emma had gone to see her off.