“I don’t understand,” I say. “Can’t we just reverse the charm we cast to let him in on Saturday?”
“We have to find out who the guy is first. As long as one of us in the sosyete actually saw him at some point that night, as long as we know what he looks like, we can harness that memory in a ceremony and cast against him.”
“And we can’t cast a charm to learn his identity?” I ask.
Peregrine purses her lips. “You don’t think we would have done that already if we could? No, the spirits rely on our eyes. If we didn’t see something, the spirits won’t know it either. It’s exactly why we’ve never been able to figure out who killed your mom. No one saw what happened, except your mom and the killer.”
I try not to let the words slice into me. “Well, what’s the name of the guy who was killed outside the gates?” I persist. “Obviously the killer used his identity to get in.”
“The police haven’t released his name yet. But I’ll keep trying to find out.”
“You do that,” I say tightly. I can’t resist adding, “I don’t believe this is happening. All because you wanted to have a party.”
Peregrine’s eyes narrow. “You can quit blaming me, Eveny. You know nothing about how this town works. Nothing.”
With that, she spins on her stiletto heel and walks away toward the Hickories.
Back in the cafeteria, Max, Drew, and Liv stare at me as I slide into my seat and pick up my fork. I take a bite, but the lasagna’s cold. I’ve lost my appetite anyhow. “What?” I ask after a moment.
“Did you just stand up to her?” Liv asks.
“She had a question she needed to ask. It was no big deal.”
“It’s like she thinks she runs this town, like she thinks she’s so much better than the rest of us,” Liv mutters. “It’s about time someone lets her know she’s not the queen of the world.”
Liv returns to chatting with the guys, and I watch them for a moment, feeling like I’m miles away. Although Peregrine may not be the queen of the world, she is one of the Queens of Carrefour. And like it or not, I am too.
UNCORRECTED E-PROOF—NOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
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19
That afternoon after school, I’m changing into jeans and a T-shirt in my room when I spot my mother’s letter lying on my desk. I pause and sit on the corner of my bed to read it again. It feels like the answers about what I’m supposed to do should be there in her words. Then again, maybe that’s the wishful thinking of someone who’s just stepped into the most mystifying situation of her life.
I head outside to look for Boniface, who I’m hoping will be able to help me understand. He’s not in the rose garden, but I eventually find him in the toolshed, organizing a rack of hammers and screwdrivers. He turns when I enter. “Hi, honey,” he says. “How was school?”
“I need to talk to you,” I say instead of replying.
He stops what he’s doing and looks at me with concern. “What is it?”
“We think there’s a Main de Lumière soldier in town,” I tell him. “Not just the one who killed Glory. But someone from the outside.”
“That’s not possible.” He looks suddenly unsteady on his feet. “How would they have gotten in?”
I reluctantly explain the fraternity party and the guy whose body was found outside the gate. “I know it was the wrong thing to do,” I conclude miserably, “but at the time I thought it was a harmless sort of wrong.”
“Of course you did,” he says. “But Peregrine and Chloe, they know better. They’ve gotten out of control.”
I pull my mother’s letter out of my pocket and hand it to him. “I feel like there’s something in here I’m supposed to understand, something connected to what’s going on now. Can you take a look?”
“Of course.” He unfolds the letter, and a shadow crosses his face as he begins to read. “This sounds just like her,” he says when he’s done. “God rest her soul.”
“What do you think the two verses are supposed to mean?” I ask. “Or her line that dark times are coming?”
“She knew her sister queens well enough to realize that if she was gone, they might resort to practicing zandara in a way that defies your ancestors’ rules. And she knew enough to be afraid of what that might lead to.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The universe is like a seesaw—when one side is lifted up, the other has nowhere to go but down—and zandara exists in the middle. Action and reaction. But when your mother died and Carrefour lost its triumvirate, her sister queens’ power was greatly reduced, and they could no longer cast with the strength they were accustomed to. In other words, they can use herbs, but there’s nothing to magnify their power anymore.”