Finale (Caraval, 3)

“Next time I see my brother I’m going to put him on a leash.” Legend’s voice was low, but Tella swore it rattled the artwork that lined the hall.

After finding Julian’s note, Tella had gone to wake Legend. It appeared he hadn’t slept much after she’d left him the night before. He stood in his open doorway in a wrinkled black shirt he must have just thrown on. His dark hair was in tangles, crescent shadows lived beneath his eyes, and his movements weren’t quite so precise as usual.

“I knew that girl would get him killed,” Legend muttered.

“She’s not just some girl! She’s my sister, and she’s been risking her life to fix the mistake that we both made.”

Legend scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Tella.” He looked at her again, and the shadows beneath his eyes disappeared. But Tella knew that they were still there, hidden under one of his illusions. He cared about his brother. Julian might not have felt it, but Tella had seen it, and she could hear it in his voice when Legend said, “I’m going to go find them.”

“We’re going to find them,” Tella corrected. This was her sister. She’d let Scarlett go back to the Fallen Star, and she’d asked her to steal the blood for the Ruscica—which had clearly been a fool’s errand. “Before you tell me it’s too dangerous, just know that I’ll be going after my sister and Julian no matter what you say. If you don’t want to bring me with you, I know someone who will.” She held out the luckless coins she’d found upon waking up.

Legend glared at the discs and they vanished.

“Bring them back!” Tella said. “I know they’re still there, even though I can’t feel them.”

“What are you going to do with those things?” Legend grunted.

“I’ll contact the Assassin and ask him to help me rescue my sister. He could take her in and out of those ruins in a blink.”

“You’re the one who said the Assassin is mad.”

“The Fallen Star is far worse, and I’m not going to stay here while my sister’s in trouble. I don’t love this idea, but I think the Maiden Death and the Assassin might be our best option to get your brother and my sister away from the Fallen Star.”

Legend worked his jaw, and Tella braced herself for another argument.

“If we do this, you go in with the Assassin, find your sister, and get out of there right away.”

“Are you actually agreeing with me?”

The coins reappeared in her hand, but Legend looked as if he already regretted his decision. The muscles in his neck were taut. “I still don’t like any of this. But Aiko and Nigel haven’t seen either the Maiden Death or the Assassin in the palace, Jovan hasn’t seen them in the ruins, and Caspar hasn’t heard any chatter about them working for the Fallen Star. I don’t want to trust them. But while I can get us into the ruins where your sister is being kept with glamour and illusion, if Julian and Scarlett are both there, it will be a challenge to get all four of us out undetected. Just promise me, Tella, if we do this, you won’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Legend met her gaze, the dark crescents beneath his eyes back. It only lasted for a second, but for that moment, he looked more human.