necklace of stars, a coronet, a glinting fan of them trailing behind me like the train of the most breathtaking gown. The queen herself would weep with envy.
There was one star in particular that caught my attention, brighter than all the rest. It blazed with light, a rare green and gold. I’d wear that one over my heart …
Wait …
“Jesse?” I gasped, and then screamed.
Because I’d Turned to girl, of course.
We tumbled down together, two bodies pinwheeling, the air sucked from our lungs. For a few long, terrifying seconds—much too long—I was trapped in the black breathless vortex of my impending death. I was senseless, powerless. The words
Then I went to smoke, instantly suspended.
Armand continued his tumble, smaller and smaller against the waiting sea.
I Turned to dragon and plummeted after him.
I’d done something like this once before. I knew to fold my wings as close to my body as I could, to keep myself stiff and straight, a knife blade, a sword. He had his arms and legs spread out, which gave me the only small advantage I had; I was gaining on him, but not swiftly enough.
He toppled upward, his face toward me. His eyes had that same blue glow that had thrilled me days ago, but now only served to fill me with an infuriated fright.
He was
The sea was so near. I was too far. Armand reached up an arm toward me and in desperation I reached back, my claws flashing.
I felt the pull of him, an abrupt yank of weight. I opened my wings and tried to rise but couldn’t get high enough in time. Armand hit the water and then so did I, but the difference was that I broke apart into smoke as it happened, shattering far and wide.
I didn’t know what had happened to him.
The pieces of me bobbed about, gradually mustering back into one. Seawater splashed through me, atoms of mist adding to my vapor.
Where was he? I funneled up, searching, seeing only pewtered water and slippery waves.
As if in answer, I felt myself beginning to solidify. And even though I tried to stop it, I Turned into girl again.
I splashed down almost gently. It was almost preposterous how leisurely it happened, and how utterly unable I was to keep my head above the water.
My one brief lesson in swimming deserted me. I thrashed about, sinking fast, the entire world sheathing me in smothering dark.
Sophia had been correct. I was useless.
My lungs burned. My limbs had gone to stone.
My lungs were on fire. My heart was a dying ember. I had to breathe. I had no choice, I was
The air rushed out of my lungs just as he found me. I was hauled upward and we broke the surface together and I was able to cough and wheeze and cry, and I did all of them at once.
Armand had slung an arm under both of mine, our sides pressed together.
“Use your feet, Lora,” he was panting in my ear. “Kick your feet, like I showed you!”
I couldn’t feel my feet, but I must have been doing it because I was sort of floating, and he swam about to face me, still holding on.
“I believe—” He kept panting. “I—ended our lessons—a tad too soon.”
I was shivering, aching, mad as spit beneath it all. “
“No.” He shook the water from his eyes. “You rescue Aubrey. I rescue you. See how it goes?”
“You stubborn, brainless—”
He pulled me to him and mashed his lips to mine. It might have been a magnificently romantic gesture, but I knew he only did it to shut me up. Anyway, my face was so numb I didn’t even feel it.
“Turn to s-smoke. Dragon.” His teeth were starting to chatter. “Hang low. I’ll—c-climb up. Fly back t-to shore.”
It was as good a plan as any. And it worked, more or less.
I was able to hover just long enough for him to cling to my front leg. I flew as slowly and steadily as I could and eventually we made it back to land like that, both of us exhausted and chilled to the bone.
I warmed myself by thinking that if he caught pneumonia, at least I wouldn’t have to worry about him coming along to Prussia and ruining everything.
And even though I searched the skies, I didn’t glimpse the gold and green star again.
Chapter 17
Wire transmission from His Grace the Duke of Idylling, Bath, to Miss Eleanore Jones, Tranquility at Idylling
Chapter 18
The cable arrived the following afternoon. I would have burned the damned thing before Armand had a chance to read it, but since he was the one who handed it to me, it was too late for that.
“Whatever does
“I don’t know,” I lied, and crumpled the paper in my fist. I directed a look up at Armand, still standing over my other shoulder and my table of miscellaneous bandage rolls.
Why hadn’t he waited to give it to me? Now Sophia would never stop pestering me about it.
His smile was slim and hard as nails. His cobalt gaze seemed more piercing than ever, almost unnaturally vivid.
“The doctor informs me that Reginald’s delusions are as real to him as this”—he gestured to the cramped supply room—”is to us. No doubt you play some mysterious role in them, Eleanore. I’m sorry for it. I’m surprised he was allowed to send this at all.”
“Oh,” said Sophia. She bit her lip. “We don’t have to discuss it, Mandy.”
“No, we don’t,” I agreed. I stuck the wad of paper in my pocket. “Was there anything else? I have to say, you’re looking a bit peaked, Lord Armand. It’d be such a pity if you took ill. Perhaps you should go have a rest.”
“I feel fantastic,” he said, and turned around and left.
