She leaned around the door, surveying the room. Lady Lucia, thequeen’s lover, lay on one of the couches, her eyes closed. Thana envied herability to nap during a crisis. But why leave the door open?
And why was she so still?
Thana took a step inside, pyramid at the ready. When someone grabbedher from the side, yanking her into the room, she managed to toss the pyramid,but someone else dove from behind the couch and caught it before it couldshatter.
“Illis?” Thana said. Someone pulled on her shoulder, and shewhipped her head around, flinching away from a fist poised to strike, but itpaused, revealing Dina behind it.
“Thana,” she said. “Thank the spirits.”
* * *
“Sylph?” her father said, brows drawn in confusion. Then his jawtightened as if seeing his daughter made him more in control. “Go to ourapartment. I’ll be there shortly.”
Her recent practice at maintaining control made it easy to ignorehim, even as much as her body wanted to automatically obey.
But she was finished with his tyranny. “No.”
His jaw fell with such alacrity, it was a wonder it didn’t dropfrom its sockets and fall to the floor.
Lady Lucia laughed. “So she does have a tongue in her head.” Hereyes widened as she glanced at Sylph’s pyramid. “I was hoping I wasn’t the onlypyradisté with noble blood. Come to join the cause?” She rested a hand on thequeen’s shoulder and lifted her own pyramid.
Sylph kept her face blank. Thana would have shouted defiance, butshe had no idea where the battle lines stood, only that she should keep theUmbriels safe for Thana’s sake and all her talk of Fiends.
And Lady Lucia clearly had the upper hand. The queen and princesat like statues, hypnotized. Could the lady kill them with a thought?
“I’ve come to learn,” Sylph said carefully. “I’ve heard much inthe past few days.”
Lady Lucia inclined her head. “Clearly, you’ve discovered thatnoble pyradistés aren’t as impossible as once claimed. The crown feared us andso attempted to eradicate us, but we have now returned, and with ourbrethren”—she indicated those who stood with her—“we will create a new rulingclass.”
“That is not what we agreed,” Sylph’s father said. He slammed hishand against a chair, but his outrage seemed to stem more from Lady Lucia’swords about the ruling class than from the revelation about noble pyradistés.
He knew, then.
Perhaps had always known.
All her worry, her anguish, and he’d already known about noblepyradistés but had never said a word? She felt a weight in her chest, asimmering pit of anger.
No, not now. She had to pay attention.
The six nobles behind her father were nodding and muttering tothemselves about how they’d been duped, and pyradistés would never rule. Sylphwondered where the rest of the nobles were. Assembling another faction, or hadthey been silenced by this crumbling cabal?
“We were to secure the rule of Farraday in the hands of thecouncil where it belongs.” Her father gestured at the people in the corner, whomoved closer to Lady Lucia and the Umbriels. “Not in the hands of the cursedpeasantry.”
Several of the “cursed peasantry” had pyramids, which they didn’thesitate to brandish as they muttered, but none of them attacked. They’d hadpractice biding their time.
Lady Lucia barked a laugh. “They have more nobility than you everwill, Montague. But don’t worry, they’ll have titles soon enough. All exceptyours, which will be Lady Sylph’s.” She gave a beatific smile and inclined herhead. “Duchess.”
A clever ploy. Would she hypnotize the nobles into signing awaytheir lands before she killed them, or would she even bother? “What of thosepyradistés who oppose this scheme?” Sylph asked. “Like the royal pyradisté?”
“Any traitors who choose them over us shall be dealt with,” oneof the pyradistés said, the gravel of hatred in his voice. “We’ll soon haveenough crystal to deal with all comers.”
Not anymore, but she didn’t mention that she’d buried it.
“Quite right, Headmaster,” Lady Lucia said. “But if you’ve anyfavorites among them, Lady…I beg your pardon, Duchess Sylph, I’m sure we canleave you to persuade them.”
Sylph’s father turned a chair over like a child throwing a fit.He wasn’t used to being ignored. “Sylph.” He breathed hard, his disbelief soclear, she expected it to take shape. “I…” He glanced at the pyramid in herhand at last, and she expected disgust, even hatred, but Lady Lucia had clearlychanged him, at least a little.
“Are you going to ask me to save you?” Sylph could hardly believehe wasn’t commanding her to do so. It was almost enough to make her want togive Lady Lucia’s idea a try.
“Must I ask?” He blinked, and she would have given her eyeteethto know what he was thinking.
She sneered as she stepped farther into the room. She couldn’tlet time get away from her, not while other pyradistés were skulking in tunnelsand sniffing around ancient pyramids. Still, she had to ask. “Are you expectingfilial affection?”
Her father took a step back as if the idea of affection scaredhim more than anything. “Family loyalty is—”
She laughed. “The pyradistés I’ve met have been more like familythan you ever have.” Well, one had anyway.
Lady Lucia joined in her mirth, eyes sparkling. She wasn’t at allthe stupid creature rumor painted her to be. And the differences didn’t stopthere. The closer Sylph came, the more she spotted. She’d memorized the looksof every noble, and this one had a slightly different curve to the mouth thanLady Lucia and fewer dimples, and the eyes were a bit closer together than thesimpering moron the queen doted on.
This wasn’t Lady Lucia, but they could be sisters. Even twins.
Oh, it made sense now.
Two noble daughters, the powerless to inherit and go to court,the pyradisté to be hidden. Then opportunity had struck, and so had she. If thatwas true, this woman was brave, at least, a person who hadn’t let fear paralyzeher into ignoring her gift.
And Sylph’s father had embraced her.
As petty as it was, Lady Lucia’s sister would have to pay forthat. Sylph gripped her pyramid and set the floor to moving.
Chapter Twenty-one
Thana was torn between the desire to hug the members of theOrder and punch them as they
