Fox jolted with surprise. Vishni stood over him, herBook of Exile tucked under one arm and a wry expression on herpretty face.
The fairy shook her head. “Human males,” she saidsuccinctly, “are idiots.”
Fox conceded the point with a shrug. Whatever thespecifics of Vishni’s observation might be, he had no quarrel withthe overall concept.
“She’s not worth mooning over, you know.”
He stared at Vishni for a long moment before hermeaning set in.
“It’s not like that.”
“It never is.”She plunked down beside him. “TellVishni all about it,” she crooned in a voice that, it seemed toFox, was only half mocking.
He’d wanted to tell the others about Honor, but hewasn’t sure how much he should tell them. Of all his friends,Vishni had the most creatively devious mind. If anyone could helphim sort through his tangled thoughts, it would be the fairy.
And his thoughts were very, very tangled.
They’d done a good thing, an important thing, ingetting the Thorn away from both Rhendish and Muldonny. EvenDelgar, who coveted the dagger on a physical level, believed thatreturning the dagger to the elves was a worthy quest.
On the other hand, they’d all been fooled andmanipulated by a clockwork elf, the half-living creation of theirmost determined foe. No matter how worthy the result might be, itgrated on Fox that he’d been doing the adept’s bidding.
On the other hand, this journey could save elvenlives. Knowing the adept as he did, Fox doubted Rhendish would becontent to stop with one clockwork elf.
A memory slipped into his mind like the suddenappearance of a ghost. He knew with chilling certainty that thosedelicate bones amid Rhendish’s curiosities were not, as he hadassumed, a macabre work of art, but the mortal remains of amurdered elf.
But what about the locket? The adepts had hunted downand slain anyone associated with Eldreath. If Fox was right aboutthe inscription on his mother’s locket, Rhendish needed no otherreason to seek Fox’s death. Fox might end up leading him to theforest elves. That was a risk too large to take.
On the other hand, the desire to learn the truth ofhis heritage and destiny burned in Fox like a three-day thirst. Forthat reason alone, he would consider all the risks of the journeyworth taking.
And, considering his possible ancestry, thatsingle-mindedness worried him more than a little.
“How many ‘other hands’ are you up to?” Vishniinquired.
Fox glanced down at her amused face. “Five orsix.”
“There are a lot of possibilities,” she said, “butI’ll tell you what this isn’t about.”
“That’s a place to start.”
“Rhendish is not running a long con,” Vishni saiddecisively. “If he wanted to find and destroy the northland forestelves, he doesn’t need us to do it.”
Fox blinked. He hadn’t even thought in terms of along con. How could he have missed that?
“Explain.”
She blew out a breath in a short, derisive sputter.“What,
if anything, in your ongoing conflict with Rhendishhas ever suggested that he’s capable of running a long con?”
“You have a point. So what’s his game?”
The fairy tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Rhendishwanted to get the dagger away from Muldonny. Maybe because Muldonnyhad ideas Rhendish didn’t like, maybe because Rhendish was tryingto avoid trouble with the elves. Or maybe he just didn’t like theidea of a rival adapt holding onto so much power.”
“Maybe he wanted it for himself. Why else would Honortake one of Delgar’s glass daggers with her when she returned toRhendish?”
“In that case, the story’s over,” Vishni said. “Butfor the moment, let’s assume the elf is Rhendish’s creature and hernote to you was Rhendish’s idea. He arranged for us to take thedagger off on a gallant quest. And in the process, he rids the cityof the most daring and clever band of thieves Sevrin has everknown.” She grinned and brandished her book. “Or so the storygoes.”
“I suppose it could be that simple,” he murmured.
“Of course it could. You’re giving the adept far toomuch credit. Sometimes overestimating your enemies is as dangerousas underestimating them.”
Fox thought this over. It sounded reasonable, in atwisted sort of way. “Did you know,” he said hesitantly, “thatHonor is-”
“A reasonably pretty machine? Don’t look sosurprised. I knew it almost from the beginning.”
He recalled the way she had jolted when she touchedthe elf’s arm. Having seen the cold iron gears under that paleskin, he understood why.
“You couldn’t have told me?”
Vishni shrugged. “That a living elf was also aclockwork monster? You might have believed me, but I doubt it.”
In truth, Fox wasn’t sure what he believed.
“What if we’re wrong about Honor?” he said softly.“What if she’s staying with Rhendish because she has nochoice?”
The fairy took a deep breath, let it out on a quickhuff. “What if we are? If we snatched her from Rhendish, he wouldpursue. Our chances of getting the Thorn back to the forest elveswould be slim. And assuming there’s still a real elf somewhereamong those gears, this is what she would want us to do.”
Fox remembered the silent entreaty in Honor’swinter-cloud eyes and found that he could not disagree.
The fairy rose and glowered down at Fox. “Are yougoing to pack, or do you plan to let Delgar carry your supplies?Because it’s only fair to warn you that I plan to make him carrymine.”
A grin edged onto his face. “I wouldn’t have expectedanything less.”
Fox took the hand she offered and let her pull him tohis feet. The distant cacophony of voices sounded less discordantnow, and he felt the first stirrings of excitement. They wereleaving Sevrin on an adventure, a good and worthy quest.
And when he returned, he would rescue Honor fromRhendish Manor.
This thought surprised him. The next insight wasequally startling: It didn’t much matter to him whether she was elfor machine. He would save her, whatever that meant. Whatever thattook.
The decision felt right. He strode back toward theFox Den with a light step and a lighter heart.
Vishni watched him go, and gave him a merry wave andsmile when he looked back.
When at last he disappeared into the maze of tunnels,the fairy settled down, opened her book, and began to write.
