Pierce looked up from a conversation with the fairy that Jenks had almost killed in front of me. I wondered what the fairy was saying—his thoughts I’d almost permanently silenced. Not ready to talk to him, I looked to Ceri. Pulling my shoulders up, I reluctantly went to her. The pixies with her scattered at her soft word, and I sighed.

“Don’t talk to me,” she said curtly as she tended the shrub. “I’m angry with you.”

Her hands were busy with the plant, and I knelt beside her, my knees getting damp again. “I’m sorry,” I said, thinking it was weird to apologize for not killing someone. “I couldn’t do it.”

Ceri pressed new dirt around the shrub. Her fair hair swung, but her motions were losing their sharpness. I handed her a twig to prop up a stem, and she snatched it. “Lee told me what the coven was doing,” she said unexpectedly. “He said you’d be under siege, so I came to help. I left Trent to do it. Left Quen.” She looked up, and I blinked to see tears in her eyes.

“Trent won’t let you come back,” I said, surprised. Damn it, she had left her secure home and excellent care for her unborn baby to help me, and I’d thrown her help in the dirt.

“I can,” she said, her gaze on the dirt under her nails. “But I won’t. I failed.”

Huh?

Ceri took a deep breath and stood, still graceful despite her pregnancy. “Why do you think I was staying at Trent’s estates?” she asked as I stood.

“To be closer to Quen?” I guessed. “Trent’s gardens? His hot tub?”

Making a rude noise, she undid the ties, dropping the hem of her dress. “I was spying,” she said wryly. “I was trying to keep you safe. It was what I was trained for.” Her voice grew airy, almost sarcastic. “Educated by my mother to be married off to a rival family to spy on them and make sure treachery wasn’t planned against us. Al used me as such, letting others borrow me on occasion. I was good at it.” Her eyes flicked to mine. “At least I thought I was. When I finally find something worth spying for, I fail. I had no idea Trent was tangling you up. Not a hint beforehand, and none even after it happened.”

“I’m sorry. I should have tried harder to reach you,” I said, and she shook her head.

“You can’t get through. Security has been tight since he decided to announce his candidacy for mayor this Friday, but it makes no difference. I failed.”

Her head dropped, and I gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t worry about it. Trent’s a tricky bastard. I’d be willing to bet he didn’t tell Quen, even. How were you to know?”