Under Erebus’s gaze, Max straightens, glances at me warily, and speeds away toward the demon corpse in the street. The guards help Lark into the back seat of one of the town cars. It pulls away as soon as the door closes, hopefully taking him to get examined. If not by William, someone else. The sound of his body hitting the pavement echoes in my ears. Erebus’s eyes slide to Sel.

“We’ve been looking for you, Selwyn. I assumed you’d be in the wind by now, but then you appear at the exact moment the Crown Scion is attacked. Did you orchestrate this?”

Sel groans. “You know I didn’t. But someone did. Someone knew she would be in transit on this road. A goruchel—”

“Goruchels are not so easy to detect, as I’m sure you know. We have been methodically combing the other chapters for goruchel mimics since the appearance of Rhaz. A task that must be done without alerting a potential demon assassin within our ranks,” Erebus replies.

Sel steps closer to the Seneschal, lowering his voice to a bare whisper. “Who else knew Lark was driving her tonight, Erebus?”

Erebus frowns. “I do not owe you intel—”

“Do you trust every Merlin in the Guard?” Sel asks. “Did you handpick each member yourself?”

Erebus’s gaze flickers. Doubt, there and gone. It was fast, but I saw it. Sel saw it.

When the Seneschal answers, his voice holds a thread of uncertainty. “Cestra chose several. But all are Oathed. And a goruchel cannot mimic a Merlin—”

“Can’t they?” Sel challenges. “A goruchel can mimic an Oath.”

My eyes immediately find the Mageguard. Find Max, who has been cruel from the start, then Olsen. The others that have never spoken to me, but whose eyes always sear my skin.

“It knew who I was,” I murmur, remembering the uchel’s stone-and-thunder voice. “It called me ‘Awakened Pendragon.’ ”

“Someone who knows Bree’s identity was behind this.” Sel’s voice is a dangerous combination of urgency and defiance. “And the foxes. If not the Guard, what of the Council? Do you trust the Regents? The other Seneschals?”

Erebus’s lip curls. “Be very, very cautious, Selwyn… these accusations will only make matters worse. Even I won’t be able to protect you from the consequences—”

“The Morgaines, then!” Sel hisses.

“Enough!” Erebus drops a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Olsen! Ramirez!”

Two Mageguard appear at Sel’s sides, one taking his elbow in a tight fist, the other holding a large black box.

“Let him go!” I lunge forward, but Erebus holds me still.