“I’d like you to take an evening to think about my offer. If you still don’t want it by the time the sun rises, you’re free to go.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, watching the sharp spark of light in her eye. In only a night I’d learned more about my mother than I had in my entire life. Saint wasn’t the only one with secrets, and I couldn’t help but feel betrayed.

If Holland was telling the truth about Isolde, then she was a thief. A liar. She’d never told me about my grandmother in the Unnamed Sea or the single most important gem discovery she was responsible for. But there were some things about my mother I knew were true. Things I trusted. If she destroyed the only chance Holland had at pushing into the Narrows, she had a reason.

And there was more going on here than Holland was showing us. Taking out Zola and Saint wasn’t just revenge. It was strategy. They were the two most powerful traders, both posted from Ceros. She was clearing the playing field before she made her move with the Council.

Saint wasn’t the only one working a long game.

EIGHTEEN

Holland’s man led us back up the staircase, and I ran a hand along the banister, looking up to the window-paned skylight above us. Dust glinted off the glass like the facets of a gem.

“Fable.” West’s voice made me blink. He stood at the end of the corridor with Clove, his face cut sharp with apprehension.

My fingers slipped from the bannister and I curled them into a fist. He waited for me to step inside the room and closed the door behind us, leaving Clove outside.

I searched the table for a match and lit the candles. Through the window, I could see the sun setting beyond the horizon. When it rose again, we’d be on our way to the harbor.

“Are you going to take it?” West’s words filled the quiet.

My stomach dropped as I looked up at him, the smoking match still in my hand. He was shut up tight, the hardness in him showing. “What?”

“Are you going to take the offer from Holland?”

I turned to face him. “Are you really asking me that?”

But he didn’t hold my gaze. His eyes dropped to the floor between us. “I am.”

I caught the crook of his arm and waited for him to look at me. “I told her I didn’t want it.”

The look of relief on his face was more obvious than I knew he wanted it to be. But he didn’t appear to be convinced.

“You can’t trust her, Fable,” he breathed. “But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take her offer.”