The tone of my voice made them look over, and with one shaking finger, I pointed to the closed door of the burning house. Any doubt I had about who had killed Catherine was gone.

Painted in thick red across the wood was the letter A. Anushka had killed Catherine, and she had left a message.

And the worst part about it was, I was certain it was for us.

Chapter 35

Cécile

We stayed at the fire until it was under control, Tristan creating a sort of magical chimney to keep the flames from spreading any further. Bystanders whispered that it was a miracle the whole quarter hadn’t gone up, but it did not appear to cross the mind of any of them that the tall young man watching from the street had anything to do with it.

Chris helped with the bucket brigade, while Sabine and I circulated through the crowd, listening for any hints as to how the fire might have started. No one knew anything. No one had seen anything. But there were plenty who believed the flames that had been chasing the infamous La Voisin these past four years had finally caught up with her. Only the four of us knew how right they were.

We’d lost the grimoire. Whether it had burned in the fire or been taken by Anushka, it didn’t really matter. Without it, I had no way to track her, and I felt as though I’d fallen back to where I’d been that night the King had summoned me to the beach. Everything I’d done had been for naught.

Well, almost everything. Lifting my head, I regarded Tristan’s lean form walking ahead of me, his head slightly turned as he talked with Chris, pestering him with questions about the city. Not so very long ago, it would have felt like a dream to have him be the only troll free of the curse, but now that dream seemed entirely short-sighted, as all our problems remained. I squeezed Souris to my chest with one arm and pressed closer to Sabine, who had her elbow linked with mine.

“Is there really no way to break this bond between you two?”

“Only death,” I said, sighing. “And even if there were a way, I wouldn’t take it. I love him.”

She was silent.

“You’re being awfully quick to judge, given you just met,” I said.

“I know enough.” Her voice was low. “Just looking at him makes my skin crawl. I cannot understand what you see in that… that thing.”

I flinched, but a second later, anger chased away the hurt and I dragged her to a stop. “There were those in Trollus who said the exact same thing to him,” I snapped. “Except I was the thing. I was the one who was different. But he didn’t see it that way, and neither do I.”

Chris coughed, and I looked up to see them both watching me. Tristan’s face was hidden in the shadows of his cloak, but I knew he’d heard what I said.