ravaged hearts

CHAPTER ELEVEN,

RAVAGED HEARTS | CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHEVALIER'S FACE PALED as her eyes landed on Lilia, trapped between the door and Io. "Lilia Sorrya?"

  Lilia swallowed. "Saber." Saber, Chevalier's former nomme de guerre when she was still a Falcon, for her uncanny ability with the blade, her ability to cut through most opponents with a simple swing of a sword, no questions asked.

  "I don't go by that name anymore," Chevalier said slowly. "Why are you here? Swan, where did you—"

  "She came here to deliver a message. Just my luck, walked right into her." Io raised her head, her hand on her dagger hidden in her clothes. "Don't try talking your way out of this. Unless you have a good reason for why a known, active Meliquean operative is coming here to deliver a message, Chevalier?"

  "I don't know why she's here." Chevalier's face remained stone cold. Not a single bit of emotion displayed. It was... eerie. She didn't look like she was lying. But then why was Lilia here?

  "If she won't answer, I suppose you'll have to, Sorrya." Io raised the blade to Lilia's throat. "Well?"

  Lilia swallowed but kept silent. Io pressed the blade closer until it was kissing the young girl's pale neck. Sometimes, a bit of a push is necessary. And Lilia was someone who seemed fragile. Her skin itself seemed translucent, as if she was see-through, as if she was a blank canvas on this world that had been slowly darkening with mold and debris. Unsurprising, considering the company she kept. Not all the Falcons were bad people exactly—most of the enemies she faced on the battlefield weren't—but after all these years, it wasn't shocking they'd taken on some of Anthony Contreras' horrible qualities. Nine months wouldn't wash that away.

  She finally said, "I'm just here to pass on a message."

  "What kind of message?" Io asked, eyes not leaving Chevalier or Lilia. She wasn't sure who looked more panicked. Not her, though, even though she should be the one worried—she was surrounded by two Falcons, in one of their homes. She should be terrified. But it was Lilia and Chevalier frantically trying to diffuse the situation instead.

  Well, the past thirteen years haven't gone completely to waste. That was a nice thought, really. She hadn't completely wasted her life, even if it did feel like that sometimes.

  In that instant, Lilia seemed to have some kind of revelation. Her entire body suddenly relaxed and Io tensed, expecting a sudden attack. But—nothing. Absolutely nothing. The girl remained still. She sucked in a breath. "A request for aid." She seemed resigned to her state. "I was instructed to deliver this to her."

  "By?"

  Now, she kept silent once more. Io's eyes narrowed. "Well, Miss Sorrya?"

  "I can't tell you that."

  Chevalier held up a hand. "Let her go, Swan. She's not here because she wants to be. You were always one of the ones who seemed like they'd take flight at first chance. Who did you head off with? Lysandra and Harris? You used to be part of their little cadre."

  Lilia tried to shake her head but froze instantly after feeling the knife dig deeper into her skin. Not enough to draw blood, though. A reminder. Don't fucking move, your life is in my hands. One simple press, one simple slash, and there goes the source of your life, your blood trickling onto the ground, one more set of young corpses in the world. Who would miss you?

  Nothing Io hadn't thought before. She had quite concerning thoughts on the daily, now that she looked back upon it. If someone took out all her thoughts and wrote it down, one might think it the scribbles of a madwoman. Sometimes, she felt quite mad. But there was nothing like the adrenaline of the moment keeping herself grounded once more.