59. The coin and locket

Ada slept restlessly that night. On the bunk above Min, she tossed and turned, begging her exhausted body to rest for even a moment. She had slipped the Gilded Book into her pillowcase, and with little stuffing to cover it, Ada had resorted to resting her head on an elbow. The room was stiflingly hot, even without the sage-fires and her cloak. In the early hours, she thought she had heard Lark hum some soft tune to himself, and wondered if he, too, felt the pressing weight of the Stone Circle deep beneath the earth.

Sleep must have crept up on her suddenly, because she woke to Hester hobbling into the infirmary and pulling out her medicinals for the day. Ada clambered down from the bunk bed with numb legs, and found Min already awake. Her distant stare at the bed slats above had returned, and her eyes were bloodshot and ringed in indigo. The thin cat had curled up on her chest, and Min moved her hand down its back in slow strokes.

"You'll all be off to breakfast," Hester said from her table. "Before the food's been taken."

Armestrong stood up from her bed, looking as stiff as Ada felt. Not built as lithe and lean as either Min or Lark, the woman had clearly had trouble getting comfortable on the narrow mattress. Lark looked as if he had no intention of getting up at all, but joined them quickly enough after Armestrong said she wouldn't be bringing anything back for him to eat in bed.

The group followed the sage-lights down the passages that were growing familiar to Ada, heading towards the room where she had found food laid out the night before. She hadn't taken much notice of the sage's scent before, but now, with a heavy head and dragging feet, the fires' sweet smell was nauseating.

They found the food hall bustling, the tables now covered with more loaves of bread, thin slices of cured ham, and bowls of a pale paste that Ada thought tasted like walnuts. Min stared at all of the children running between the tables, some giggling as they fled from their friends to hide behind baskets and in boxes. Armestrong kept having to remind her to eat the crust of bread she was worrying into crumbs between her fingertips.

Ada was wondering where she might be able to find a cup of tea, when Lark came up to her side.

"There's the old man and his shadow by the door," he said, pointing over the tables to where Edmere stood with Yue behind him, dressed today in black. He was watching the room, not eating, but offering a few words to the fae who stopped to speak to him. "I think we should go and ask him about Solen. He seems to run quite the rig around here, and no doubt he'll have contacts up in the city. Maybe he'll help us?"

"I'm not so sure, Lark," Ada replied, thinking back to her talk with Edmere about the lyceum, and then to the golden book in her pillowcase.

"I can't just leave her with those bloody Hounds," said Lark, his voice unusually sharp.

"I know," huffed Ada, pressing her fingers to the growing ache in her temples. She shut her eyes, and then breathed in slowly, and her voice was softer when she repeated, "I know. Ok, let's tell him what Min said and see if he knows anything more."

Leaving Armestrong with Min, the pair made their way through the hall. The passing fae took little notice of the newcomers, simply filling baskets with food and making conversation. They all wore loose, dark coloured clothing, and most had their hair tied back to show the sharp bones that carved their faces into hollows and planes.

Yue spotted Ada and Lark's approach, and was already frowning when they stopped in front of Edmere.

"Good morning," said the old man pleasantly. "I trust you found breakfast to be satisfactory."

Ada nodded awkwardly, unable to look directly into Edmere's pale eyes.

She was grateful when Lark replied to him instead, "We were actually hoping we might be able to talk with you for a moment." He looked back at the crowded hall. "Er, privately."

"Your company would be most welcome," said Edmere. "However this morning I have previous engagements to attend to. Although you can find me in my study after lunch."

Lark quickly agreed, but all the way back to Hester's infirmary, Ada couldn't rid herself of an uneasy feeling. Hester immediately put the group to work, directing Ada and Armestrong to cavernous storerooms stacked to the ceiling with grains, flowers, and roots. While they searched for items from Hester's scrawled ingredient list, Min and Lark were made to sweep her floors, polish her bottles, and mend loose shelving.

Lark was near frantic to escape the infirmary when lunchtime finally came, though Ada found she didn't have much of an appetite. Throughout the morning she had wondered if she could secret away the Gilded Book and return it to the library. But stuck within the storage cellars, she hadn't had the chance to even climb up to her bunk.

Her stomach was tight when they stopped on the top step in front of Edmere's office, and Lark knocked twice before the door jerked open onto Yue's tense face.

"Come in," called Edmere, and Lark had to slide around Yue's body, straining every inch of himself not to touch even her clothes.

Ada flinched when Yue closed the door and came to stand behind Edmere, across from where Lark and Ada had sat down.

"Now," Edmere began. "You had something you wanted to discuss."

"Yes," said Lark, wasting no time. "A friend of mine was kidnapped by the Hounds a few days ago, and I think I know now that they've taken her to their Barracks. I'm going to get her out of there, but I need as much help as possible."

Edmere knitted his fingers together and considered Lark with a sympathetic nod, but Yue gave a low snort.

"Just like a bandit to believe they can waltz in anywhere and make their own demands. You think we don't have greater problems than to help your friend who got herself caught?"

Lark and Ada both bristled, but Edmere held up a hand before they could retort.

"A troublesome situation, indeed." He offered Lark another nod. "As I have said before, you are welcome to leave the Stone Circle whenever you wish, and to aid a friend would be a noble cause to return to the city. But, as I have also mentioned, our community is not one who can easily sacrifice a soul to Wysthaven, no matter how unfortunate the situation. And make no mistake, a sacrifice is what an operation such as this could quickly become. We can draw you the route to the Barracks from here, but gaining entry is a task for yourself alone."

"That's it?" said Lark, aghast. "You'll only give us some kind of map?"

Ada had suspected this, and was ready to rise and leave.

"We won't need it," she said. "We can find our own way."

"We?" repeated Edmere, his brow furrowing. "I would have thought your focus would be on returning home, not on such perilous matters."

"She's my friend too," replied Ada. "I'm not abandoning someone who helped me."

Edmere was quiet for a moment. "Come to me again when you have more information, and we may consider the matter further. Perhaps there will be those who are willing to help your cause if a sincere plea is made."

The conversation was clearly over. Yue stood, tight-lipped, but nearly wrenched the door off its hinges as she silently commanded the pair out of the study. Lark had reached the steps when Edmere softly called Ada back, and her stomach tightened again.

She stiffly turned around, feeling Yue's glare on her back, and saw a flash of gold coming from Edmere's outstretched hand. For a moment, she thought she might be sick, but then realised that the glimmer was from something far smaller than the Gilded Book.

Walking back to the desk, Ada saw that Edmere balanced a coin on his palm, the head of King George engraved on its face.

"Your coin from the well," said Edmere. "You never did get to make a wish that night, so I am disposed to return it to you."

Ada almost snatched it from his hand, a sudden surge of homesickness swelling through her. But her hand wavered in between memories, and she lingered on the image of her grandmother folding it into her own palm on the evening of the equinox.

"Not the coin," Ada said, and when Edmere frowned in confusion, she continued, "The coin isn't important. If you want to return my gold to me, I want the locket."

Edmere's eyes glinted, but he merely rolled the coin between his fingers. "That would be... uncustomary."

Ada didn't move. "Well, I don't see any other humans you've dragged down here against their will. So I suppose this whole situation is rather uncustomary."

She heard Yue suck in a sharp breath, and braced herself for whatever may come. Yet, Edmere only chuckled. Ada blinked, and the coin glimmered once more before vanishing between his fingers. In the same moment, Edmere raised his other hand from a draw in his desk, and dangled from his wrist was a rusted chain and golden heart.

He held it out, and this time Ada clutched her grandmother's locket in a sweaty hand as the chain slipped from his wrist.

"Consider your choices carefully," was all the old man said, going back to his paperwork as Ada stumbled from the study.