cascade | kotlc

12. The Gorgodons

"I was expecting to hear from you yesterday," Lady Gisela snapped through the Imparter. "And I'd expected to see you with my son, not three Vackers and some random girl."

Faye scowled, her eyes dangerous. "But there's only two Vackers here," Sophie said slowly, not quite comprehending the joke. June smacked her, gesturing between her and Fitz, and Sophie's face dawned in understanding. "Since when could you be humorous?"

"Since always. You've just never seen that side of me."

"Well then," Biana told Lady Gisela, leaning back against Sophie's bedframe and curling her fingers, examining Calla's ring, intrigued by the tiny particles that dusted off the soft metal. "You shouldn't have told King Dimitar to challenge Keefe to the sparring match."

"And you shouldn't have left me when you went to fucking Ravagog," June muttered. "I could've helped. I would have beat the shit out of him."

Faye glanced sideways at Biana.

They'd silently agreed to not tell anyone about their incident in Ravagog. It certainly wasn't Faye's proudest moment -- she told her later she hated it when people saw her cry. Biana blamed herself. She broke Faye, and it was her duty to put her back together again.

"Who did Dimitar assign as Keefe's bodyguard?" Lady Gisela was asking as Biana quietly took Faye's hand behind June's back. Faye flinched slightly before she relaxed and twined her fingers around Biana's, sending sparks of warmth up her hand.

Sophie shrugged, keeping a poker face. June leaned into Fitz, patting his chest and murmuring someinto into his ear. He smiled and nodded, wrapping his hand around June and letting her snuggle into his lap. Lady Gisela sighed at the display of intimate affection.

"It's his daughter, isn't it? Actually, wait. I bet it was his son."

"He has a-" Sophie began to say, but Faye scrambled over the bedsheets to clamp her mouth, tackling her down. June bolted up, locking Faye into a necklock and slamming them into the back wall. Faye grunted, kicking her legs out against the bedpost and knocking them down before she bashed her elbow into June's neck, flipping elegantly and standing up, stepping on June's face.

Biana sighed. "Sorry," she told Sophie. "But we weren't about to let you fall for that trick."

"We weren't indeed," Faye agreed, smiling smugly as she kneaded her foot into June's face, tossing her hair. "See, I'm smart."

"I hate you so much right now," June grumbled.

"The feeling's mutual. I hate the month you're named after too!"

Suddenly June rolled, whipping her hands around Faye's ankles and dragging it to the side. Faye let out a small surprised squeak and June judo flipped her over her shoulder. A bolt of energy dashed to her right arm and Faye tried for a punch at June's face, but she caught it and climbed onto Faye's shoulder, weighing her down and collapsing them near Fitz. She stood up, brushed off her hands, and planted her foot on Faye's face.

"That's not fair!" Faye complained, groaning and trying to remove June's feet. "You ambushed me. I beat you in a fair fight."

"Doesn't matter," June answered, a satisfied look coming onto her face. She pressed her foot down more, muffling Faye's protests, before finally turning her attention to Lady Gisela. "So, what were you saying?"

She sighed, letting out a very long and very exaggerated breath. "As I was saying. The more you work with me, the better off you'll be. I assume you got the starstone?"

Sophie glanced at Fitz before she held the hairpin in front of the Imparter, letting the stone flash blue in the soft glow streaming through her windows.