"Start from the beginning," Pearl demanded, dragging a stool across the floorboards until it screeched against the grain. "Do not leave out a single syllable."
I pulled my knees up against my chest on the bench, still shivering from the sprint across the muddy fields. "Liora met a man named Corvus in the ruins. He works for someone they call Her Sovereignty, or Mother. The key Malachi made? Corvus took it, completely convinced it was genuine. But that is not the worst part."
Malachi leaned his shoulder against the timber wall, crossing his arms. "Tell her about the cocktail."
"A cocktail?" Pearl's eyes widened. "What kind of cocktail?"
"A bottle of black, sticky sludge," I answered, gesturing with two fingers to show the size. "Corvus handed it over under direct orders from Mother. It is specifically brewed to bypass royal blood wards and turn Malachi into Liora's obedient lapdog, because apparently her little flower charms are not strong enough to crack his thick Astra skull."
