Page 29 of Serpent and Shadow

And I’d still failed.

“You’re all right?” I asked, fighting a sticking throat. “You didn’t get hurt?”

He reached for my hand, and squeezed it without letting go of Wraith.

“I’m fine, sweetness.” He squeezed my hand tighter. “Luc’s all right. And Nyx. And Jolie. And that other mage, Darragh. I saw all of them after they shooed us into the Mansion. I saw them reunite with the rest of your friends when we all went back to Valarian.”

“Was anyone… killed?” I asked hesitantly.

Alaric nodded, his hazel eyes somber.

“Two from the Praecuri,” he said, counting on his fingers. “One apprentice working under Quicksilver joined the fight early and got killed. A firstie got caught in the crossfire, and they said she died pretty much instantly. There was at least one witch from Evernight in critical condition.” His eyes studied mine. “A few in our class were sent to hospital, but last I heard, they’re all recovering, and probably back at Valarian by now.”

I didn’t know how to feel about that.

It definitely didn’t feel good.

Still feeling guilty, I asked, “Warrington? Was she still there when––”

“She’s fine,” he assured me, smiling more genuinely. “She’d already gone back to Valarian, like your mates Rook and Joran. She happily missed all the action.”

When I could only nod, Alaric looked around at the high ceilinged tower, still clutching Wraith to his chest.

“You’re going to live here now?” he asked.

I hesitated.

For some reason, it struck me as strange that this would be one of Alaric’s first questions. I supposed it was natural. He’d likely gone looking for me in Valarian and got told by either Miranda and Jolie, or possibly someone in the Praecuri, that I didn’t live there anymore. The thought brought a dull pain to my chest.

“Forsooth thought it was a good idea,” I said.

Thinking about that, I shrugged again.

“I might’ve chosen it anyway,” I admitted. “But the Praecuri decided for me. They seem to think I’ll be safer in here.” Thinking about that, I frowned. “Or maybe they think they can isolate me from everyone else.” I frowned. “There’s a good chance they don’t want me too near the other students, given my connection to Bones.”

I hadn’t yet thought through what I’d intended to tell Alaric, about Bones or me or the marriage or any of it, so the words just tumbled out.

After I said them aloud, I realized they were probably true.

The Praecuri hadn’t put me here to protect me. They’d put me in here to protect the rest of the school from me. They would assume Bones and probably Malefic could use me to spy on the school. Everyone in magical law enforcement knew about our marriage by now.

They definitely wouldn’t want me housed in the general population.

I looked at Alaric. “I’m a little surprised you got in. I would’ve thought they’d have someone at the tower’s base, guarding the entrance.”

“Oh, they do,” Alaric assured me.

When I blinked, he didn’t smile.

“They didn’t stop me,” he added, somewhat unnecessarily. “But there’s someone down there, guarding the base of the tower. I think they might even be from the King’s Guard. They wore armor with the symbol of the lion, anyway. They didn’t speak to me when I walked up, so I just waited there for you to notice me. When you opened the chimaeras, he just stood there while I opened the door and let myself in.”

My throat closed. “Forsooth didn’t mention it.”

Alaric shrugged. “He may not have known. He looked pretty surprised when he opened the door and saw the two of us standing there.”

“You saw Forsooth?” I asked in surprise.

“Yes.”