The Ruby Moon (11 page)

“When will you decide?”

“Tomorrow night.”

Late that evening a handful of girls, apparently too excited to sleep, huddled in the sitting room talking about who had the best chance of catching Angelina’s eye.

“Think of everything we would get to see and do!” one said.

“How would we know
what
to do?” another asked. “I wouldn’t even know how to behave in court during the selection process.”

Kate—silent until now—left and soon returned with her wool blanket draped over her shoulders, trailing a drab but impressive train.

“I am Queen Angelina,” she announced. “If you would become my next lady-in-waiting, please stand.”

Each girl scrambled to her feet.

Kate circled the pack.

“Stand up straighter,” she told one.

To another, “Don’t look so sour.”

“You all need more confidence,” she continued. “I cannot abide weak women.”

One girl said, “Are we allowed to—”

Kate whirled. “Speak only when spoken to!”

And then to Avery: “Never argue or offer an opinion without being asked.”

The playacting went deep into the wee hours, the girls practicing walking, talking, eating, and sitting—all solely to become one long-shot candidate among many in the kingdom for a single position on the court of the most powerful woman in their world.

Awaiting midnight court—particularly Tuck’s choice of a candidate for Queen Angelina’s potential lady-in-waiting—made the next day drag on like a week.

Avery occupied herself with busywork, like helping with breakfast and lunch and assisting Kate with sewing in the afternoon. She sought from the scouts, in vain, anything new about the investigation into the fire, and she spent time exploring more of the underworld.

She still needed to learn whether the tunnels ended at the tiny country chapel on the other side of the Salt Sea. Kendrick wanted to know the same, and Avery was determined to beat him to it. Legend had it that it was nothing like the one in the castle. No, this was a magical place nestled among the cozy, rustic village homes—where the country girls married in unforgettable ceremonies in its unique sanctuary.

Finally the time arrived for the kids to file into their underground Great Room for midnight court. Four chairs had been arranged at the front—one for Tuck and three behind his for Kate, Kendrick, and Avery. A silk flag with the kids’ emblem hung on the wall between two sconces, ablaze with the room’s only light.

To Avery it seemed a bit much for such a small crowd.

Tuck stood. “We still don’t know what’s become of our friends,” he said, trembling, something he did only when speaking of the missing—which told Avery how heavily they weighed on him. “But I am grateful we have lost no one since moving down here, an idea we can credit to Avery.”

He asked her to stand, and she was greeted with enthusiastic applause.

“Let’s continue to be cautious, especially when we have to venture back upstairs. Look out for one another and report unusual behavior.”

“Okay, enough of that!” a boy hollered. “Can I be lady-in-waiting?” And even Tuck had to chuckle.

“I know that’s why we have perfect attendance tonight,” Tuck continued, “so about that … I had a lot of things to consider, and it wasn’t an easy decision.”

Kate reached over and squeezed Avery’s hand. It seemed the whole room leaned forward.

“I have chosen Ilsa,” Tuck said.

Avery sucked in a breath. How was that possible?

Kate whispered, “I don’t believe this,” but she joined the rest of the girls who clambered to hug and congratulate Ilsa, and Avery knew it would look bad if she didn’t. Tuck was talking over the cacophony and she heard him mention her name as well, but little else.

Avery stood on wobbly legs, pasted on a fake smile, and went through the motions of trying to reach Ilsa and pat her on the shoulder. In the frenzy she slipped out of the hall and into the labyrinth to go quietly to her chamber and be alone. Almost as bad as Tuck passing her over was his choosing Ilsa. How could he? Did he not know the real Ilsa?

“Avery,” he called from behind her.

She wanted to pretend not to have heard him and just run. But she spun to face him.

“I couldn’t choose you after what happened following the race,” he said. “What if Angelina were to recognize you in the Great Hall tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Avery said flatly, turning away. “How thoughtful of you.”

“I had to make the decision I believed was right,” he called after her. “One day you’ll understand how much you mean to me!”

Avery stalked to her room, yanked the blanket aside, and was about to collapse and sulk in peace at least until Kate returned. But there on her bed sat a crate.

The pigeon has returned!

She pulled open the lid.

Unnerved that the messenger knew where she slept and risked that Kate might find it first, Avery quickly opened the tube to find the message.

Are you prepared to trade everything for your family? Once you leave the underworld, you can never look back.

Of course she was prepared!

But she needed proof her family was safe. She wasn’t about to give up the only things she had remaining just to hope she might reunite with her family.

She hurried to where Kendrick kept his model and retrieved parchment and ink from his supplies.
Prove access to my family, and we have a deal,
she wrote.

And as she had the first time, she released the bird from the tiny balcony.

Later Avery ventured out to find something to distract her. The kids were reenacting Olympiad events in the Great Hall, and she needed to laugh.

“I’m not sure how I feel about this arrangement,” Ilsa said, stepping up beside her.

“Oh, please,” Avery said. “We both wanted it, and you won. Can’t we just leave it at that?”

Ilsa looked confused. “I’m not talking about lady-in-waiting, which I still have to be lucky enough to be chosen for by the queen herself. I’m talking about assigning you as one of my scouts if she
does
choose me.”

For once, Avery stood speechless. This was the first she’d heard about that.

Tuck had said nothing to her about becoming a scout.

“What is wrong with you?” Ilsa said. “You were right there when he announced it.” Avery shook her head. Ilsa rolled her eyes. “For once, we’re on the same team, you assigned to keep me safe, and I’m sure you’d prefer my head rolls. What do I do to make you
not
want me dead?”

Avery enjoyed making Ilsa squirm. She was about to say she wanted nothing, but then she remembered what she wanted. She held out an open palm.

Ilsa scowled. “What?”

“I want my necklace back.”

“Your silly red necklace?”

Avery swallowed an unkind reply. Now wasn’t the time.

“I don’t have it.”

“You must. You’re the one who laughed at it before it went missing.”

“For the record, I’m not the
only
one who laughed at it, and I
don’t
have it.”

Avery dropped her hand and walked away, more certain than ever she would never see that necklace again.

“You still need to tell me what it’ll take!” Ilsa called after her, but Avery didn’t have the courage to say what she wanted:
Leave Tuck alone.

Avery awoke to someone whistling the song she had played for Angelina that had caused the queen to pass out at court. She shuddered to think how close she might have come to being sent to the tower prison over that unintentional choice.

Avery jumped from her bed, threw on her clothes, and followed the sound to the dining area. And there sat Babs.

“Good morning!” he said, mouth full. “You missed breakfast, so I’m eating yours. Hope you’re not offended.”

He laughed heartily and motioned to a chair across from him, but Avery didn’t budge.

“Not offended,” she mumbled. “No appetite.”

“And I know why,” Babs said with a wave. “It was all anyone could talk about at breakfast. Tuck selected Ilsa over you, and you’re unhappy about it. C’mon, sit.” He shoveled an enormous bite of salt fish into his mouth, making her wonder how he could have been whistling.

“I don’t want to talk about it. Anyway, why do you care?”

Babs set down his fork and looked wounded. “And here I thought we were friends.”

“What do you want from me?” she asked.

“I want you to sit and keep me company a few moments,” he said, his smile returning then fading. “You’re angry. What have I done?”

“I don’t trust you,” she said quietly.

His ice-blue eyes looked genuinely kind, but Avery knew better. She meant nothing but a rich bounty to him. She pulled from her pocket the bulletin she’d pilfered from him and tossed it on the table.

“Found that in your pocket,” she said. Babs stopped chewing and folded his meaty hands in his lap. “Friends, are we?” she continued. “You’re just here to protect me, look out for me?”

“I can explain,” he said weakly.

“Don’t bother. I can see what I am to you.”

“No, it’s not like that. I needed to know who you were. The fishwife described you, but she gave me the bulletin because of the drawing. She told me the eyes and nose weren’t quite right, and they aren’t, are they?”

Now it was Avery who was taken aback. How could the fishwife know that unless she was real? “I don’t look anything like the drawing,” Avery said weakly.

Babs shrugged. “Sure, I knew about the reward. But if I was going to snatch you up, don’t you think I’d have done it before now? You’ve got to believe me. I’m not out to hurt you.”

This, at least, made sense. Had she been wrong to assume the worst?

She moved around the table and sat across from him. “Start from the beginning. I have to know who this fishwife is. What can you tell me about her?”

“I’ve told you all I know! I’d never met her before.”

“You said that, but anything, anything at all. A scary presence who intercepted my first visits to the tunnels here smelled like fish. Does she?”

“Well, of course she does!” Babs said, his smile returning. “But all fishwives do! Everybody who works the harbor does. Hey,
I
probably do!”