Free Garnet's Story by Amy Ewing

wrong, or should I be delayed in any way, I will need your help. One last favor.”
    â€œFavor,” I snort. “Right.”
    â€œFair enough. You will do this one last thing for me. You must make sure she gets to the Jewel’s morgue.”
    â€œI’m sorry, what?” I ask. “Take her to the morgue ? Why? I thought you were trying to help her not kill her.”
    Lucien does that thing where he sighs like I’m the stupidest person in the world. “It does not matter why,” he says. “All that matters is she get there. The servants’ wing. The entrance is never locked. Down the farthest alley on the right.”
    I feel like I should be writing all this down.
    â€œHow do you expect me to sneak a surrogate out of my mother’s house and to the morgue?”
    â€œI don’t,” Lucien says sharply. “I expect that she will be delivered there by the morgue attendants. I am telling you this only as a precaution. Ideally, you will not have to take her anywhere at all.”
    â€œThe morgue attendants only come to pick up dead bodies,” I point out.
    â€œPrecisely.”
    I open my mouth, then close it, then open it again. “I’m confused.”
    There’s a pause. I can sense him pondering what to tell me, and how much. As if I haven’t proved myself trustworthy enough by now.
    â€œI have created a serum that will make her appear as though she were dead,” he says in a hurried, clipped tone, as if he makes death-defying serums every day.
    â€œWow,” I say. “That’s . . . really?”
    â€œYes. However, if she is not able to take the serum, or for some reason it fails to work as I anticipate, I must have your word you will help get her to the morgue.”
    â€œI’ve given you my word once already,” I say. “And Ihaven’t broken it or taken it back yet, have I?”
    â€œNo,” Lucien agrees. “You have not.”
    â€œGood. So. Morgue. All right.” Not sure how I’d ever make that happen, but hopefully, like Lucien said, I won’t have to.
    â€œOne last thing.” There’s another pause, a longer one. “Your arcana,” he says finally. “It can connect with the one I gave her.”
    â€œIt can?” I yelp. “How?”
    â€œTap it on something metal and speak her name into it. And when you wish to sever the connection you need only squeeze it with your hand. But under no circumstances are you to contact her unless the need is dire, do you understand?”
    â€œDire need,” I say, marveling at the creation hovering in front of my eyes. “Got it. How do you come up with all of this stuff anyway?”
    For the first time, I hear a little smile in Lucien’s voice. “I was fortunate enough to be born with slightly above average intelligence. And I have access to a great deal of money.”
    I laugh. All this is funded by the Exetor? Incredible. How much else is going on in my own circle that I don’t know about? And what else has Lucien created?
    But I don’t get to ask before he says, “I have to go,” and the arcana falls to the floor. I pick it up and put it on my nightstand before heading to my closet to pick out my clothes for the evening.
    T HE W INTER B ALL IS ALWAYS THE BEST BALL OF THE YEAR.
    It takes place in a glass ballroom lit with thousandsof candles—no glowglobes are lit on the Longest Night. Boughs of hellebore hang from the chandeliers and everyone wears white.
    But the best part is, all my friends are here and I didn’t have to come with Coral. In fact, I barely see her all night and that’s just fine with me. We aren’t married yet, and it’s been ages since I’ve seen Jasper and Peri.
    At some point I notice Violet is missing, but so is Lucien, so I assume he’s giving her the serum. Another perk—after tomorrow night, I won’t have to be his little lookout anymore