‘Definitely not a celebrity. It’s just—’
‘Just what? I mean, come on, you’re over eighteen. You can make your own decisions. Besides, it’s not like they could force you to go home or anything.’
Katie’s question sent a rush of heat to my face. Clan honor and family loyalty wasn’t something I could explain to her in a few sentences. Traditions and stringent expectations were the backbone of everything we were, but they were our customs, not those of the gadje.
Katie was trying hard to understand, and I could’ve hugged her for it. I felt the corner of my mouth lifting in a smile. ‘You know, it’s been a few years since I’ve been here on Outcast business. I guess as long as I stay away from the Court of Shadows …’
‘That’s more like it.’ Katie walked past me to the stairs and swung around on the bannister. ‘I’m mean, after all, you’re doing no one any good just moping around here.’
‘Okay, then,’ I said. ‘What do you want to do?’
‘Shopping and lunch,’ she replied. ‘Be right back.’
Katie bounded off to take a shower, which meant she’d be a while. I did my best to stay out of the path of the sisters. Ferka and Paizi were buzzing like frantic bees, getting everything in order. In two days, hundreds of Outcast Gypsies would descend on our primary Haven for the Summer Gathering, a two-week reunion of clans in our kumpania – which meant the bed and breakfast would soon be crawling with Corsis.
I explored the house while I waited on Katie, finally ending up in the kitchen, where a large pot of soup simmered on the stove, filling the room with the scent of meat and onions. I opened the door to the cellar. I expected cool, musty air, but instead, I smelled and felt the warmth of a fire. Curious, I made my way down the groaning steps into a decently sized room with a low ceiling. Part of the room had been furnished, with a sitting area and a couple of twin beds.
Esmeralda sat in a chair with her nose in a book. Other than the light bulb above the stairs, the only illumination came from a low fire in a small fireplace in the corner.
‘Does the sun bother you, like it does Sebastian?’
Esmeralda turned a page. ‘Not anymore,’ she replied. ‘I just prefer evening hours and dark spaces. Old habits, I suppose.’
‘Ezzie?’
She lifted her eyes from the book she was reading. Their color was hazel, soft and unthreatening, not the silver glint they often took on when she was irritated. I took that as a good sign.
‘Well?’ she said.
‘Can I talk to you?’
The muscles in her neck tightened against her dark hair, but she nodded and set the book aside. She leaned against the back of the antique chair. ‘Yes, of course. I was actually wondering how long it would take you to come find me.’
I settled into the chair opposite her. Embers crackled in a small fireplace, producing enough heat to suck the chill from the underground cellar and make the room comfortable to sit in. I watched their pulsing glow for a few breaths.
‘Ezzie, what happened to you, exactly?’
One of her arched brows lifted. ‘Could you be more specific?’
‘After Markus,’ I said carefully.
Creases formed along her forehead and the sides of her mouth. ‘After Markus died, I was brought before the Sobrasi in their Court in Paris. I thought they would kill me, which would’ve been a sweet release. But instead, they did something much worse. I don’t know how it happened. All I remember is waking up in one of their dungeons … as you see me now.’
‘But how did you end up here?’
‘It is a long story through many years,’ she replied.
‘That’s code for more secrets, I take it.’
She almost smiled. ‘I am not the only one with secrets, Kralitsa.’
My breath caught. The traditional title was reserved only for our rulers. I’d never been called it, but again, no one knew I was the future queen. I lowered my voice. ‘How did you know?’
‘I know many things,’ she said simply. The wrinkles eased around her eyes, smoothing her skin once more. ‘After all, I have been around quite a while.’
‘But how—’
‘You have said it yourself. I am an original guardian. I came into existence as a result of your ancestor himself, Keveco Romany, during the seventh century. The year six hundred and ninety-nine, to be exact.’
My mouth dropped open.
‘But you must remember,’ she continued. ‘I was not awake during all this time. In fact, I slept for hundreds of years.’
I studied her features, this time more carefully. ‘Do you age?’
Ezzie’s lip quirked. ‘We age, the same as all of God’s creation, unless we sleep. During that time, our life is suspended – frozen in stone. The moment we awaken, we become a part of this world, subject to the effects of time once more.’ She tilted her head, seeing the question in my eyes. ‘Why have I not died of old age by now? When the Outcasts fled Europe, I was taken with the Corsi clan, who had found a way to allow me to sleep, even in my human form.’
‘You’ve been alive for hundreds of years,’ I mused. ‘Which means you could be alive for hundreds more, if you slept, I mean. You’re basically immortal.’
She laughed, but I heard pain underneath it. ‘To begin with, I am not nearly as young as I would wish for such a life. But we are not made to live out eternity here, neither shadowen nor humans. Our immortality lies in the hands of God.’ Esmeralda paused, and her fingers touched her neck, gently prodding her faded tattoo. I couldn’t make out the design. ‘I was awakened fifteen years ago,’ she continued. ‘By Zindelo and Nadya Corsi.’
I sat upright in the chair. ‘Hugo’s parents.’
‘They gave me some semblance of life, human though it is. I may no longer be a guardian or have a charge, but I still feel the pull of loyalty and duty to the head of the Corsi clan.’
So that’s why she was always so intent on looking after Hugo and the guys. It wasn’t just because Markus had been a Corsi. I clutched my hands together in my lap as I worked through my thoughts.
‘You once told us that love between a gargoyle and charge was forbidden, because of you and Markus. You didn’t want to talk about it then.’ I glanced up at her. ‘What about now?’
Esmeralda uncurled herself from the chair and rose. I thought for a moment she was going to leave the room, but she paused at the bottom of the stairs. She ran her hand over the wooden railing.
‘Markus was not my first charge,’ she said, turning her gaze to the fire. ‘During the first several hundred years of our existence, gargoyles remained statues far longer than they were alive, only awakened when there was a threat, sealed to Roma as needed. But as clans began fighting amongst themselves, gargoyles were used as weapons, rather than guardians. The Sobrasi were formed to regulate the shadow world, but eventually, they came to care more for the power and wealth that control brought them.’
‘But Markus was not one of those,’ I said.
‘No.’ Esmeralda turned her attention to the fire. ‘There were still noble Sobrasi back then. When awakened, gargoyles were given time to acclimate to their surroundings before being sealed to a Gypsy. Markus was the Sobrasi tasked with assimilating them. I was under his care.’
I frowned. ‘So you weren’t his guardian?’
‘Not at first. At that time, every member of the Sobrasi had their own guardian, and I had been selected for someone else. But Markus and I … there was something between us. Something I’d never experienced.’ Ezzie’s eyes glazed over in memory. ‘He went against the head of the Sobrasi and chose me instead.’ She looked back at me. ‘It did not win him much favor among them.’
‘How did you … I mean, how did you fall in love?’
The expression on her face shifted. ‘Even before we were sealed, I felt connected to him. He wasn’t like my past charges. With those, the bond had been strong, but it was born out of a protective duty, a deep and compelling calling. But with Markus …’ Esmeralda hesita
ted, and I saw the corner of her eye twitch, the only evidence of whatever emotions she was dealing with. She sighed. ‘I don’t know why it happened to us. Why we were the ones to be cursed.’
‘How could your relationship be a curse?’
‘Because it got him killed.’
‘Ezzie.’
‘Please,’ she said, holding up her hand. ‘I don’t wish to continue speaking about me. I’ve spent many years trying to move forward.’ She moved to her chair and sat in front of me. ‘But you haven’t asked me the real question yet. The one that concerns you most.’
Ezzie waited patiently.
I fumbled with my pendant. ‘How was it possible? Shadowen are …’
Creatures.
I didn’t want to say the word aloud. But Ezzie seemed to know it, anyway. She perched on the edge of her chair, reminding me of a cat about to pounce. Her eyes locked onto mine with a fierce intensity.
‘When shadowen were first created, they were indeed, creatures of stone, brought to life. The grotesques were once noble beasts, charged with protecting holy places and innocent Roma. Until the blood feuds ripped the Old Clans apart and mutilated the shadow world in the process. Then chimeras were crafted to be even more brutal. You must remember, gargoyles were fashioned by the Roma to fight those evils.’
‘I know, but—’
‘Gargoyles are closely connected to your people, integrally linked in a way no other shadowen has ever been. You have only to look at Sebastian to see that our kind have far more in common with you than with our primal cousins.’
I felt the sting of chastisement. For all the wings and teeth and claws, Sebastian wasn’t that much different from the human boy I first met in school. Not really. Wasn’t that what I told him when he first came to the Circe? Isn’t that what I confessed to Katie just last night?
‘Yes,’ I replied softly.
‘We may begin as stone, brought to life by prah. But also,’ Ezzie leaned closer to me, ‘also by Roma blood. It flows in the veins of every gargoyle, setting them apart from all other shadowen. So no matter what protests we may give, no matter what laws are handed down by your people, one thing remains true. Our stone hearts beat with human blood. And because they do—’
‘You’re capable of love,’ I finished.
‘In every aspect of the word,’ Ezzie replied, fixing her eyes pointedly on me. ‘Sebastian has love for the clan he serves. Love for his friends and his family. But also, love for another who he believes is far more than simply his charge. Yes, Josephine, we can love in every way humans are able.’
Shame burned my cheeks. Sebastian wasn’t monstrous, like he thought he was. I’d firmly believed it from the start. Yet, somehow, internally, I’d contradicted what I felt about him by voicing my questions. I raised my eyes to see Ezzie, regarding me. There was no judgment in her countenance.
I wrapped my fingers around the dandelion pendant. Its glass surface burned hot against my skin, but it made me shiver, as though someone had thrown open a door in the dead of winter. I breathed deeply through the ache inside me. ‘Ezzie, do you think he’s okay?’
She tilted her head to the side. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘I can’t really explain it,’ I replied, tucked the pendant under my shirt. ‘Just a bad feeling. I didn’t say anything to Katie. I don’t want to worry her, not after she’s finally coming to grips with our world, and I didn’t want to say anything to Hugo, either, not when it’s just a feeling.’
‘You’re right to trust your feelings, Josephine, even if you do not understand them fully. Sebastian is your guardian, regardless, and you’ve experienced how strongly that bond links you together. I also have an unsettled feeling, about many matters. I am anxious to hear what Zindelo has to say.’
My eyes widened. ‘You’ve talked to Hugo’s father?’
She smirked, but there wasn’t any life in her eyes. ‘I have the means of contacting them, when needed.’
‘But Hugo—’
‘Doesn’t know,’ she replied.
‘Even though Hugo is technically the bandoleer right now?’
Esmeralda’s shoulders rose for a moment, and then sunk lower. A shadow crept across her countenance, and the cold, confident air that usually radiated around her seemed to fizzle. ‘I must admit, it has been difficult. I do not enjoy keeping things from Hugo Corsi.’
My phone buzzed and I glanced at the screen.
Where r u? Ready?
Katie. I’d forgotten all about going out. I hadn’t been too keen on it to begin with anyway. Now, after hearing all this, I definitely didn’t want to go anywhere. What if Hugo came back while we were gone? I needed to know how Sebastian was, to make sure he was okay.
‘Josephine.’
Ezzie had retrieved her book and settled back into her chair. She was studying me, but her eyes were kinder than before. As if reading my thoughts, she said, ‘You should go with Katie. Sitting here worrying about things you cannot change is pointless. I can, however, tell you this: I believe, come tonight, we will have the answers.’
9. Josephine
‘You have to try this,’ said Katie.
I made a face. ‘It’s okra.’
‘Yeah,’ she said, thrusting her fork in my direction. ‘Try it.’
The chunky vegetable clinging to the utensil looked unappealing in every way. I’d let Katie choose the restaurant – something completely gadje and away from our connections in the city. She’d gone with a place called Auntie Mae’s, where everything on the menu was either fried or drowning in butter.
‘Keep that on your side of the table.’
‘Your loss.’ Katie crammed the fork into her mouth.
Our window seat afforded a great view of the square. Tourists gathered around the water fountain in the center. Kids played in grassy spots underneath the canopy of trees. Two older gentlemen wearing straw hats sat on opposite ends of a park bench, both reading papers.
I’d forgotten how much I loved the feel of the city, with its bustling coastal charm. If I became Queen of the Outcast Clans one day, this would be my home and my life at the Circe would be over. The weight of responsibility settled over me again. I never could get rid of it for long.
Katie reached for the last piece of cornbread. ‘Are you going to eat that?’
‘Are you going to eat that?’
Sebastian glanced sideways at me. The apples of his cheeks and the tips of his pointed ears darkened slightly, which I’d come to realize was the equivalent of a blush on his gray skin.
I shook my head. ‘All yours.’
‘Thanks.’
He picked up the uneaten half of my sandwich and set it on his paper plate, contemplating it only a moment before proceeding to pull it apart with his formidable claws and retrieve the thick slabs of ham inside. He gnawed on one, and I watched as his eyelids drooped contentedly.
I considered commenting on the meat thing, but he’d only just gotten comfortable eating with me during my lunch breaks. I didn’t want to spoil the few quiet minutes we had before Andre called me back to rehearse another balancing act. I crumpled the plastic wrapper and tossed it into the trash bin beside the bleachers, keeping my attention on Claire and the other trapeze artists as they worked high in the tent’s canopy. Finally, I broke the silence between us.
‘Do you ever think about your future, Sebastian?’
He brushed his hands off on the sides of his jeans, and his dark lips parted as he took in a breath. ‘Well, it seems my future is pretty obvious, don’t you think?’
I heard the catch in his voice, but it didn’t sound bitter, or even sad, really. In my heart, I sensed another emotion, which layered his words, even as he tried to hide it with a close-lipped smirk.
Fear.
He was afraid.
Not only could I feel it, but I could read it in the occasional shudder of his wings and the haunted look in his uniquely colored eyes. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to tell him so much, but not here – not with
Marksmen everywhere and the unrelenting schedule leading up to opening night. I placed my hand over his. I felt him flinch, but he didn’t move away. A picnic, I decided. We’d get away from the Circe, and then I’d be able to tell Sebastian my secrets.
And maybe he’d tell me his.
‘More sweet tea, honey?’
I blinked away the memory and nodded to the rosy-faced server as she filled my glass and bustled away. Katie wiped her chin with the linen napkin and sighed happily.
‘I’m totally stuffed. We’re going to need to do some serious walking to work this off. Ready for some shopping?’
We were in Katie’s element now. I knew she wanted to take my mind off things, so I consented. We paid the bill and stepped outside. The air clung to my face sticky and hot.
‘Got any preferences?’ I asked.
Katie’s light brows scrunched together. ‘Gosh, I don’t know. You know this place better than me.’
‘Well.’ I checked the street signs. ‘Let’s go down to the waterfront. It’s really pretty by the river. There aren’t many Outcast-owned businesses there – that I remember anyway. It’s been a while since I’ve stayed here.’
My phone buzzed. I took a breath before checking the text. Two different messages had come through, one an hour ago, and the other right then. The earlier text was from Francis, asking how things were going. It was easy to tap out a quick reply to my brother. But the more recent one was from Quentin, and my stomach tightened uncomfortably as I read it.
Josie text me back.
Why aren’t you replying?
‘What are you going to tell him?’ said Katie, looking over my arm at the messages. ‘Are you going to keep him thinking you’re at my house, even though you’re here and he’s here?’
‘It’s a big city,’ I replied. ‘He doesn’t have to know.’
‘I get that Quentin doesn’t like Sebastian,’ said Katie, ‘and I know you’re worried he would tell your dad you were here. But Josie, you’re his girlfriend. He could help you, right? Get you in to see the Queen?’
‘He wouldn’t,’ I replied, starting off towards the river and choosing not to meet Katie’s look. ‘No matter what our relationship might be, Quentin wouldn’t interfere with these proceedings. He wanted Sebastian to stand before the Kris Romani. That’s why he refused to cast a vote back at the Circe. Quentin sees Sebastian exactly the same way as he sees any other shadowen, as an evil curse from our past that only wants to destroy us.’
Midnight Page 9