Treachery Queen (The Callistra Chronicles #1)

TWENTY-FIVE

Chapter Twenty-Five

Pasiphae awoke with a sudden chill. She started into the living world, her hand spasming by her side and hitting Seth.

"Ouch!" he bit out, cracking one eye open. "What gives?"

Pasiphae struggled to adjust her vision. She could barely see through the thick clouds that came from her every exhale. "It's— it's—" She shivered. "It's cold."

Seth sat up, shrugging the blankets off and immediately pulling them back over his arms.

The glass of the balcony door was misted over in ice.

"They've dropped the magical barrier," Seth said hoarsely. "The Winter Solstice is here."

The two of them tumbled onto their feet. Pasiphae scrambled for her cloak, though her fingers were shaking so badly she could barely pull the clasp. "What time is it?"

"Midnight."

Seth drew open the balcony door, and a gust of wind blew in, so frigid and cold that Pasiphae could have jumped into her own skin and curled up for an eternity.

"Wake the others and put on your collar, Saf. The ceremonies have begun."

Pasiphae turned on her heel, blindly walking towards where she thought the line of doors were. She lightly tapped on them after the other, and each was answered with a relatively quick response.

Psyche and Charlize stumbled out in a panic, as if they were expecting an intrusion. Bel-Arh, however, emerged calmly. He appeared as if he hadn't even slept.

Pasiphae peered into his room, squinting. His bed didn't have a single crease in it, and the covers were pulled up to the headboard.

"Did you even—"

"What's going on?" Psyche cut in, reaching over her and shutting Bel-Arh's door for him.

Pasiphae clamped her mouth shut.

"We're heading down," Seth called from the other side of the room, saving her from a response. He was rubbing at the hard condensation on the balcony glass. "Put on all your layers."

As the other three rummaged through the luggage, Pasiphae joined Seth by the balcony door. She stood behind him, waiting.

"Your sister's name is Circe."

Suddenly, Pasiphae could hear the sound of blood rushing in her ears.

He pronounced it well. He pronounced the intonations like he knew the name, knew the story.

"I thought you said you didn't hear anything from my conversation," she said tightly.

"Just the tail end," Seth said. He hadn't turned around. "That doesn't count."

Pasiphae took a step forward. They were shoulder to shoulder.

"How is this going to end?"

Seth turned to look at her then. "What?"

"How is it going to end?" she repeated, staring straight ahead. "You go your way, I go mine?"

"How do you want it to end?"

Now it was her turn to swivel and look at him.

"What?"

He shrugged. "We're friends now, aren't we?"

Despite the fact that both of them worked under false names? "Yes," she said, before she could really think about what the word meant.

"Then let's just survive this day," Seth said. The corner of his lip curled up. "And go from there."