A Million Roads to Nowhere

It Could Be Worse

Clementine is out on the top of the castle, on the battlements. Patrick has to pass Erikur on his way up the ramparts, who warns him that she's in a foul mood. Now, Patrick already figured as much, so he's not dissuaded to continue.

She's leaning against the wall, hip jutted out and elbow resting on the stone. She has a glass of wine in one hand and stares bitterly out at the waves splashing the rocks, presumably the ones Alexei died on.

"Lady Clementine?"

She doesn't turn around and doesn't immediately say anything for a few painstaking breaths. Patrick wonders if he should leave and she eventually half glances over her shoulder and he gets a glimpse of bright blue.

"Alexei was a good friend of mine and I will never be able to find anyone to replace him. Mab smells of this and your girl made a deal with her. Am I putting this together correctly?"

"I didn't know if I should tell you!" Patrick blurts. "I promised her I wouldn't say anything and I kind of hoped that it would, uh, go away. It was stupid of me and I'm sorry."

Clementine hums and turns around, still leaning against the wall. He'd rather her not look at him, but at least she doesn't look any more angry than her resting face usually is.

"Go on."

"Lena promised Mab three lives and Mab said she would reverse the curse. She has until the full moon once she gets the name. I think Mab helped her with uh, Alexei... and she..." Patrick's voice drops to a whisper, struggling to get it out. "She killed her rats, the night after she made the deal, I think. I don't think anyone has noticed."

Clementine puts her hand on her hip. "This is annoying."

"Um, yes."

"It's very annoying, in fact." She swirls the red liquid around in her glass, contemplative. "I do appreciate your honesty. It's cute, but I would rather have been told of this earlier."

"I wasn't thinking."

"It seems that thinking has long since run out of fashion. This makes things unnecessarily complicated. Things are getting complicated." Clementine pauses and rests her hand against her forehead. "Here, you can have the rest of this. It's making me sound witless and I can't think properly."

Patrick accepts the wine she offers out and downs the last of it, and immediately wishes he hadn't. It feels like he got punched in the gut, perhaps by some sugary demon. The taste in his mouth is fruity, almost, but unlike any fruit he's ever tasted.

"Fae wine. You'll need it. Go do something useful while it's still in you. It took me too much trouble to get that."

The only useful thing Patrick does is try not to puke once she leaves.

Clementine kicks Rozenn's soldiers out of the breakfast hall, much to their dissent, however she pays them no heed and they reluctantly storm off. Once the room is vacated of prying eyes and ears, she addresses the room with solemnity. Patrick, Brynjar, Isla, Ewan, and Erikur sit at the tables and she stands before them like a queen.

"I have acquired some new information and have had some time to consider what decision to make. It seems Queen Maeve-" said mockingly, venomously "-has got it into her head that an opportunity to get back at me has arisen and has launched a personal attack on me."