Chapter 21: Iris's Confession Trap

After the snow gate battle, Rowan vanished. That was the official report. Nora did not believe it for one second. Men like Rowan did not vanish. They positioned themselves where blame could not find them first. Frost scouts found hunter tracks leading south, Thornveil marks carved into three trees, and one torn strip of blue silk caught on the eastern fence. Iris. By noon, Council rumor had already turned her into a victim. Poor false Luna. Poor used sister. Poor woman abandoned by the Alpha who had promised her a crown. Nora listened to the whispers from Maeve's bedside and felt nothing soft. "Let me talk to her," Maeve said. "No." "She will not confess to you. She hates you too cleanly." Nora looked at her friend's bandaged shoulder. "She tried to get you killed." "Which means she will want me to know she nearly won." Darius, standing near the window, said, "Maeve is right." Nora turned on him. "Do not help her be reckless." "I am helping you use your best witness." Maeve smiled weakly. "Hear that? Best." The trap was simple. Too simple to be a trap Rowan would respect. That was why it worked. They placed Maeve in a small recovery parlor with one guard outside the visible door and three Frost wolves hidden behind the old screen wall. Nora watched from the mirror passage with Darius beside her. The passage had been built for Council clerks who needed to verify testimony without being seen. Iris arrived in a mourning veil. She lifted it only after the door closed. "You look terrible," she said. Maeve leaned against her pillows. "You look frightened." Iris's smile flashed. "Of a maid?" "Of Nora." The smile disappeared. In the mirror glass, Nora saw Iris's hands curl. Maeve continued, "Everyone knows you forged the mark. Everyone knows Rowan left you. Soon they will know you drugged Nora." "No one can prove I knew what was in that tonic." Nora went still. Darius's eyes narrowed. Maeve gave a small, pained laugh. "You just did." Iris stepped closer. "Do you think anyone will care? Rowan wanted her empty. I only helped him get what he wanted." Nora's nails dug into her palm. "He knew?" Maeve asked. Iris bent until her face was close to Maeve's. "Of course he knew. After the first year. Before that he was just stupid. After that, he was useful." The hidden recorder stone on the mantel glowed once. Captured. Maeve did not stop. "And the blanket?" "She needed to be scared enough to run. If Darius had not found her, the snow would have solved everything." Darius moved. Nora caught his sleeve this time. He stopped, shaking with restraint. Maeve whispered, "You wanted her baby dead." Iris's face twisted. "I wanted my life back." "It was never yours." Iris slapped her. The screen wall exploded inward. Frost guards seized Iris before she could reach the door. Maeve touched her split lip and smiled through blood. "Got you." Nora stepped out of the mirror passage. Iris saw her and understood. For the first time since childhood, Nora watched her sister truly afraid. "Nora," Iris said. Nora picked up the recorder stone from the mantel. "Everyone hears this at the next session." Iris's fear curdled into hatred. "Then tell them Rowan knew. Tell them he sent me south to meet Thornveil. Tell them he promised them your child before he ever rejected you." Nora's hand closed around the stone. Iris leaned toward her as the guards dragged her away. "And tell your Lycan King," she hissed, "Thornveil already has someone inside Frosthold."