Chapter 314
The moment we step into the corridor, away from the too-perfect glow of the receiving hall and all those watching, painted smiles, Delphi mutters under her breath, “Things will never change.”
Cora doesn’t look at her, doesn’t break stride. “Not today. But soon.”
Delphi’s voice lowers, almost trembling. “Did you count them, Cor? The girls at the gathering?”
Cora’s mouth flattens.
“And so many of them were so young,” Delphi adds. “They barely look old enough to have finished their schooling.”
I blink. “They don’t go to school.”
Both women freeze. Cora turns slowly, her expression suddenly taut. “What did you just say?”
“I—” I fumble. “When I was with them earlier, I mentioned going to school. Most of them didn’t know what I was talking about. Some of the older girls had to explain that school was kind of like their court lessons.”
Cora’s eyes narrow. “Court lessons.”
I nod. “Yeah, like etiquette, dancing, painting, music… It’s all very nineteenth century of them. But I figured that’s just the life of court ladies, right?”
Cora shakes her head once, sharp and final. “No, Phoebe. Not court ladies. Courtesans.”
My stomach drops. “What?”
Delphi frowns. “It didn’t start that way. For as long as the Eastern Twilight has existed, maintaining a strong bloodline has been a core tenant of our Clan.”
Cora continues, her voice clipped. “Ages ago, that meant exactly what you’re thinking. Purebloods. Selective pairings. But that practice ended after one illegitimate love child was named Heir over six others with ‘perfect’ parentage. From there, it became about quantity, not just quality. The more children you had, the more ‘worthy’ your line.”
My mouth is dry. “That’s messed up, but… okay. How did we get from that to… what, a baby farm?”
Cora’s eyes go cold. “Lovelace.”
I stare at her, horrified. “They’re not all his, are they?”
Cora shakes her head. “No. Thank the gods. But he’s the one who started refining the bloodline. Pairing off family members with friends, diplomats, merchant sons, whoever caught his attention. He decides. He. Decides.”
“And the men?” I ask, already dreading the answer.
Delphi snorts. “He marries them off, too. To trade allies in the other Civil Clans. Sends them away. The women? He keeps here. Close. Where he can make sure they’re ‘doing their duty to Electra.’”
I feel sick. “Which Clans are considered ‘civil’?”
Cora sighs. “When we were young, it was the Cradle, the Great Expanse, the Anchor, and the Eastern Twilight itself. Back then, trade and intermarriage were common. That’s changed.”
I rub at the ache building behind my eyes. “Two of Shoal’s closest allies used to be Twilight trade partners.”
Cora scoffs. “Probably one of the reasons Lovelace is so desperate to hold this Conclave. He’s always been a shameless social climber.”
My thoughts race, churning through everything I’ve seen since arriving. “So… that’s why you both left. You didn’t want to be paired off like livestock.”
Delphi nods solemnly. “He was waiting to see which of us would inherit Electra’s power after our great aunt passed. But we didn’t want to stick around and find out who’d get stuck bearing some eel farmer’s babies for the sake of ‘heritage.’”
Cora’s jaw flexes. “I hated knowing you’d be here alone. Surrounded by all those poor, brainwashed girls.”
“They were kind to me,” I say quietly. “They welcomed me. Invited me to a tea party.”
Cora’s head whips toward me. “Tea? What tea?”
“That dark purple stuff they serve in those little pearl jugs,” I say. “Tasted strong, but surprisingly good.”
Cora curses and slams her hand against the nearest wall. The stone vibrates with the impact.
“One night,” she snaps. “You haven’t been here one night and that bastard is already trying to trap you here!”
“Wait, what?” I demand, alarm crawling over my skin. “What do you mean trap me?”
Cora spins to face me, eyes blazing. “I’m almost certain that tea is brewed from star seed. It’s not just some fancy Twilight tradition. It’s a fertility stimulant. And an aphrodisiac.”
I reel. “Wait. What? Are you saying—am I pregnant?!”
“No!” Delphi rushes to clarify, grabbing my shoulders. “It doesn’t make you pregnant on its own. It just… increases the likelihood. Radically.”
Cora’s voice is tight, controlled fury barely held in check. “It manipulates your hormones. Your mood. Makes your body ready. Makes you more—open.”
I feel like I’ve just swallowed an entire ocean of bile. “So that bath I took…”
“Did it feel like everything was heightened?” Delphi asks, her tone grim.
“I couldn’t tell where my body ended and the water began,” I whisper. “And when Wake showed up, I—” I stop myself, cheeks flushing hot even here.
Cora exhales like she’s aged ten years in the last ten minutes. “Oh, Phoebe.”
My mind goes staticky. Even the possibility is too much to process, not with the end of the world on our doorstep.
Then and there, I choose my priorities—stop Shoal, and then stop… whatever the fuck this place is.
For good.
The Eastern Twilight glows like a pearl from the outside.
But from within?
It’s a cage.
And I plan to tear the door off its hinges.
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