Chapter Twenty-Three

Lore, Gabe, Alie, Bastian, Cecelia, and Olivier continue their croquet game at court. Lore struggles with the game and dislikes losing, while Alie gently coaches her. Lore notices Alie repeatedly watching Gabe and trying to reach him, but Gabe remains distant and self-conscious, especially around his eye patch.

Alie invites Lore to join her and her friends for tea every Sixth Day, giving Lore both a possible friendship and a useful opening into court society. During the game, Cecelia openly drinks belladonna tea from a flask. When Lore asks where Cecelia gets it, Cecelia says nobles take confiscated poison from bloodcoat storage rooms, exposing another way court privilege shields nobles from punishments that would send others to the Burnt Isles.

After Cecelia and Olivier leave, Alie explains that Cecelia is ill and takes belladonna hoping to extend her life. Gabe condemns poison use as a violation of the Tracts, while Alie argues that fear of death complicates moral judgment. Lore understands why sick people might take poison but is angered by the injustice that desperate commoners are punished while nobles drink confiscated poison casually.

A servant brings Lore a summons from August to the throne room. Bastian interprets it as an order to come immediately and leaves Lore and Gabe to face the king. In the throne room, August and Anton appear exhausted and tense, suggesting they have been arguing. August praises Lore for getting close to Bastian and asks whether Bastian revealed anything on their outing.

Lore lies smoothly, saying Bastian only took them to the docks and a boxing ring. Anton asks whether Bastian did anything strange, which makes Lore think of how Bastian prevented her from channeling Mortem, but she claims nothing unusual happened. Anton accepts the answer and praises their progress, while Gabe silently struggles with lying to the mentor he reveres. The meeting is abruptly interrupted when Malcolm bursts in and reports a large Mortem leak in the Southeast Ward.