Heartless Hunter
by Kristen Ciccarelli
Contents
Thirty-Nine. Gideon
Overview
Gideon arrives at the palace just in time to see Rune consumed by black spellfire and throws himself into the blaze to pull her out, escaping through servants’ passages when the unnatural fire keeps hunting her. Shaken, Rune believes Seraphine wanted her dead, while Gideon struggles with what it means that a witch targeted Rune at all.
After Verity collects Rune, Gideon follows Laila back into the scorched courtyard and finds a casting signature left behind. The mark identifies the caster as Cressida Roseblood—supposedly dead—suggesting an infiltrator at the Luminaries Dinner and a dangerous new turn in Gideon’s hunt.
Summary
Gideon Sharpe rides from the grisly discovery of James Tasker’s corpse to the palace, only to hear screams of “Fire!” from the courtyard as the Luminaries Dinner breaks into panic. He forces his way through fleeing guests and sees Rune Winters alone on the purging platform as black spellfire funnels toward her; before he can reach her, Rune vanishes into the flames.
Gideon rips off the expensive jacket Rune gave him and charges into the smoke, using it to shield himself as he climbs the platform and breaks through the spinning fire. Inside the eye of the spellfire, he finds Rune shocked and shaking, wraps her in the jacket, and carries her back through the flames. The spellfire pursues them toward the courtyard doors, but Gideon crashes through and gets them into the hall before the unnatural fire begins eating at the doorway behind them.
Gideon drags Rune through servants’ routes and the kitchens to a rear delivery exit, watching for the fire to follow. Outside in the alley, Rune insists the fire was a spell and fears Seraphine wanted her dead, but Gideon argues Seraphine couldn’t cast something that powerful while bound in iron. A kitchen child brings Rune water and says the spellfire is gone, and Gideon privately tries to reconcile the implication that a witch targeted Rune with his suspicion that Rune might be a witch.
As they talk, Rune admits she was hurt that Gideon gave her no sign for three days and feared he was “jilting” her; Gideon insists he hasn’t stopped thinking about her. Verity arrives, urging Rune to leave before the witch is caught, and Gideon offers an escort, but Rune refuses. Rune kisses Gideon’s cheek in thanks, and Gideon, stung by Verity’s judgment and drawn to Rune, pulls Rune into a deeper kiss before Rune breaks away, teasing that she prefers buttercups (or daisies) as flowers.
After Rune and Verity depart, Laila finds Gideon and rushes him back to the courtyard to view a fading clue. Under a scorched tablecloth, they uncover a glowing casting signature: a thorny rose enclosed by a crescent moon. Gideon recognizes it instantly as belonging to Cressida Roseblood—a witch he believes should be dead—confirming a hidden witch was among the guests.
Who Appears
- Gideon SharpeBlood Guard captain; rescues Rune from spellfire and learns Cressida’s signature was at the dinner.
- Rune WintersTarget of black spellfire; confides fears about Seraphine and shares an intimate moment with Gideon.
- LailaAlly who guides Gideon to a fading casting signature in the courtyard.
- VerityRune’s friend; finds her after the fire and insists they leave before the witch is caught.
- SeraphineMentioned as a suspected source of the spellfire; Rune believes she wanted Rune dead.
- Cressida RosebloodWitch believed dead; identified by her thorny rose-and-crescent casting signature.
- James TaskerRecently found dead; Gideon recalls his corpse while rushing back to the palace.