Heartless Hunter

Rune recounts the day she learned she was a witch. She’d planned and hosted Alex’s 16th birthday at Thornwood Hall, but the party was interrupted by the arrival of her period. Witches’ first bleedings are black, and the black blood that soaked through her underwear and stained her dress stunned her. When Alex discovered her in this state, she worried he would turn her into the Blood Guard. Instead, he retrieved spare clothes and a mug of tea and started a hot bath for Rune. From that moment on, Rune knew she could trust Alex with her life.

As Gideon walks through Old Town, he combs through the evening’s events. While Rune had acted awkward, he has no proof she is the Moth. When someone begins following Gideon and he begins to smell roses—Cressida’s smell—he is spooked because the witch is dead. He dips into a back alley to lose the pursuer and continues to his apartment above the old tailor shop that once belonged to his parents. While he hasn’t entered the shop in years, he did so earlier that night to sew Rune’s flower. Gideon remembers Rune complaining about not having a dress to wear to the Luminaries Dinner and spends all night sketching potential dresses for her until he settles on the perfect design.