Lords of Trillium by Hilary Wagner

who might dare come to Juniper’s aid to stay put.
    â€œElvi,” said Mother Gallo, focusing on the dagger at her husband’s throat, “what’s the meaning of this?”
    Elvi ripped off her black cloak, revealing her full form, something she hadn’t done since returning from Tosca.
    Even with the dagger aimed at him, Juniper slowly took a step back. A dark patch near Elvi’s gray stomach traveled around her back, drenching nearly half of her in solid black.
    Citizens took to their feet—and not just any citizens, but those who had been part of Killdeer’s army, found innocent of wrongdoing by Nightshade’s security. One such rat, a former major, jumped to his feet, looking as though he might be ill. “He-Hecate,” he called out in a strangled voice, searching the crowd for other former majors. “She’s
alive
!” One of Hecate’s rats quickly pounced on him, knocking him out cold with the hilt of his sword.
    Texi looked on in confusion. “Elvi?”
    Smiling pleasantly, Hecate looked up at her on the altar and hurled a dagger in her direction. Texi caught it instinctively. “My name is Hecate.” Her Toscan accent had evaporated. “High Major Hecate.”
    â€œYou’re . . . you’re not Elvi?” Texi’s eyes widened in horror. “You
lied
?”
    â€œYes, my dear. I
had
to. I was part of your great brother’s army. You were too young to remember me. All this time, I’ve been waiting to reclaim what was his—to bring back the High Ministry to its former glory, to pick up where he left off.”
    â€œWhy . . . why would you want to do that?” asked Texi, tearstrickling down her cheeks. “My brother was not a good rat. He was bad. You said so yourself!”
    â€œI had to say such things, but dearest girl, Killdeer was a good rat,” said Hecate, keeping her eyes and dagger trained on Juniper. “Killdeer allowed me to prove myself, to show my strength, when no one else would. Without his teachings, I never would have survived in Tosca, biding my time until I could return to take back what he so unfairly lost.”
    Clover’s face fell in misery. She’d been so defensive of Elvi, never allowing Vincent to speak ill of her when they were searching for the traitor last year. She looked at Vincent. “You were right all along.”
    He took her paw. “I never wanted to be.”
    â€œAll the signs were right in front of me, all this time,” said Juniper. “You’ve been acting so strange these past months, so very different from the sweet little girl I knew from the Catacombs.” He looked regretfully at his citizens. “I’m such a fool.”
    Hecate laughed. “You’re telling me.” She nodded at one of her rats, who let out a long, piercing whistle. Within seconds the yellow-eyed rat emerged from a corridor, followed by former Kill Army High Majors Foiber and Schnauss, along with their cohorts from the prison corridor. Armed with knives and clubs, they rushed the city square.
    Citizens screamed as Schnauss made his way down the aisle, snarling and spitting just as he had in the Catacombs, his dead eye drifting aimlessly in its socket. Dragging his loose, hairless skin, Foiber stomped behind him, cursing, waving his knife recklessly. Citizens cowered in their chairs, parents shielded their little ones.
    â€œThank you, High Major Ragwort,” said Hecate as the yellow-eyed rat approached her.
    He nodded with deference. “Yes, High Minister.”
    Schnauss and Foiber grinned cunningly at Juniper. “This somehow feels
familiar
,” remarked Foiber. “I was in this exact situation years ago, only it was you who did the surprising back then. My, how the tables have turned. I’d spend a lifetime in your prison corridor to have this moment of satisfaction, to see the stupefied look upon your scarred