Thirty-Five - Isabel
???
The ride intoLeort was miserable. My discomfort had little to do with the rain that fell during the second half of my trip. Nor was it primarily caused by my lack of experience riding. My discomfort wasn’t physical.
I didn’t want to leave. When I couldn’t even mount the first two days, I had wondered if it was because of my own hesitations, not Felix’s. But I could do the most to help him by going to Leort and stopping whatever rumors Marc was spreading. Felix could experiment with the node without me. I had even written out dozens of ideas for him to try while I waited for Marc to say anything of note through the mirror.
When I reached Leort, I rode directly to the building where Rose Castle staff had set up shop months ago. Tying the mare to a post out front, I headed inside.
Berklay was easy to find, but hard to approach. People walked up to him in a never-ending stream, and he was constantly talking to at least three people at once. I tried to make my way across the room, but while the secretaries made way for each other, they mostly gave me confused looks. I didn’t know most of these people. Many had come from other parts of Nemya in order to work at Truthhold.
I had only made it past the first row of desks when Berklay looked up and spotted me. I had met the butler before, though I knew him mostly through his brother’s stories.
With a wave of his hand, he sent the people trying to get his attention scurrying away. “Miss Cardh!”
Suddenly, every eye in the room was on me. The secretaries might not know me by sight, but they recognized my name. Lovely. I ignored them and addressed Berklay, lifting the satchel at my side. “I have a delivery for you.”
“Come into my office.” He gestured at the far corner of the room, where a door led deeper into the building. I made my way past the desks, my progress unhindered this time, and met him at the door. He said nothing as we walked through a narrow hall.
We passed several doors before Berklay stopped and gestured for me to precede him into a room. “I take it Frederic delivered my letter, then? He was less than forthcoming with me when he returned from Rose Castle.”
“Technically, he didn’t deliver the letter, but Felix—I mean, His Grace—received it all the same. Marc was working against him this whole time. He’s responsible for the rumors and mentioned nothing about the princess’s visit after his last trip to town.”
Berklay nodded, not looking surprised in the least. “How did you end up helping His Grace?”
I shrugged. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the details, but His Grace included a letter for you in his latest report that should explain some things.”
Berklay nodded again, and I pulled the papers from the satchel and handed them over.
I closed the satchel again, not wanting anyone to spot the mirror. “I also rode the duke’s horse into town. She’s tied up out front, if there is someone who can get her settled.”
“Of course. I’ll see to it. Are you returning to Rose Castle tomorrow?”
“No. I have a few matters to see to in town.”
“Send Frederic my way if he gives you a hard time.”
“Trying to avoid him will only make things worse,” I said ruefully. My mentor among the constables trusted me when it came to digging up answers and solving crimes, but he overcompensated for my father’s lack of parental concern in my personal life.
“True.” Berklay’s eyes moved over the letter from Felix. “I wish you luck then.”
“Thanks.”
I exited out the back of the building, following the alley until it let out at the next street. I wasn’t far from the courthouse, which made my decision on where to go next simpler. I wanted to talk to Sofia before running into anyone else, anyway. Given the reaction of the secretaries to my name, I needed a better idea of which rumors had trickled out of the taverns and reached the general populace.
Larger than the neighboring buildings, the courthouse stood out with its brick walls. Most houses and shops in Leort had half-timber frames. I realized with a start that the courthouse no longer looked imposing to me. It was simply a brick building where hidebound old men resisted change.
Across the square from the courthouse stood the town hall, which blended into its surroundings better, apart from the clock tower. A glance at the clock made me decide to wait rather than go inside the courthouse in search of my twin. She’d come out within a quarter hour, and waiting sounded better than running into any of the magistrates when I didn’t know exactly what they’d heard about me. My approach would depend on if the primary rumors were the ones disparaging me or Felix.
I made my way to a shadowy corner between two buildings and watched the doors of the courthouse. Sofia came out when I expected, but instead of turning right, she made her way left. I cursed and dashed down the street after her. I should have guessed she wouldn’t be going to our home. She spent more nights with her beau than not. She had been at Leo’s the morning Edwin told me that I needed to go to Rose Castle, preventing me from even telling her about my departure.
“Sofia,” I hissed when I was a few paces behind her. I didn’t want to attract anyone’s notice but hers.
She slowed and looked behind her. “Isa!”
Well, so much for not attracting attention. My sister threw herself at me, wrapping me in a tight hug and garnering the notice of most of the other people on the street.
I hugged her back, ignoring the spectacle we made. “I’m so glad to see you.”
Sofia pulled back, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “Where have you been? I’ve been so worried!”
I frowned. “What did Father tell you?”
A moment of confusion was followed swiftly by understanding and anger. “Father? I should have known he had something to do with it. You’d never disappear without a good reason, but he claimed not to know where you had gone. He couldn’t even tell me exactly when you left.”
She wouldn’t have used her power on him, I knew. If Father had lied to her, then she had probably felt guilty this whole time that she hadn’t been home when I went missing. I squeezed her tighter, then stepped back. “I’ll tell you all that I can, but let’s get home first.”
She glanced back the way she had been walking, her teeth sinking into her lip.
“Right,” I said with a chuckle. “You weren’t going home.”
“I am now.” She glanced back again. “But I’d like to tell Leo first.”
“Of course. I’m not going to make you disappear on anyone without warning. I’ll meet you back home?”
Sofia hooked her arm through mine. “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not letting you out of my sight until I have explanations. You can come with me, then we’ll walk home together. Leo will want to see you are safe with his own eyes, anyway. He’s been worried too.”
It was a measure of my sister’s faith in her lover that her words registered to my magical senses as being true with only the slightest hint that they were opinions rather than fact. Not that I truly thought Leo wouldn’t have a care at all about me, but his focus would have been on how my disappearance affected Sofia.
???
Though our fatherwasn’t home, Sofia and I retreated to my bedroom wordlessly when we reached the townhouse. We settled across from each other on the bed, as we had so many times before. I held the satchel that still contained the enchanted mirror in my lap. Not much longer before I could listen to Felix.
Sofia shifted, tucking one leg under herself. “Well? Where have you been? The most ridiculous rumors have been circulating this week.”
“Rumors that I was imprisoned by Duke Felix?”
Sofia nodded. “I’m not sure why so many people thought the story plausible, but your disappearance didn’t make much sense. Frederic, in particular, has been worried.”
“The story isn’t as implausible as you believe.” I had been planning my story for days. The non-disclosure clause of the contract would prevent me from sharing many details about the curse, but it didn’t tie my tongue completely. “Father tried to steal from Rose Castle and was caught.”
Sofia winced, then her expression hardened. “What does that have to do with you? I know you wouldn’t have bailed him out.”
“Not voluntarily. As it happened, Duke Felix needed a truth-mage. He bargained with Father, offering him freedom from prosecution in exchange for my services. Then he manipulated a loophole in the law that allowed Father to sign a contract in my name. The node magic forced me to go to Rose Castle.”
I had considered softening the story, an impulse that had surprised me, but as my sister had already pointed out, I would have let our father deal with the consequences of his actions on his own if left to my own devices. She wouldn’t believe that I had opted to go to the castle in his place.
For perhaps the first time ever, I saw my sister truly mad. I recognized the look, but had previously only seen it in a mirror, not my twin. I reached out and put a hand on her knee. “It wasn’t bad, I promise.”
Sofia shook her head. “No. I know you, Isa. And I know you’d lie to me if you thought it necessary. You will not convince me it wasn’t bad.”
I pulled back, surprised at her vehemence. “Truth-tell me then. There are some questions I can’t answer because of the contract, but you’ll know that I am not lying to you.”
The air around me buzzed, my sister’s magic close enough to my own that I could sense it, but not powerful enough to be more than the faintest of sounds. I waited.
“Why did you leave Leort?” My sister asked, reaching out to squeeze my hand.
“Father signed a contract requiring me to go to Rose Castle.”
“What did the duke want with you?”
“He is dealing with a magical problem and hoped a truth-mage could help him.”
“What did he make you do?”
Sofia’s magic battled with the node’s. There was no doubt which spell was stronger, but it left me searching for words that answered my sister’s question without breaking the terms of the contract. I could have refused to answer, but the entire point of this exercise was to reassure my twin. To do that, I needed to say more, not less. “I had to help him with his problem. I researched magical theory and helped him experiment with the enchantments cast on the castle. I hunted through the archives for clues and helped him understand his power.”
“Did he make you do anything against your will?”
“Apart from making me go to Rose Castle, he never—” the words cut off, Sofia’s power preventing me from uttering the unintentional lie. I tried again. “Apart from getting me to the castle, he never purposefully made me do anything against my will.”
The buzz of Sofia’s magic disappeared. “Oh, Isa.”
“It wasn’t bad, Sofia, really. The contract was a mess, but Felix tried to fix it. And he felt terrible when he realized how much it forced me to do.”
A line formed between her brows. “But you’ve fulfilled the terms now?”
“Uh, no. That’s actually why I’m here. Berklay sent word about the rumors. The people responsible for Felix’s problem started them. We think they want to sway public opinion of him before Princess Charmina comes to sign her inheritance contract.”
“What, exactly, is the problem His Grace is dealing with?”
I was shaking my head even before she finished the question. “I can’t answer that. He had a good reason for his actions, though. He also feels horrible about it and has been doing everything he can to make up for it.”
“Isa,” my twin asked hesitantly, “do you actually like the duke?”
I hesitated.
Sofia gasped. “You do!”
“I don’t hate him,” I told her, not sure how to classify my feelings for Felix, but certain that at least that much was true. “I felt comfortable being myself around him.”
“You don’t hold back with anyone, Isa.”
“No, but that doesn’t mean I’m unaware of how I make people feel when I am blunt and refuse to hide behind polite lies. But Felix didn’t resent my harsh truths. I think he appreciated them. And... I enjoyed my conversations with him.”
Sofia’s eyes were round as saucers. “Are you in love with him?”
“I don’t know.” My voice trembled. “I’m no good at this sort of thing, Sofia. I’ve never been in love with someone before. How do I know if that’s what I’m feeling now?”
Her lips pressed together. “Maybe we should start with a simpler question. Are you attracted to him?”
I couldn’t explain to my twin just how complicated the situation was, or why that question was even harder to answer than her first. But I didn’t think it was important, anyway. “What does that have to do with anything? Attraction does not equate to love.”
“Not necessarily, but we’re talking about you, Isa. As far as I’m aware, you’ve never been attracted to anyone, because you need an emotional connection first, and you’ve never had it.”
“But it wouldn’t necessarily be the same for him.” I knew it wasn’t. He’d told me straight-out that he had slept with Cecily mostly because she was there. Not because he liked her. And I didn’t know if Felix was attracted to me, and it was a ridiculous thing to even contemplate because of the curse, but it was easier to worry about that than wonder if he could fall in love with me.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then met my sister’s gaze. “He sent me away. It took considerable effort to convince the node that my return would fulfill the terms of the contract, but he was determined. He’d have amended the contract my first week at Rose Castle if he could have. Whatever I might feel for him, he doesn’t feel the same for me. Not that I blame him. Who’d fall in love with a woman who insults him with every other breath?”
Sofia frowned at me. “Isabel Cardh, don’t you dare talk about my sister that way.”
“I’m only speaking the truth.”
“You said you were comfortable with him, that he appreciated your candidness.”
“Maybe? I don’t know, Sofia. He also didn’t have many options for conversation.”
“You fell for him, which meant you were spending time with him. He could have avoided you and didn’t.”
I didn’t debate Sofia’s conclusion that I was in love with Felix. She understood emotions better than I, and I suspected that she was correct. About my feelings, at least. “But he sent me away as soon as he could.”
“Perhaps his insistence that you return was a result of guilt?”
She said what I wanted to hear, but it was all hopeful speculation. My sister was a romantic who wanted to believe I’d find a happily ever after. She didn’t know what had prompted Felix’s actions. I shook my head, not disagreeing with her, but not agreeing, either. Then I noticed how much the light from the window had dimmed in the short time we had been talking.
It was almost time.
“Hold that thought; I need to check in with Felix soon.”
“Check in? How?”
“An enchanted mirror. I’ll explain how it works in a moment, but I don’t want to be late.” I reached into the satchel, but my fingers wrapped around something other than the handle of the mirror. It was hard and small, with jagged edges. As my hand swept over the bottom of the bag, I knew it wasn’t the only item of its kind.
I pulled it out, and though I never would have guessed what it was, I wasn’t surprised to be staring at an uncut emerald, so similar to the one Felix had convinced me to accept before. That stone, along with a handful of gold coins, was in my pocket.
I gripped the bottom corners of the satchel, upending it over my bed. The mirror tumbled out, along with half a dozen more emeralds and a familiar enchanted pen.
“What—” Sofia reached for the nearest stone, but I ignored her and the gems. The light was fading fast.
I picked up the mirror and hummed, nudging it with my power. I made sure that I wasn’t touching my sister, not wanting her to hear whatever Felix had to say. I wished I could have asked her to use the mirror with me, so that I could see him, but that would certainly violate the terms of my contract.
Sofia’s face was a mix of confusion and wonder as she studied the emeralds and mirror, but she cut off her questions. I was thankful that I didn’t have to shush her as Felix’s deep voice rolled over me.
“. . . one word. It’s a wonder the archives don’t fill the entire castle if Valois was as meticulous as you. Of course, if he was, he’d have included a reference catalog so that people could find things. But that is an annoyance to bemoan another day. I’m sure today you want to know the results of the experiments you left me. It’s hard without your insight to interpret the colors I saw in the node, but I think you might have been onto something with the Truth allowing dishes to be made from other cookbooks in the library. I couldn’t change the original spell, but I could add to it. I’ll have to see how that applies to the curse.
“But enough about me. How has your return been? Yes, I know you can’t actually respond, but I feel silly talking to myself. Having a conversation with a person who can’t answer is much more sensible.”
I chuckled.
“You’re laughing at me now, aren’t you? I assure you my logic is sound. I am a cat without anyone around. If I start talking to myself, I have to worry about my sanity. Talking to you is an effort to maintain my sanity. Not that I’m actually at risk of going insane! I don’t want you to worry or think I need you to return. I can handle a few days with only myself for company. After all, you survived the experience.” He sighed. “I suppose you’ve heard what you needed to hear. You’ll have other matters to occupy you this evening. Good night, Isa.”
I waited another minute, but Felix said nothing more. And why would he?
I cut off the enchantment and placed the mirror on the bed next to the gems. I picked up the pen, rolling it over my fingers.
Sofia studied my face. “You were communicating with the duke?”
Though that wasn’t quite an accurate description, since I couldn’t respond through the mirror, I nodded.
Sofia bit her lip. “You really are in love with him.” She glanced back at the bed and brandished a stone at me. “Are these emeralds?”
“I strongly suspect so.”
“He gave you a fortune in emeralds and a magic mirror.”
“The mirror is so I can check in on Felix and spy on the people who started the rumors about us. It isn’t really a means of communication, since it is one-way. I can hear Felix when I use the enchantment, but he can’t hear me. If you used the mirror, you’d be able to see whoever you focused on. I’m actually hoping you’ll help me, since with both our magics, we’ll be able to see and hear.”
Sofia cocked her head to the side. “Tell me about the emeralds, Isa.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t know they were in the bag. Perhaps I was supposed to give them to Berklay along with the documents I delivered this afternoon.”
“That is a lie if ever I heard one from you.”
“I didn’t know they were in the bag,” I protested.
“But you don’t think you were supposed to give them to Berklay. You’re the one who always said half-truths are no better than lies. Tell me why you really think they were in the bag.”
“To buy goodwill,” I admitted to Sofia. “It’s a bribe to make up for forcing a contract on me.”
Sofia shook her head. “One emerald this size might be a bribe, but half a dozen?”
“Why else would he give me a fortune in jewels?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not denying that guilt might play a role, but that isn’t all. I don’t think this is about debts. The man gave you a fortune in jewels.”
“The fact they are gemstones isn’t critical. It’s not like he gave me an emerald necklace. I was less likely to notice a few rocks in the bottom of the bag than a stack of gold coins. That’s all.”
Sofia lifted her hands in surrender. “Fine. You know the duke better than I.”
Her words were the truth, but my magic told me clearly how wrong my twin thought I was.
I huffed out a breath. I had other things to deal with. “Tell me about the rumors. Which ones are gaining the most traction?”