Chapter 22
Reyla
What? Lore hissed, peering down the hall as if he hoped to catch another glance of the boy, but they were gone, even their voices fading to nothing.
My heart clenched as I thought of Dorion searching for answers about the woman he loved, not knowing he had a son walking these halls. A son who was being led around by a harsh woman while his mother stared at nothing.
How long had that little boy been asking his mother to smile while she remained trapped in whatever spell held her?
The image of that small face looking up at his vacant mother made my chest ache.
Children shouldn't have to beg for their parents' attention, shouldn't have to wonder why love had suddenly vanished from familiar eyes.
They were together like that. I still watched the shadows where the boy had disappeared.
Lore shrugged, his mouth a flat line. I assume so.
I glanced at him. So maybe the boy is his. I bet Dorion doesn’t know.
He will soon. Lore's jaw tightened. The real question is how he'll handle it.
Maybe her deceased husband had the same eyes. The timing felt too convenient to ignore. Hers are dark blue, so the pale blue must come from his father.
Maybe.
We exchanged a long, loaded look. My chest felt like someone had pulled it open. The air between us shifted, getting heavier. Before, this was about finding the talisman and leaving, then fusing the three together, though I wasn’t sure where or how we were supposed to do that.
Now a child was part of the situation, and it was clear there was something very wrong with Laphira.
Walking away would be the smart choice. But I’d never been good at keeping my nose out of things that shouldn’t concern me.
That little boy's confused voice echoed in my mind. Mummy? Why won't you smile? How many times had he asked that question? How many times had he been ignored?
Maybe I felt this way because the memory of my potential child, Lore’s and mine, the one I’d met in the labyrinth, still lived in my heart.
If I was Laphira and that boy was my son, I’d hope someone, anyone, would help us.
Because it was clear that something bad was going on and that he could be in danger, from the servant if no one else.
I exhaled through my nose, trying to focus on the task we’d given ourselves tonight. The hallway was silent again, long and too narrow and stretching away into darkness in both directions.
Laphira is vacant. A chill wracked my frame, and I was reminded of how someone had once drained all my power, how he’d wiped me so clean that I was left to float through the ether. If my best friend hadn’t come for me, saved me, I’d still be there today.
Was that what was going on here?
Horror alone won’t do that to you, I don’t think. Lore pinched the bridge of his nose. I’m tempted to follow. See where they’re going.
Same.
His eyes stayed sharp on the hallway. Her mother could be using some kind of mind control. Take your pick or come up with your own suggestions. None of it’s good.
Agreed. We’ll…
“Wildfire,” he drawled. “Do not get involved.”
You’re the one who suggested it first.
I know you.
That you do.
He tried to scowl but couldn’t quite pull it off. Yes, I do.
After listening to make sure no one was coming, we eased out from behind the drapes and headed in the direction they’d come from.
She wasn’t wearing the talisman, I said.
I noted that as well. Let’s hope she left it behind.
I kept my footsteps light, studying the swirling pattern on the tile, the way dust had settled in corners of the hall. Why not keep this area of the castle clean?
We passed room after room. Some doors stood open, leading into unused chambers. Others were locked. A sweep of Lore’s hand opened those, and we poked our heads inside, finding more unlived-in rooms.
Guess they’re not expecting guests on this wing, he said.
I nodded, my jaw tight.
We kept going. One more door at the far end of the hall, and it was darker here, as if even the moonlight had decided to keep away.
We stopped outside the door. Lore looked at me.
I gave a nod, and he opened it. We stepped into a sitting room with a cluster of furniture in front of a cold fireplace.
A thick rug covered wooden floorboards that peeked out from beneath on all sides.
I spied a door to our left that could lead to a bedroom.
A few toys lay scattered on the rug, including a soft knight doll with a sword stitched to one hand. A small carved dragon lay on the rug beside it.
Farris trotted over to a ball lying on the wood, and he nudged it with his nose before looking my way. No, I was not going to throw it for him. As if he heard my thought, he sighed and trotted back to sit beside me, looking around the room like us.
This is either her room or the boy's.
Agreed.
Let's search for the talisman before someone finds us.
Farris bumped my thigh with his snout. I found him staring back at the hall, his ears forward. Alert.
A faint creak echoed from beyond the door.
Lore turned, a blade in his hand, his stance loose but ready. He laid his hand on my arm, ready to flit us back to our suite.
We waited while our heartbeats ticked on, but no one entered the room, and silence returned.
After a long moment, I crossed the room and knelt beside the toys. The knight doll’s fabric was soft and worn at the edges. Someone had played with this often.
I dropped the doll back on the floor and rose.
Every creak of the floorboards made me freeze. Time was slipping away, and we still had no idea where Laphira kept the talisman or when she might return.
Lore eased into the other room without a word, though he left the door open behind him. I felt him in my mind a second later. This suite is hers. Laphira’s.
I nodded, not surprised. If this was the boy’s room, we’d find more toys and smaller chairs. Maybe colorful pictures on the walls, not stoic ancestors glaring down their noses.
The sitting area had been furnished in muted shades of gold and rose, and everything was padded or draped in velvet.
Very formal. Almost too formal. Who could relax here?
It was the kind of room that made you sit with your back straight and your lips sealed.
Farris stayed at my side, his tail still, his nose twitching as he sniffed the carpet and furniture.
Leaving me, he padded to the fireplace, gave a low huff, and scratched at the grate.
I clicked my tongue. “Farris,” I whispered, walking over to nudge him with my leg. “Don’t dig. If you get soot on the rug, they’ll suspect someone was here.”
But he went back to it. Scratching. Whining. Looking at me over his shoulder.
I’d be a fool to ignore my nyxin when he was trying to tell me something.
“Do I need to look at something, little guy?” I asked softly, crouching beside him.
I reached for the small shovel tucked in the metal rack to the right of the fireplace and used it to sift gently through the ashes.
They flaked apart, slithering, as light as a breath.
The edge of something caught my eye. I leaned closer, then used the handle to drag it free.
I held it up and shook off the gray residue and turned it this way and that.
I focused my magic and lit my fingertip, directing it at the half-burned scrap of paper. Lowering the shovel to the hearth, I unfolded the paper with care.
Smudged ink and scorched holes made it a challenge to make out, but a few words clung to the center.
…she suspects…danger…don’t let her near the boy…
I found something, I told Lore, reading what I could decipher.
He didn’t answer for a long moment. Someone tried to destroy it.
You think Laphira wrote this?
No matter what, it was meant to burn.
Folding it, I slid it into my pocket. I’ll take it to our room.
Yup.
I stood, brushing off my knees, and after placing the shovel back where I found it, I moved on.
I sorted through a desk with drawers full of paper, dried inkpots, wax seals. Lifting sofa cushions, I prodded the seams. Farris paced with me, his nails muted on the carpet. When I stepped back from the low table, my foot caught on a ripple at the rug's edge.
I ignored it at first but turned back to stare down at it. Everything in this room, other than the few toys on the floor, appeared spotless. Perfect, actually, as if no one lived here. Except the ripple on the edge of the rug.
Maybe it was nothing, but I flipped the end over.
A child’s drawing lay underneath.
Farris came over to sit nearby, tilting his head, his attention fixed on the paper.
I laid it on my thigh, smoothing it out. Drawn lines, bright and clumsy, depicting three stick figures. One small, maybe the boy. One wearing a golden pendant that looked suspiciously like a featherdorn. The final was a towering figure looming behind them both, scribbled in thick red ink.
Lore stepped out of the bedroom and joined me, looking at it over my shoulder.
It could mean nothing, I said.
Or something. Why hide it?
I shrugged. If the boy drew this, he may have been playing pirate and buried his treasure.
He reached out and touched the figure wearing the pendant. This could be Laphira.
Agreed. The shadow wasn’t drawn by accident.
I have no idea what it means.
With a shrug, I slipped the drawing back where I found it, smoothing out the rug.
The jewelry box yielded nothing but earrings and rings. A music box played a haunting melody but held no secrets. I was beginning to think she’d hidden the talisman somewhere else.
I followed Lore into the bedroom that was all soft draperies and polished wood, high-backed chairs with floral carvings across the top. Another room to be seen but not slept in.
Lore searched the vanity drawers, while I drifted toward the bed. I lifted the edges of the mattress, finding nothing beneath. When I dropped the final corner down, something made an odd sound behind the headboard.
Climbing onto the bed, I peered behind.
Playing with spiders? Lore's mental voice held a hint of amusement despite the tense situation.
Something's behind here.
A leather pouch hung behind the headboard, the tie blending in with the curtain lining, almost invisible unless you knew where to look.
I tugged it up and loosened the binding at the top, nudging it out of the way to peer inside. A small leatherbound book, smooth with age, lay inside. Tugging it carefully out, I laid it on my thighs, staring down at it. You’ll find this interesting.
He came over to join me. Hmm. He traced his finger across the swirling symbol on the front and it blazed silver before fading back to a smooth, tarnished emblem.
It likes you. Who wouldn’t?
Maybe. Maybe not.
It didn’t bite you, and that’s a good thing.
Open it, he said.
It could be spelled, but I was curious if nothing else. I flipped back the cover and scrolled through the almost universally blank pages.
Only one held writing. Leaning close, Lore read along with me.
They’re watching. I can’t control anything, not even my own thoughts. I hate what’s happening. Hate my mother and what she makes me watch. Even more, what she does to me after. I need to escape before…
There was nothing else.
I stared at the words, my fingers tightening into a fist. This must be Laphira’s. She’s terrified. Unease curled through me. If she’s in danger, her son could be as well. A child shouldn't have to live like this. The thought made my magic stir restlessly beneath my skin.
This must relate to what’s going on with her.
As I returned the book to the pouch and secured it behind the bed again, Lore strode to the closet and checked inside. Empty. Just gowns, carefully spaced.
Don’t mess them up.
He tutted.
Farris sniffed along the baseboard, moving around the room, snorting occasionally.
I followed him with my eyes until my attention was snagged by a narrow bookshelf.
Every spine had been aligned by color and size except one.
A thick green volume jutted out beyond the others, looking odd among such careful order.
I slid off the bed and straightened the bedding until it didn’t look like anyone had sat on the surface, then moved to the bookcase, pulling the book free.
Something behind caught the low light.
Kneeling, I sent magic to my fingertip, enough to cast a soft glow, and squinted into the gap.
A clay effigy lurked in the shadows. The sight of it made my stomach lurch.
Laphira’s face had been carved in careful detail, though her “body” was the complete opposite, just clay roughly formed into arms, legs, and with a normal-sized belly.
Thin bones shaped into needles pierced her chest and head.
Whoever had created this wanted Laphira to suffer. The precision of the carving, the deliberate placement of each needle. This wasn't random malice. This was personal.
Lore came over to stoop down beside me.
That’s old magic, he said. Targeted.
Like a curse?
He nodded, his jaw clenched.
I studied the effigy. Do you think Naveer did this or someone else? In my mind, she was the prime suspect.
It could be the work of almost anyone inside the castle.
Damn magical fae. Although, I was one of them, a damn magical fae, myself.
Should we take it? I glanced his way. If it’s the reason Laphira’s acting so odd…
Removing it might help or hurt her. Let’s look into this further first, though we’ll tell Dorion.
I sat back on my heels, staring into the tiny gap.
I let my finger light fade and replaced the book, my hands trembling. The effigy's hollow eyes seemed to follow me as I stood.
We need to find that talisman and get out of here, I told Lore. Before whoever made that thing decides we've seen too much.
A soft footstep echoed from the corridor outside.