Chapter 17
My lantern’s candle went out on the way upstairs. I didn’t even care. I just ran all the way back to my room in a sheer panic and fell into my bed fully clothed, gasping for breath. It took me several moments to collect myself. Then I finally got up the nerve to peer, slowly, outside my window.
Voss’s balcony was dark. What did that mean? Was he still awake? Had he seen me in the crypt? I just didn’t know. I fell back against the mattress and shut my eyes, trying to think.
Trying to figure out what to do with all this information I’d been given tonight.
“What happened?” Bethany’s voice asked from somewhere nearby.
Opening my eyes, I turned my head to find her sitting on the edge of the bed. “In a nutshell? Master Voss is a witch.”
“What?!”
I corrected myself. “Maybe he’s not the only one. I mean, I don’t know about Hoffmann yet.” The pocket mirror was still hidden below my mattress, giving me anxiety every time I thought about it. “So all I can tell you is that they’re both not to be trusted.”
“How do you know that? Did the demon boy tell you that? That’s where you’ve been, right? Down there with him?” She threw up her arms in frustration. “I told you not to look at that book!”
I still gripped it in my hand, the compendium of gods and devils.
Better hide it, I thought. Hide it away from potential prying eyes.
So I leaned over the side of the bed and shoved the red book under my mattress, trying not to think too hard about Voss’s “magical device” that allowed him to spy on all of us.
Could he only perceive us like I’d perceived the souls in Riverbend last night?
Or could he see… everything? Did he see me hide the book just now?
I didn’t know, I really didn’t. And that made my stomach churn.
I sat up in bed and mulled everything over while Bethany continued to nag me about going down to the crypt. I don’t know how much time went by, but at some point, I fell asleep. And when I woke up, it was early morning and Bethany was gone.
Instead of trying to call her back, I crawled out of bed and ambled out of my room to visit the toilet and wash my face.
When I looked outside the window near the porcelain sink, I could see dawn coloring the dark horizon.
It would be light out soon, and I still hadn’t settled my mind about everything I’d learned over the course of the night.
But my gaze couldn’t help but wander up the dark Hudson River, and my thoughts returned to seeing both Hoffmann and Voss walking near the goat pastures.
Near the aegis border.
There was one simple way to know if I was truly trapped here like Nin. If I could truly trust him…
I’d need to cross that border without Voss.
Without him gripping my hand.
He should definitely still be asleep, especially after his restless night.
At least I hoped so. Apprehensive and not completely confident I was doing the right thing, I slipped my wool shawl over my shoulders and headed down the servants’ staircase, doing my best to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible.
The servants’ wing was as quiet as the grave.
I wound my way through the hall and into the kitchen, and carefully, carefully unlocked the side door.
Chilly early-morning air seeped into my clothing as I stepped outside and looked around, waiting for my eyes to become acclimated to the gloom. I was a city girl, accustomed to streetlamps blazing in the wee hours of the morning when I finished my nursing shifts.
Out here in the country, there was no light.
There was nothing but autumn’s chill and the wind in the trees.
A low fog clung to the ground. I didn’t dare light my lantern again here—its light would easily be spotted inside the manor. So I cautiously picked my way up the path that stretched around the big house, trying not to trip in the darkness.
Please be asleep, I thought when Voss’s face floated through my mind.
Though, I supposed if he wasn’t, I’d find out soon enough.
Would he send one of the servants to come fetch me?
That seemed likely. I exhaled a nervous breath and remained vigilant as I approached the atrium where I’d dropped the book into the bushes, and veered away from the manor, onto the branching path.
There wasn’t much light out, and fog obscured the path in the distance.
I passed by the dark carriage house, feeling a twinge of embarrassment at the sight of the woodpile out back because it conjured up the memory of Nin’s arm wrapped around me.
A god’s arm. That thought emptied from my head when I heard a noise—and froze in place to listen.
The silhouette of a horned goat’s head ambled into view. I exhaled in relief and continued on, past the stone wall that surrounded the goat pasture, over a rolling hill, and then another. And when I topped that second hill, I spied the pyramidal tops of the aegis border.
I was far from the manor now, so I took a moment to light the candle in my lantern. Its warm glow was instantly comforting. I steadied my nerves and continued hiking a short distance across dry grasses…
Until I stopped in front of one of the stone pillars.
The line of obelisks wrapped around the property here, which was bounded by woods to the north only a few yards away, and to the west by the Hudson.
Each of the granite stones was a little taller than me, and they’d been installed a few feet apart.
The last obelisk stood at the edge of the river bluff.
And it was only now, because I was looking closely, that I noticed the bare ground surrounding each standing stone.
No grass grew. The holes for these obelisks had been dug fairly recently—months ago, maybe, but not years.
“Well,” I whispered to no one. “Let’s see what happens now, shall we?”
Taking a deep breath, I stepped between the two nearest stones.
One moment, my leg was moving forward. The next, I found myself swallowed by darkness. The blackest of blacks—no light whatsoever. I blinked rapidly, disoriented, and…
Where am I?
The darkness lessened, and I found myself standing where I’d been. On the grounds, in front of the same two obelisks that I’d just stepped through.
“Huh? What is…?” I glanced behind me and saw nothing unusual. Had I just imagined that? I shook my head and blew out a hard breath. “Let’s try this again…”
Step forward, okay. Now I was between the two obelisks. Another step, and—
Darkness. Not the dark of night, either. It was empty. Nothingness. I drew in a sharp breath, blinked, and…
I was back where I started.
“What in the world?” I whispered to no one.
It was impossible. I knew I had taken that step. It was as though I was a pawn chess piece that kept trying to move forward one square, but the chess player just moved me right back.
I tried again.
Darkness. Back to where I was.
Again!
Darkness. Back to where I was. With one difference…
Laughter floated from beyond the aegis border.
It startled me so badly, I stumbled backward and nearly dropped my lantern. “Who’s there?” I called out, trying to seem as if I weren’t absolutely terrified.
A dark figure emerged from the woods on the other side. And as it slowly approached the border, I spied a towering top hat upon the figure’s head. The poacher!
“You’ll never get out that way,” the figure said. “But it’s amusing to watch you try. Go on, keep it up.” More light laughter.
“Who are you?” I asked, holding my lantern higher. “And what are you doing out here?”
The figure stepped into my flickering circle of light using a shiny black walking cane—a pale gentleman, wearing a fine black suit with a silk waistcoat spun in rich burgundy. He was about Voss’s age, quite striking to look at, and bore a small X-shaped scar above his left eyebrow.
“I’m a friend,” the man said, doffing his top hat and bowing his head briefly.
His hair was very dark and combed back neatly.
And if he’d stayed at the outer edge of my lamplight, I might not have seen his eyes.
But he took another step as he put his hat back on, and twin orbs flecked with silver flashed in my direction.
Just like Nin’s.
Not human…
My heart pounded furiously as fresh panic washed over me. Could he cross the border? What were his intentions? I didn’t know, and that terrified me.
“If you’re a friend, then tell me your name,” I said, wishing I’d brought something other than my lantern with which to defend myself. Wishing I hadn’t come out here at all.
He smiled handsomely. Then he spoke in a quick, lively tone that was full of the same melodies as Nin’s accent but in a higher register. “Don’t you think it’s more important to figure out why you can’t cross this border?”
I didn’t know what to say to that. Of course I wanted to know why, and I was very confused by what I’d just experienced. “I’m more concerned with why a gentleman like you is roaming this border before dawn has broken. The master of this house calls you a poacher.”
The man laughed softly and toed a clump of grass with his boot. “Do you think your master is a good person?”
“Why would you care about my opinion? I don’t know you.”
“But I know you, Molly O’Rinn. I know you’re curious, and I know that your deepest desire is to heal the sick.”
“Who are you?” I whispered. “I know you’re not human.”
His head tilted in surprise. “Do you? Then let me tell you what is at stake right now. Your master is the actual poacher. He’s stolen my own brother away from our world and has erected this border to protect his horde.”
Brother.
Shock went through me. “Nin is…”
“My sibling, yes. Do I see caring in your eyes for him?”
Embarrassment and fear tangled inside my chest.
“You’re a kind person who cares about people. You don’t need to be ashamed. But my brother does need help to be able to escape, and there is no way I can do that if he can’t leave the estate and I can’t get inside.”
Which brother was this? My mind desperately tried to recall the entire list of princes printed inside the red book, but I was too overwhelmed.
He snapped his fingers several times, drawing my attention. “You still with me? This is important, Molly, so if you want to help Nin, then you must find a hidden object inside the manor. It is a kind of key that will dispel this aegis—bring it down, so everyone will be free to leave.”
I stared at him, unable to form words. Was he friend or foe? Why couldn’t I get a read on him? My gut was confused, and I desperately wished Nin would appear and help clear all this up. If only I could just will him to my side, to call for him like I called for Bethany, but I could not.
I was on my own.
“What object?” I asked, hoping I sounded more courageous than I felt.
“It would look like an hourglass to you.”
Hourglass? I immediately recalled two: Mr. Hoffmann’s miniature with the single grain of sand, and the metal hourglass sculpture that Voss held the night they came to the hospital.
Hoffman’s miniature had broken, of course, when I’d first arrived. But Voss’s metal sculpture… I hadn’t seen since the hospital. Not inside the house, not in Voss’s possession. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about it.
“Ah,” the gentleman said. “You know of what I speak. If you want to help Nin, then consider it your highest priority to find that hourglass. No one can leave the estate without it. Not even you.”
Had Voss had the hourglass when we’d gone into town that day? I couldn’t remember seeing it—I would have remembered. It was too big to fit into his coat pocket. I started to argue this with the being that stood in front of me, but he turned his head to peer into the dark woods behind him.
“I must apologize, my dear,” he mumbled. “I need to leave now. Find that hourglass and bring it here to me when you do. I will show you how to use it as a key.”
“Wait—”
“But if you do care about my brother, you will keep this a secret between us. Otherwise, he could get hurt. I mean that very seriously. Your master will know if you’ve told him, and you do not want to risk his wrath.
Be smart, Molly O’Rinn, and everything will be all right.
” He doffed his hat once more, and much like Nin had done when I’d seen him over the years, the brother disappeared while I blinked my eyes.
Utterly vanished.