36. Nora
36
Nora
A fter I’d gathered all I’d needed, I hadn’t been ready to return home.
Instead, I found myself on that familiar grassy ledge, contemplating the tension with my sister. My hair gently billowed in the small breeze, and my fingers splayed over the fresh sprouting grass. It was lovely to sit here without hiding beneath black clothes, so I could feel the grass under my bare hands.
Once the sun sank below the ocean horizon, and the air began to chill, I took myself home. My eyelids hung heavy, but at least my nose had stopped running and my tears had dried.
I arrived home to find it quiet and tried not to make too much noise as I headed up the stairs.
Reaching the second floor landing, my gaze snagged on the closed door to the left. My sister’s room was directly beneath mine, and I found myself stalling. A simple rap on the door, a small select set of words, and all could be made right.
But what if it wasn’t? What if what happened between Melody and me tonight had become something unrepairable? A rift too wide to close? Words long tucked away for this very fear of what would happen once they came to light. They’d become a festering wound, oozing malice and tainting something once good.
The knob on the banister groaned under my squeezing grip. I blinked at her door before deciding a little more space would probably be for the best. Swiftly and silently, I slid into my room, biding my time until I could sneak out of this house and leave these troubles behind.
The evening air held more moisture tonight, and I was grateful for the warming weather.
I hoped that I wouldn’t still be chasing my tail after these kidnappers come the next winter season. A tug deep in my chest reminded me I may not even live long enough to see another snowfall. I shook the thought away, filling myself with a false confidence that what I had planned to say to Dee during the next meeting would convince them to change course. To find another way.
Leverage. Hopefully, I had enough.
I waited atop the grassy knoll under the starry sky, but tucked myself between the small enclave of trees. The thought of surprising Chol sent butterflies soaring in my stomach, and I was glad to have something to distract me after the incident with Melody.
I waited, crouched in the shadows and tall grasses, becoming one with the darkness and gentle sway of the leaves.
My father had taught me techniques of breathing, and slow, deliberate movements. Mastering the body, the mind, and the soul. Ever since he’d passed, the part with my soul had been disconnected, but I’d learned to compensate with the others. Perhaps why, even during the grueling hours of training and practice with Odion, I returned day after day.
Before the hour mark had passed, I spotted movement from the ledge, the part where the city above dropped to South Harbor. A barely worn path, accentuated by flattened grass, lined by blue moonlight, had me guessing that was the route he usually took. Definitely a time saver considering how long it would take to walk the winding slope from Sunvale to the edge of South Harbor.
He rode the grass like a ship on the waves, a steadying hand dragging behind. If I hadn’t been watching, I may have not heard his landing. Nimble and hushed, something crafted from years of training. I found myself wondering where he would have learned, and more importantly, why.
He bypassed the thicket of trees, stalking to the edge of the knoll to overlook the village. Scanning the streets below, I knew he thought he arrived first.
Exhaling on the updraft of the breeze, I prowled behind him, out of his view. Startling someone trained in the art of fighting, who bore weapons with instincts to draw on before an opponent could blink wouldn’t bode well for me, so I remained a few feet away as I said, “Took you long enough.”
He spun, fast as lightning, with a hand stretching over his back, grazing the pommel of his sword. “You meant to do that, didn’t you?”
A coy shrug of my shoulder indicated I wouldn’t be revealing my secret. I closed the distance between us, bringing myself to his side to assess the view. “Any information for me?” I asked, arms crossed while pretending to survey the land before us while I basked in my payback for the last time he’d caught me off guard.
“Straight to business then? Are you not going to ask about my day?” He mimicked my pose, shifting on strong legs into a more casual stance.
“I’m sorry. How was your day, honey ?” The mocking nickname came out as sweet as the word itself. I adjusted to look up at him with adoring eyes and batting lashes.
A lighthearted chuckle from behind his mask sent tingles running along my arm. I was so happy to be here, with him, after the day I’d had. Something familiar to anchor myself with.
“Careful, I could get used to that,” he teased, and the remark smothered my insides with a pleasant warmth. “I may have something, but I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I didn’t offer for the lady to go first.” He performed an exaggerated bow.
Hm. Get used to that. Meaning he might not have a woman in his bed at night asking him similar questions. “Ah,” I raised my eyebrows. “In that case.” I playfully jabbed my elbow into his side, feeling compelled to touch him in some way before telling him that Mr. Gallagher did indeed have magic, though he chose not to use it often. Clemmons Braht’s parents had attended meetings previously, before their time of mourning for their son. It’d all been further confirmation that Alaina’s intel had been correct.
Chol briefly repeated a story I already knew, how the former king had sent a silent decree through the land, summoning witches in secret to bestow gifts to children. What I hadn’t known was how much of an influence the previous queen had been in that decision. He expressed it as a bedtime story, like one he’d been told many times as a child, and spoke of it with fondness.
“It’s heartbreaking to think that even after all that, there’s enough hatred still flowing through the blood of our people that they’re silently being annihilated. The kidnappers' organizational skills are great considering it’s been going on for months with not so much as a whiff of growing resentment. If it wasn’t for you, Ella, I shudder to think how much longer it would have gone unnoticed.” His gloves groaned from the tight fists he formed.
“We’re gonna handle it. Together, right?” I placed my hand on his arm for a touch of reassurance. His fists loosened.
“Together.” Within a few moments he collected himself and went on to tell me good news about a group that sits between kingdoms and operates outside of either rule, and the suspicious activity along the channel that divides Highcrest from Windguard.
“Are you able to learn more? To ask this group to look into it further?”
He took a deep inhale of night air, and on a breath full of regret, said, “I don’t know. There’s not an established relationship there. The first convoy went only a couple of days ago.”
My lips twisted in thought. “Do you know much about the trade route along the Splits?” The river that cleaved the two kingdoms, The Serpentine Line, named for its snake-like bending pattern, had been given the pseudonym ‘the Splits’, since it split the kingdoms.
“I should know everything. Who do you think was the one who deemed the activity suspicious?” The way his eyes slanted told me he held a cocky grin beneath the midnight fabric.
I shook my head, doing my best to eat my smile. “One day, you’re going to have to tell me the role you play around that castle.” I cast my gaze toward the ocean so it didn’t seem like I was pressing for information he wasn’t ready to share.
“One day,” he repeated in a hushed manner.
“Shall we go scope out the docks?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from us.” With fluid grace, he extended his hand before him, allowing me to lead the way.
Chol and I had skulked between buildings, staying out of sight from anyone wandering the streets. We’d leapfrog past each other as we advanced, an unspoken game of who could get the farthest in one go. I couldn’t help but admire his smooth stealth and precision. It encouraged me to try harder, to silence my movements as effectively as he had.
We snuck into the shadowed alcove we’d met last time, waiting several moments before confirming no one followed. Pressed against each other, arm to arm, I felt myself leaning into him. I could have sworn he did, too, and my heart picked up its pace.
“Do you want to scope out the bank or stay here?” Was his question cryptic? What would happen if we stayed in the shadows, continuing to break down the distance between us? Heat flared in my belly, but singed my cheeks. Suddenly, I needed the breath of the ocean to cool down.
“Bank.”
He only nodded before transforming into part of the night itself, moving with efficiency and elegance toward the ravine. I followed. We perched in the same place where we had discovered the cloaked ship, with a view of the sprawling beach below and the empty docks and fishing stalls. Or at least, perceivably empty.
My attention immediately snagged on two bodies prowling along the beach. Light glowed like a beacon. I questioned if someone carried a lantern with pure white fire somehow. Chol muttered his question over what it could be, our focus glued on the display.
The uninterrupted moon and starlight shone over the two people, helping me discern their features. Women. One around my age, the other much olde—Evenita. And with her, Alaina.
“I know them,” I said out loud, quickly checking the surroundings for any other visitors.
“You do?”
When I confirmed they were alone, I broke from our hideout, climbing back up the slope. Chol kept up behind me, but I didn’t explain. Through the market stall, then to the boardwalk that brought us to the beach, I ran to catch up with them.
“What are you two doing here?” I asked, nearly breathless by the time I got close.
“STAY BACK!” Alaina said, whirling her glowing hand at me.
I found myself taking a step back when I didn’t want to, some other force controlling my movements.
“Alaina, dear, this is our friend,” Evenita said, placing her hand on Alaina’s raised arm and lowering it gently.
The grip over my muscles relinquished, returning control to me again. Having my body work against me did not feel enjoyable. Powerless. A feeling with which I was already well acquainted without force. I flexed my hands, ensuring they moved when I bade them, but any relief became quickly replaced with pain in my chest, my heart straining.
Would Evenita or Alaina say my name in front of Chol? Telling him meant invoking another level of trust, trust that it couldn’t be used against me or my family. There was no such clarity on that matter, which meant I couldn’t have him find out—not yet.
Alaina threw a confused glance at Evenita, the old woman signaling something discreetly between them. “We have moldy bread thanks to her.”
Understanding shone in the shadows of Alaina’s eyes, and Evenita turned to face me, giving the slightest bow of her head. She’d keep my secret.
I peered over my shoulder, sensing the formidable masculine wall behind me. Chol had his sword drawn, moonlight glinting off the long, freshly sharpened blade.
“Put that away,” I essentially snarled. To his credit, he did so without hesitation or doubt, another notch in our rope of trust. Though, I knew if he sensed danger, the fact that his blade was sheathed wouldn’t save anyone.
“What are you two doing here? It’s not safe by the harbor at night,” I said.
Lapping waves hummed in the distance, a hopeful barrier against any unwanted listeners.
“Trying to piece together what happened to Raf,” Alaina said, once again focusing her white glow over the beach as she resumed her stride. “Where was his body found? Might save us some time if we know where to look.”
“Reports say around here,” Chol said, his deep voice breaking through the rolling ocean sounds.
Alaina continued with whatever quest she was on, but Evenita remained planted, that radiant smile beaming toward us. “Thank you. For letting us know about Rafael. About his remains.”
I nodded, working down the lump in my throat. I wished I could have given them different news.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Chol said.
I couldn’t resist sparing him a glance. It warmed my chest hearing him express condolences to these strangers he only knew through me. More evidence that his caring heart truly was just that.
“Very kind of you. I know we all have had experience with losses.” With her hands clasped behind her back, standing so casually, her words pierced truer than the dagger at my side would. “Neither of you should worry—I’m very good at keeping secrets.” She shared a knowing smile between us, then resumed her pace following Alaina.
My gaze drifted to the side, noting Chol, but I refused to actually look at him. Not after she’d exposed me like that. I cleared my throat, then strode toward them. “What are you looking for?” I knew what I was looking for—a way to change the subject. The moment the words left my lips, I noticed the sand.
The shifting sand.
It moved in a way I’d never seen before, not following the pattern of the wind. The grains raced with each other to a destination they seemed to know, as if they were alive. Alaina’s creased brow hinted that she wasn’t directing their movements with her magic, but merely watching. Assessing.
“This is the company you keep?” Chol leaned close to keep the exchange just between us. Clearly, they’d avoided my questions so far.
“They’re…new friends,” I said, peering up at him over my shoulder. Our faces nearly grazed he stood so close. The warmth coming from him caressed my back, and I shivered against the humid night air.
“Look!” Alaina exclaimed, catching all of our attention.
I hurried over, keeping my focus on the preternatural way the ground moved by her command. Footprints indented the sand, as if someone invisible walked among us. No, several invisible someones. But the movements didn’t look right. My hand reached behind me for Chol, as if knowing exactly where he stood, and I clutched his arm, watching it unfold.
A rising stampede of footprints, forming and receding until they nearly vanished. Then Alaina reversed the direction of her open palm, as if turning a doorknob with slow, deliberate ease. I followed her gaze, watching fresh footprints mark the sand. Before, I realized, I’d been watching in reverse, but now it played out as if in real time.
A set of frantic, sloppy steps, until the sets of a few others converged. A massive divot formed, the footprints marching around it. Sand flew in all directions.
“He struggled,” Chol said beside me.
I pieced together what I was looking at. Somehow Alaina was recreating the night Raf had died, summoning the elements to replay the murder.
“The reports suggested he’d been in a tavern brawl before staggering to die alone,” Chol whispered.
So he’d seen the reports himself about this previously unidentified person’s murder. And the reports of the treasury funds. He must hold a high rank in the castle to gain access to these things. What if I’d seen him at the ball, or the luncheon? Maybe he was a guard.
“No, I heard he was jumped by a group. Whoever they are,” I glanced at the moving footprints, “definitely killed him.”
We all watched until the divot stopped moving, and the other footprints retreated down the beach. Her hand dropped to her side, the glow extinguishing from it. “He must have learned information and got caught before he could report back.”
Evenita moved to her side, gathering her arm between her own. “ Sor mae tousa, il liedium noctura tempus. Yur streama fortunus al enchantmi et tul .”
Alaina echoed the words.
I waited a moment, allowing them the reverent silence the unknown phrase seemed to call for before asking, “What does that mean?”
“Go easy into the endless night, my friend. May fortune smile upon you in the next life. Roughly translated,” Evenita said.
“In the old language of the divine?” Chol asked from over my shoulder. At some point while I held onto his arm, his other hand found purchase on my waist. A tiny fire erupted between my thighs at his possessive touch.
Evenita simply smiled in confirmation.
The question danced in my eyes: who are you? He merely shrugged in response. I would have punched his shoulder if the situation didn’t require a delicate touch.
“What kind of magic did you just use?” I asked, hoping that wasn’t inappropriate.
“Young Alaina here bends time,” Evenita took it upon herself to answer.
“Wow, I didn’t even know that was a thing,” I admitted. Tolerance for magic? Yes, I had that. Knowledge of it? Nothing beyond school taught basics.
“That was why you wanted to see the body,” Chol said, “to find clues about his cause of death.”
Alaina only nodded, not tearing her eyes away from the spot in the sand where her friend took his last breath.
“Looks like our attempt is in vain. There will be no tracks to follow across the wood-plank pier,” Evenita said, placing a consoling hand on Alaina’s shoulder. “I’ve been unable to see those responsible through my visions. They shield themselves well.”
I could hear the sadness and burden she carried, like perhaps she blamed herself for not being able to do more.
“Wielding time is a rare magic, indeed. You need to be careful. I don’t know what business you have here, but I don’t recommend staying in town,” Chol said, his hand still warming my side.
Normally I wouldn’t approve of a man telling women how to live, but in this case, I found myself agreeing. If magic wielders were being hunted, and Alaina possessed something rare, not even to mention Evenita being one of the most notorious types of witches, this town was the last place they should be.
I shuddered and leaned into Chol’s frame. He held firm, unflinching.
“We’ll find who’s responsible.” I shouldn’t have said it. It was a promise I knew I couldn’t make, but my guilt and desire to put an end to it all rose to the surface before I had a chance to reconsider my words.
Evenita turned, somehow still holding a pleasant smile. “I know you will.”
Her words struck me as if they held the power of lightning.
“Huh, would you look at that. Not a cloud in the sky.” She craned her neck back, surveying the starry-dotted darkness above. Those familiar sounding words rang in my head until her knowing gaze landed on me, and I found silent encouragement dancing in her eyes.
‘You can see it clearly from between the two stalls that sell furs, especially on a cloudless night.’ I stiffened, finally peeling myself from Chol’s supportive chest. I whirled to face him. “We need to go. Now. ”