Chapter 40
Ceri
Istood in a cavern, one filled with carpets, treasure chests full of jewels, and statues.
“Ceri, hi!” Lila chirped, spread across a couch while a bunch of grapes floated in the air over her mouth, dipping down and feeding her.
“Welcome.” My head snapped in the direction of Siobhan, who sat in a stuffed armchair by a crackling hearth, reading a book.
Liadan walked out from behind a statue, carrying a tray with a kettle and teacups on it, steam curling into the air and the scent of cinnamon washing over the space.
“What is going on here?” I asked.
“None of us know,” another voice said.
I whirled around to face Clio, the flames on her head dancing while a brush was scrubbing her feet. There was a steaming bucket in front of her chair that she put her feet back into as she settled back.
“This is where you have been all this time?” I asked.
“Isn’t it glorious?” Lila ate another grape.
It was the first time since the trials had begun that she wasn’t sobbing.
Liadan stopped next to me, leaning over to whisper, “All it took was some pampering and self-care to make her completely forget about her betrothed.”
Whatever I had been expecting, it wasn’t this. I stepped forward, the warmth of the hearth filling me. “But where are we?”
Siobhan flipped a page of her book, not even bothering to look up. “Somewhere in the castle if I had to guess.”
“I’m never leaving,” Lila said, sighing as she ate another grape.
“What about Grayson?” I asked her.
Liadan shot me an I told you so look. “Someone’s had a revelation in the one day she’s been here.”
Lila sat up, frowning. “I wait on Grayson hand and foot. I’ve always loved him. Or I thought I did. But now I’ve realized no one takes care of me. No one shoulders any of my burdens. I mean, Grayson would never feed me grapes or massage my feet or make me tea.”
“That sounds like quite the realization,” I said as Liadan bustled around the space, serving everyone tea.
“You know what it’s like.” Lila had already lain back down, opening her mouth, the bunch of grapes dipping again. “Taking care of your father and all.”
“I suppose,” I said, frowning as I took it all in. “Where is all this food and drink coming from?” I looked around, not seeing a kitchen or a water barrel.
“It just appears when we need it,” Liadan said as Clio took a teacup from the tray.
Lila sighed. “It’s the most glorious place I’ve ever been.”
“So how do we get out?”
Everyone stiffened, my words sucking the tranquility from the room.
“What?” I tugged one of my curls, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
“Are you not seeing what we’re seeing?” Liadan brought the tray to me, one last cup on it that I grabbed, taking a sip of the delicious cinnamon and apple flavor. “This place does everything for us. It gives us whatever we want. We don’t want to leave.”
“But we can’t just stay here forever.” I thought of Cillian, of my father. “This isn’t real.”
“Really?” Clio lifted her feet from the bucket as the brush floated over and started scrubbing them again. “This feels pretty feckin’ real to me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, wandering around what looked like a cavern. My hand trailed over the stone wall, rough and jagged, and my gaze trailed up to the stone ceiling. A cave, perhaps? No, we had to be underground or something.
I wandered past Lila.
“Where are you going?” Clio called.
“Exploring,” I said, “since it seems no one else has done that yet.”
“Just relax for once,” Lila said. “I’m sure this will all end when the trials end.”
And someone else would be Cillian’s queen. I snorted. A cat or Marsten. Cillian must have been out of his mind with worry.
I walked toward a dark end of the cavern, squinting to make out my surroundings.
“No!” All of a sudden, Lila jumped in front of me. “Don’t go back there,” she said.
My pulse spiked. “Why?” Oh, godwitches, was there a monster lurking in the depths of this place? If so, everyone wouldn’t be so relaxed.
“Just because,” Liadan called. “It’s . . . dangerous.”
None of this was making sense. I planted my hands on my hips. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Lila said quickly. Too quickly.
She fiddled with her hands, twisting them together in front of her.
“You’re hiding something from me,” I said, and she let out a squeak.
“No I’m not.”
“What is behind you?”
Lila’s lips pressed into a thin line, and I spun around to face the others.
“What’s behind her? What don’t you want me to see?”
Siobhan continued reading her book, ignoring all of us.
Liadan held up her cup. “Why don’t you come back over here and enjoy your tea?”
I crossed my arms. “I don’t want to enjoy my tea. I want to know what’s going on.”
Siobhan’s head snapped up. “Just show her already. I’m sick of all the yapping while I’m trying to read.”
“Fine.” Lila pointed a finger at me. “But you have to promise you won’t open it.”
“Open what?” I asked, exasperated by this entire situation.
Lila sighed and stepped aside, and I could just see the outline of a door with a handle.
My mouth dropped open. “There’s a door? You mean to tell me you all could have left this place any time you wanted?”
“No, not necessarily,” Lila said. “We don’t know what’s on the other side of that door.”
“It could be danger,” Liadan said.
“Or a way out,” I argued.
Lila ran and plastered herself against the door, spreading out her arms as far as she could reach. “You can’t open it. I’m not ready to leave. I’m not ready to face reality.”
Her voice broke, and I realized that Lila had been wrong. I didn’t know how she felt. Because I did have someone to take care of me, to help shoulder my burdens. I always had.
Cillian.
He’d always been there for me, for my father.
He’d been the one who sent Margaret the other day so I could sleep in.
I didn’t want to stay here, because reality was better than here.
Cillian couldn’t marry Meera or Marsten.
I wouldn’t let him. We’d figure this out.
We would make it work no matter what it took.
“You look like you’re having a revelation of your own,” Lila said.
“I suppose I am.” I sighed. “Listen, I understand why you want to stay here, and you can. None of you have to leave. But I can’t stay.”
I stepped toward the door, and Lila’s body sagged in defeat.
“But if you leave, everyone will be asking where we are.” She stepped aside, shoulders slumped.
“I’ll tell them I never saw you,” I said. “It’ll be our little secret. You can enjoy your retreat a little longer. Though you do have people worried about you, so maybe not too long.”
I reached out to grab the handle and turn it, tugging open the door. Sunlight streamed in through tall, thick trees, and the air shimmered.
“We’re at the border of Fairwitch Isle,” I said, reaching out a finger to touch the barrier, but I stopped when I saw a flash of maroon.
I squinted as a few figures came into view, boots crunching the leaves, all of them with maroon capes and hoods.
Oh no. There was only one group I could think of who wore those outfits. The Brotherhood of Magic was here, and before I could slam the door shut, one of them looked me straight in the eye and smiled.