“Spirit Shadow,” Driscoll murmured, dark brows pinching together. “Spirit Shadow is here. Or there. In the shadow court, that is. He’s alive. I mean, he’s always been alive, but we thought he and the other spirits were, you know, down in Galaysia, hanging out, or hiding somewhere and staying hands off with us elementals, but you’re telling me, they’ve all been trapped this entire time? Trapped by who? And why?”
I crossed my arms. “Those are good questions. I wish we could answer a single one of them.”
Driscoll set his empty bowl on the floor and sank his head into his hands. “Oh, this is bad. This is so, so bad. I helped a bunch of prisoners escape from his island.” His head shot up, eyes wild. “Do you think he knows what I did? Do you think he’s going to smite me from this earth as soon as he’s free?”
I sighed. “No one is doing any smiting, Driscoll. And, you know, you’re not the only one who helped prisoners escape. There were a lot of us working together. I think you’re okay.”
Driscoll threw out his arms. “Well, I did the main thing. You know, with my magic and parting the trees, allowing all of you to escape.” He gasped. “I did it again today. Messed with his shadows. Oh, I bet I’m enemy number one on his list.”
Poppy chewed on a strand of hair. She stopped and said, “I don’tthink he’s going to send more shadows after us. Gran said once she was... dead that he would leave me be.”
Leoni traced a finger across a crack in the wood tabletop. “And that begs the question: where are the remaining weapons? Your gran said he has three of them. That leaves Spirit Fire’s hammer, Spirit Sky’s bolt, Spirit Star’s scythe, and Spirit Frost’s axe.”
We all looked at Poppy, who bit her lip. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I think my gran might have known something. She was about to tell me when the shadows came. Something about the bolt, I think.” She shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. We could really use Emory’s help right about now.”
A gust of wind rattled the shutters.
Poppy rose and walked to the window, closing them. She grabbed a shawl from a hook on the wall and draped it over her shoulders.
“What could your gran know about Spirit Sky’s bolt?” Leoni asked.
Poppy slowly turned, eyes widening. “We know this tower was built by Spirit Sky, so what if the bolt is hidden here?” She gestured around the room.
“Well, you’ve lived here your whole life.” Driscoll’s eyes shifted back and forth. “So have you seen any bolts lying around?”
“What if it’s buried in the tower?” She gestured to the stone floor.
“You want us to take this thing apart, piece by piece?” I asked.
Poppy sighed. “I don’t know. I feel like the answer is right there in front of us, but I just can’t see it.”
“Maybe we need to get some sleep,” Leoni said.
I stood, stretching out my arms. “I agree. Tomorrow we have a long journey to get to Apolis before the start of the conclave. We have to arrive on time and deliver this information.”
Poppy’s eyes snapped to mine. I knew the thought of facing her father again scared her, but this was something we had to do. She had to do.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” I volunteered.
Poppy shot me a glare. “You will absolutely not. You almost died today. You’re sleeping on the mattress.”
I shot her a wicked grin. “Only if you sleep next to me.”
Driscoll groaned. “Are things going to get weird tonight?”
Poppy’s face turned scarlet, and Leoni smirked.
“We’ll sleep by the fire,” Leoni said, “and you two can push the mattresses up against each other and sleep together, but that better be it. I already had to sit on the cushion in the carriage where your naked asses were.”
“So everyone knows about that?” I asked.
“I heard you two arguing,” Leoni said, “then I heard moaning.” The words came out all breathy and weird. Driscoll and I shot each other confused looks while Poppy’s skin resembled the shade of an eggplant.
Leoni shifted in her seat, cheeks slightly flushed, breaths uneven.
Driscoll’s head snapped to her. “Oh my spirits. Are you... turned on right now?”
Leoni shot him an annoyed glance. “What?”
