We’re an unseen group of trespassers, hiding in plain sight.
“Where to, Vi?” Carver’s bright eyes shine into mine. The dim lighting makes his hair more golden than normal.
“He has a vault on the top floor where the crown’s coin is kept, but this is something he’d want close by. Something he’d be working with too often to part with.”
“I don’t like the sound of that.” Nollix appraises the high-arching ceiling of the hall, taking in the small details of the polished gold trim lining the walls.
“If we can even trust anything the thief has told us.” Carver’s mouth is set in a firm line as he evaluates the way Cameron’s attention takes in every nook and cranny in the place. Her hands open and close at her side. I wonder if she feels the tingling of the magic like a phantom still touching her skin. It’d felt that way for me, too, when I was new to all this.
“It’ll be in his study for sure,” I say with dread dragging through my stomach.
“Lead the way.” Cameron nods to me, and I don’t hesitate for a second before letting my magic dissolve me entirely. I carry us down several halls and up countless staircases before swirling in front of the wooden door I know is his. The magical breeze shifts us through the keyhole, the metal skimming across my body as I slip inside his room.
Darkness surrounds me. The familiarity of the space is still there though. On quiet steps, I turn to the wall and flip on the light. A hazy, golden hue spreads through the room as the lights flicker on. Books of every shape and size line the right wall, and his bathroom door is cracked open on the opposite side. But directly across from me is the glossy mahogany desk I remember him always working at when I was a child.
Jeriko and Nollix begin rummaging through the bookshelf. They literally pull the books out and toss each one to the floor when it isn’t the one they’re in search of. Another book hits the ground with athunk, the pages folding in on itself as it lays open at Nollix’s feet.
“Could you show a meager amount of furtiveness?”
Nollix’s eyes lock with mine, reminding me of our moment on the roof. The knowing half smile that pulls at his lips makes me turn abruptly away from him.
I can’t believe I just cowered away from a smile.What is wrong with me?
“What’s the book look like?” Carver asks Cameron.
It’s the first intelligent thing any of them has said or done since we stepped foot in here.
“It’s big. Leather bound. There’s no writing down its spine, but it has ‘Severed Souls’ in hand written text across the front of it.”
I take my time rummaging through the stack of documents at the corner of the king’s desk, skimming the thick papers to take a peek into his life as I search for what we’re really here for.
Petitions, proposals, complaints, and agendas make a towering pile that’s nearly a foot high. Shouldn’t there be framed pictures of his children for him to stare at while he pretends to work? No, dear ol’ Dad isn’t soft enough for that. I push the papers aside and sift through the rest of the parcels. Nothing of interest. The top drawer is locked, and that alone drops curiosity all through me. I try to carry on, sorting through the other three unlocked drawers.
Not one book is found within the desk. My fingers push over the smooth, glossy surface, my focus holding on the locked drawer.
I could break it.
It wouldn’t take much strength to rip the desk in two or even just crack the lock, but I just lectured Nollix on keeping a low profile.
The thudding noise of another book hitting the floor sounds through the room, and I look back to see half the bookcase cleared off. The books lay messily along the floor. Jeriko grabs the next one hastily, turning it over to see the front before chucking it to the floor with the rest. Nollix does the same, both of them destroying the tidy room without thought.
Carver is looking under the chairs in the corner of the room, pushing back the heavy blankets that lie across them to see beneath it. Cameron opens a cabinet drawer, her lip curling as he tosses aside a pair of white underwear.
Just as my fingers brush over the golden lock on the top drawer, the murmur of voices catches my ears. I dissolve in the seat, fly myself across the room, and flick the lights off.
“What are—” Cameron starts.
“SShhh!” I press a finger over my lips, and everyone freezes just as the door opens.
Another book hits the floor, falling from Jeriko’s hands right as my father’s gaze clashes with Cameron’s.
And it’s then that I realize the Witch does not possess the same invisible magic that the Wild Hunt does. The magic of the Wild Hunt can break her body down to dust, but it can’t veil her.
Huh, who knew?
“You again.” My father’s lips thin into a hard line as he glares at the woman holding up a pair of white underwear like a flag ready to surrender.
There is another shape at the king’s side. A person. My brother. Merrick’s gaze is moving across the room, searching for something.Looking for me, I realize when his gaze settles on me. I don’t know how he knows where I am. I don’t know if there is some way he can see or sense me, but his eyes pin me to the spot.
