Damn it. After returning post dinner, I discovered to my dismay that the secret chamber of books had closed, and that it could only be opened by Mikhail. Even Theo had given me an uncharacteristically solemn look when I had asked for access. "Only the Duke has access to that room, my Lady." But despite my yearning to dive deeper into the history of the God's, Aeloria awaited, and with it, an uncertain fate. I watched Theo and Henry while they prepared for our departure, noting the weight in their glances, laden with things left unsaid. Henry's eyes, usually so steady, flitted toward Theo with an uneasy frequency. And Theo's gaze carried a softness to them whenever they landed on Henry. Whenever my gaze accidentally met theirs, they'd quickly look away, their expressions shuttered. It was a dance of avoidance I hadn't noticed until now
"Everything alright, Sir Henry?" I asked as we prepared to leave.
"Of course, my lady. Just... preoccupied with ensuring your safety."
The morning of our departure Kat helped me back into Adelia's mother's dress, the simple beauty of the garment filled me with warmth. Their generosity gave me hope, hope that this plan would work and lead to better lives for everyone, not just those in Aeloria. Stepping out of the castle into the brisk morning, Theo and Henry were already there, waiting. Their usual finery was replaced by much simpler clothes, a stark contrast to their typical attire, highlighting the tension that seemed to crackle silently between them.
Theo and Henry exchanged a swift glance, a silent conversation that paused as they noticed my approach. "Please allow me to help you," Sir Henry said, extending his hand to assist me into the carriage. It was far from the opulence of the carriage Silas had arrived in, but the plush cushions and delicate adornments spoke of understated luxury.
Once inside, Theo and Henry followed, settling into the seats across from me. The carriage rolled forward, and a heavy silence fell. They each turned to look out their respective windows, pointedly avoiding each other's gaze. It was awkward, this silence. Theo and Henry were clearly trying to remain in their own worlds, each lost in his thoughts.
"I think this is the most time I've spent in either of your company," I ventured, hoping to break the stifling quiet. Theo turned briefly, his eyes meeting mine before he looked away again.
"Indeed it is," he responded, his voice low, barely audible over the rumbling of the carriage wheels.
Henry offered me a small, somewhat shy smile, his gaze lingering a bit longer. Seizing the chance for conversation, I asked, "How long have you been a knight?"
"I began my training when I was twelve," Henry started, his eyes lighting up with the memory.
"It was thirteen," Theo interjected sharply, correcting him. A blush crept up Henry's neck as he chuckled, "Was it really thirteen?"
"Yes, I remember the day you came to the castle quite clearly," Theo added, a rare softness in his tone. Henry's smile widened, his earlier blush deepening.
"So you all have been at the castle since you were quite young," I mused, piecing together their shared pasts.
"Uh yes... His Grace, Lord Belmont, and Lord Theodore have known each other since they were children," Henry confirmed. Lord Theodore? That was new. No one had ever referred to Theo with such formality.
I saw Theo's ears turn red at the mention. "I see. So you are a noble as well... Lord Theodore?" I asked, curiosity piqued.
Theo adjusted his glasses, a clear sign of his discomfort. "Please, my lady, just call me Theo. My father and older brother hold titles, I do not."
"I don't hold a title, and yet everyone refers to me as 'my lady.' You should just call me by my name as well," I suggested, hoping to ease the formality that had crept between us.
The suggestion did not seem to sit well with them. "You are His Grace's most esteemed guest, so that is why we refer to you as such, my lady," Henry explained, his tone apologetic.
I still needed time to learn Lumicrestia's rules of etiquette. "Were you at the castle as a child to learn about your role?"
"No," Theo replied curtly, his expression closing off.
"Lord Theodore was at the castle also training to be a ducal knight. He is quite skilled, still," Henry continued, trying to lighten the mood. Theo's discomfort was palpable; the red from his ears had spread down his neck.
"So you two must have spent a lot of time together when you were training as junior knights," I prodded, hoping to understand more of their history.
"Yes, we even shared a room in the knights' quarters," Henry revealed, a nostalgic smile touching his lips.
I knew it. Those stolen glances, the unsaid words, their behavior when caught looking at one another—the blushing. "Oh... so you two were 'roommates,'" I said, making quotation signs with my fingers.
They both looked at me as if I was odd. "What does that gesture mean?" Theo asked, a suspicious look in his eyes.
"Oh, um... it's a gesture we use back home to emphasize a word in a sentence."
"Why did you emphasize 'roommate'?" he pressed, not letting it go.
"Back home, having a roommate is seen as an important rite of passage, where two people can thoroughly bond. Spending all those years together, you must have grown rather close," I explained, watching them carefully.
"I suppose we did grow close," Theo said, but his gaze wasn't on me. It was on Henry, and for the briefest second, there was a sadness, a hopelessness in their shared look.
"Why did you choose not to become a knight, Theo?" I asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from potentially painful memories.
"My older brother died, and I had to assume his role," Theo answered, the sadness in his voice now palpable.
I had veered that conversation right off a cliff.
The carriage driver knocked on the wall. "We shall be there shortly," came the husky voice. Then I felt the carriage took a left off the main road, down a rather heavily treed route.
"Is this a shortcut?" I asked, skepticism lacing my voice.
"Something like that," Theo answered cryptically, avoiding my gaze.
We halted in seclusion, and they instructed me to disembark. Before me stood another carriage, unadorned and inconspicuous—an intentional contrast to the splendor we'd left behind. Henry's hand hovered at the small of my back, urging me forward with a gentle pressure.
"Quickly now, we haven't much time," he whispered, his breath warm against my ear.
The moment I appraoched this new carriage, I caught sight of Jean and Tomlin at the reins. A rush of relief surged through me, their familiar faces a balm to the unease coiling in my gut. "Jean! Tomlin!" I called out, my voice tinged with excitement.
"Mara," Jean greeted with a terse nod, his smile strained as if it were painted on. Tomlin merely grunted, his eyes scanning our surroundings with a hawkish intensity.
"Sorry, lass," Tomlin added quickly, "no time for pleasantries. We've got a tight window to make this work."
Before I could respond, Theo stepped forward, a glimmer of something solemn in his light green eyes. He extended his hand, revealing a delicate bracelet coiled around his fingers like a silent serpent. "This," he said softly, "will keep you hidden from prying eyes. It's not invisibility, but it will make you... unnoticeable."
I took the bracelet, its metal cool against my skin. "Unnoticeable?"
"Exactly. As long as you wear it, people will look right through you. Just try not to draw attention," Theo instructed, his tone lacing the air with an underlying urgency. "Put it on before reaching the gates, and keep it on. That's crucial."
The carriage lurched into motion, and I settled into the worn seat, its fabric rough beneath my fingers. The clatter of hooves and the rhythmic creaking of wheels filled the silence that mushroomed between us. I glanced at Jean and Tomlin, their profiles etched with tension, lines of worry creasing their brows.
"Is everything alright with the kids?"
"Fine, fine," Tomlin muttered, not turning to face me.
"And your injury Jean? It's been nearly a month..."
"Better now," was all Tomlin offered, his voice clipped as if each word cost him.
Their monosyllabic answers hung in the air, heavy and unsatisfying. Something was amiss.
We quickly reached the city gates and I slipped the bracelet on, remembering Theo's words.
"Why's it empty?" came the tense voice of a guard.
"We're picking someone up." Tomlin easily answered.
"Go on through."
The carriage wheels crunched over the cobblestones as I fiddled with the bracelet on my wrist, its magic clearly having worked. Jean and Tomlin sat rigid at the reins, their eyes scanning the streets with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
"Have you heard anything about your fellow Xoltecan's who suddenly disappeared?" Jean's voice cut through the quiet, almost startling me.
"No." I replied truthfully, though it was something that bothered me too. "They haven't been seen for weeks, have they?"
"Right," Tomlin chimed in, his grip on the reins tightening. "Not since the day you and Jean came to Aeloria."
I could hear the implication in his voice.
"Any clues to where they might have gone?" I asked.
"I was just about to ask you that. The room they were renting in Dampshaw had strange symbols scorched into the floorboards, along with several bloodstains. Any idea what the could be about?"
My heart quickened.
"That sounds like some sort of ritual."
"What type of ritual?"
"I am not sure." I answered truthfully, but I caught they look they shared. They didn't believe me.
As we rode deeper into the city, the buildings changed from the tightly packed shopes, and dilapadated homes of the town center to the sprawling estates of a wealthier quarter. Greenery peeked between stone and ironwork, a stark contrast to the grime we'd just left behind.
It was an area of the city I hadn't been to before.
"Are we close to the auction house? I thought it was taking place in Dampshaw." I leaned forward, whispering the question into the space between them.
Jean scoffed softly. "No, Mara. This is where the nobles play their games—too proud to step foot in Dampshaw. The auction is hosted in a mansion disguised as a ball. All very hush-hush."
I pulled back, surveying the manicured streets. But there were no mansions in sight.
"Then where—" I began, but stopped as the carriage swerved so suddenly, and I was flung against the wall.
We plunged down an alley that sliced through the back of opulent shops, stopping suddenly. The abrupt halt jolted me forward, and before I could right myself, Tomlin's voice pierced the disorientation.
"When you get out of the carriage stay close, hold on to me so we know where you are."
I stepped out of the carriage cautiously, squinting at the shadows cast by the tall buildings.
I reached out toward Tomlin and my fingers brushed against the coarse fabric of his sleeve. In one swift motion, his grip fastened around my wrist, tight and unyielding. There was no warning before my arm jerked back, the bracelet snapping away, the magic dissipating like mist under a rising sun. My knees met the ground with a startling thud, breath fleeing my lungs, shock rooting me to the cobbled stones.
Laughter and the clinking of coins tumbled into the alley as a group of men emerged from the shadows. Their faces hidden behind black masks, that only revealed their eyes.
They sauntered closer, and my pulse thrummed a frantic rhythm against my skin.
"Good work." one spat out, tossing a heavy bag that thudded at his feet.
Jean's boot nudged the pouch, the grin on his face slicing through me sharper than any blade.
I scrambled to my feet, the world tilting as reality twisted into something sinister. The men circled, shark grins widening, and I knew—the safety I'd felt with Jean and Tomlin had been a mere illusion now shattered and swept away by the cold truth of betrayal.
"Why, Jean? Are you on Houndly's payroll?" I demanded, my voice breaking as hot tears blurred my vision. Jean's face twisted with guilt, confirming my fears before he could speak. "But..you were stabbed. You almost died."
His silence was answer enough, but it was his inability to meet my eyes that shredded any lingering hope.
"Made it all the more believable," he finally muttered, voice low and devoid of remorse.
Tomlin's voice cut through the tension. "What we got from you barely covers the trouble you have caused," he sneered. His words were a catalyst, igniting a desperate spark within me. I couldn't stay here—trapped, sold, betrayed.
I bolted, but their hands were quick, snatching at my cloak, dragging me back into the nightmare.
I swung wildly, my fist meeting flesh, a grunt as one assailant staggered back, clutching his throat. But another was already there, his grip around my waist. Years of self-defence classes kicked in; I slammed my heel down onto his foot, feeling the satisfying crunch. Head snapping back, I connected with bone and cartilage, his grasp loosening enough for me to break free.
I stumbled forward, freedom a mere breath away, but it was a fleeting hope—a hand clamped around my ankle, sending me crashing to the unforgiving ground. Pain lanced through me, but it was fear that truly paralyzed.
"Enough!" Tomlin barked. He hauled me up, his grip bruising.
"Mikhail trusted you!" I spat, defiance flaring despite the dread pooling in my stomach.
"That was his mistake." Tomlin scoffed, the sound harsh and mocking. "What has the Duke done for Aeloria's people?"
Contempt dripped from every word as he threw me toward the men who awaited with a hungry eagerness.
"Careful, she's slippery," he warned them.
"I came prepared," one of the masked men boasted, pressing a damp cloth to my face.
Chemicals swirled into my lungs, the world tilting dangerously. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the smug satisfaction etched into their faces.