Chapter Fifteen

I barely had any sleep that night. The storm outside was still raging like a wild herd of horses when I woke up the next day. Its fearsome winds aptly described how I was feeling: tumultuous. In the confines of my study, the wind would have created a soothing rhythm had my mind been calm. But my mind was not calm.

When the tomte had disappeared, the rest of the world was set back into motion, and Titus was free to move around. To keep him from asking questions (because, frankly, his interrogations were painful), I told him that he blacked out when the tomte entered. For some reason, he actually believed me and became somewhat panicked. To my joy, he wanted to leave the stable immediately. I didn’t know why, but I wasn’t going to complain.

All of these secrets aggravated me. Nezira and now the tomte were keeping information from me. And Philippa was too busy for me to get the answers I so desperately wanted. Apparently, talking to magical creatures had something to do with the balance of the world. And with me.

I shuffled my writing papers into a neat stack and exited my study. The column I wrote for the tribune petitioned Nezira’s innocence. I would be given an enormous amount of grief and hate mail, but if I could spread my influence to prove that the nymph was free of guilt, I would do anything in my power to do so.

Clarice’s lesson was this morning, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I felt like a badger having a bad day. Leaving my house was going to be a pain in the backside, but I had to go to the castle today because I had an important errand to complete. Philippa told me to speak with Nezira today, and that was exactly what I had been waiting for.

That nymph knew something about me, and if I could get information out of her, then this stupid mystery would be solved. I hated mysteries and puzzles. They were a waste of my time.

I grabbed my cloak and suited up to enter the outside world again. I had a firm plan in my mind, and it would take everything I had to make it work.

I unbolted the seven locks binding my door and opened it, revealing a tycoon of wind. The streets were in turmoil. Loose papers flew across the cobblestone, and flower pots that people neglected to hide before the windstorm lay broken on the ground. A sign flew off its hinges and broke a window, eliciting several shrieks from inside the unfortunate house.

Windstorms were dangerous if you didn’t know how to handle them.

Thanks to Mother, though, I was expertly trained on how to maneuver through one of Aria’s windstorms.

I closed the door and clutched the messenger bag to my chest, keeping my head down as I dashed towards the main road to the market. The wind was blowing from the east, making it hard for my northern route. Even so, I continued on. The buildings on either side of the main road acted as windbreakers, but the violent wind seemed to blow right through the wooden structures. I avoided broken vendor booths and the shattered glass that was scattered across the cobblestone street.

I reached the marketplace without much difficulty. The stalls were boarded up for protection, but some wood pieces still managed to break free from their hinges. I ducked as one came flying past my head, narrowly missing my nose. I bolted across the open area and made it safely to the other side. Now there was only the road to the city square, then the main bridge to the castle.

The city square looked far worse than the marketplace. The tavern’s furniture was strewn all about, and part of the fountain in the square was broken off. Suddenly, the wind picked up speed, and I heard thunder in the distance. Rain was coming. If I had known that this would turn into a thunderstorm, I wouldn’t have stepped foot outside my house. But I had come this far, so there was no turning back.

I made it to the bridge just as a chair hurtled towards me. I hit the cobblestone so hard in my attempt to dodge the chair that my vision blackened briefly. I looked up just in time to see the chair fly over the main bridge and land with a loud splash in the water.

Well, at least the naiads could sit underwater now.

Across the bridge, the towering castle gates beckoned enticingly. I ran as hard as I possibly could, my feet throbbing painfully from the incessant thudding against the pavement.

“Open the gates!” A loud crack of thunder drowned out my cry for help. I shouted over and over for the guards to open the gates, but there was no response. A rolling thundercloud was fast approaching on the horizon, cloaking the land beneath it in darkness. The cloud stabbed fear into my heart, although I didn’t know why. There was something eerie about the cloud, as if it would consume everything in its path. The thunder rumbled deeply, resonating across the water. It only made me pound harder on the gates.

“Please, someone open the—”

“That you, Ms. Lannie?”

I spotted a familiar man with sideburns open the door of the castle. “Yes, it’s Lannie! Please open the gates!”

Maddox dashed outside the castle and cranked open the gates. “What made you think you could walk away alive in this bloody storm?” he hollered over the wind as he guided me inside the castle. Maddox closed the door behind us, sealing away the vehement windstorm.

The servants and guards in the entrance hall passed by with piqued interest, but no one was brave enough to ask questions. I had to calm my rapid breathing before answering Maddox. “I…had an appointment with the duchess’ daughter, of course. Wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

Maddox smirked—the most I would ever get out of this near-emotionless man. “Sure you wouldn’t.” He motioned to the staircase that led to the lesson room. “Lady Clarice should be upstairs.”

I thanked him and made my way up the stairs, straightening my outfit as I mounted the crimson steps. The storm outside made a cacophonous racket despite the thick walls of the castle. The sound was unnerving, and I didn’t know if Clarice would be able to focus on our lesson today. Still, this castle was a safe haven. Almost like a second ho— I startled myself. I had almost come to think of this castle as my home.

I shook my head and continued on my way to the lesson room. The location of the room was simple, but the ridiculous amount of corridors and stairs I had to traverse made it difficult. I often succeeded in getting lost in the vast hallways.

As luck would have it, today was one of those very days.

“I could’ve sworn I took the left hall,” I muttered to myself, glancing down a corridor that looked exactly like the one I had just exited. “Or was I supposed to take the right one?” I heaved a sigh. It wouldn’t be too bad; I would simply ask a guard who knew the layout of the castle. That, however, proved to be a problem because I couldn’t find any guards. The halls were empty. Even so, the reason for the emptiness was probably because of the king. He arrived at the castle yesterday, so the guards were probably protecting him like fearsome hound dogs.

All of these blasted halls looked the same! Disgusting red carpet, plain stone walls, paintings of overweight nobles and their animals. At least ten minutes had passed since I had gotten lost. The evens were never in my favor, it seemed. As I was about to give up hope, I heard the faint echoing of voices.

I walked at a brisk pace toward the sounds, which gradually became louder. The origin of the voices came from an insignificant door at the end of a hall. I hesitated before I opened the door to the room. What would I say?