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Chapter Four
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ZARI'S HEART HAMMERED furiously against her chest as she raced down the steps. There could only be one reason the Marquis of Sangre would seek her presence in the dead of the night, and uncaring of convention, she hitched the full skirts of her dress all the way up to her knees. In the kingdom of Chalys, it was not a "done" thing for a lady to reveal anything above her ankles in public. But she didn't give a damn. All she wanted was to get to Mihail as quickly as possible, and accidentally tripping on her own gown would only be a pointless waste of time.
Finally, she was past the magical barrier that turned her whole school invisible, but before Zari could call out, the sound of her footsteps already had the marquis swinging around to face her.
NO!
She skidded into an uneven halt, skirts falling loose from her suddenly limp fingers. Mihail's handsome face was so much graver than usual, and it terrified her. "You have news of him," she guessed shakily. "Don't you?"
Instead of answering, the marquis moved forward, and she had the silliest urge to run away. What you didn't know couldn’t hurt you. Wasn't that how it went?
But it was too late now, Zari thought numbly as she watched the marquis slowly open his hand.
A rock.
He was holding a rock.
About three inches in diameter, with jagged edges that pressed abrasively against the marquis' palm.
Just an ordinary rock, except for its bloodstained surface, and she knew, she just knew. Didn't have to have visions to know—-
It was Alexandru's blood.
Her Master's precious blood that this damn rock had been soaked in, and she bit her lip hard when it started trembling. So much blood, she kept thinking. Just so, so much blood that he had to bleed, for this rock to drown in such vivid redness...
"One of our spies found this," she heard Mihail say.
"Where?" She was unable to lift her head, unable to take her gaze away from the rock in his hand.
"Sundown Wild Forest in New York. Our man works as a forest ranger, and he received a civilian report about a strange-looking carcass. Upon inspection, he realized that it was a changeling demon..."
"And the demon had the rock in his hand," Zari finished.
"Not quite." Mihail's lip curled. "According to our enemies, we've found Alexandru's killer and his murder weapon."
Zari was almost tempted to roll her eyes. Her Master, killed by a piece of rock? She shook her head, muttering, "They're idiots, if they think it's that simple."
"Exactly what I was thinking, too," Mihail agreed.
Her gaze drifted back to the rock the marquis was still holding. "So that rock..."
"I think you already know, milady."
Zari's throat tightened.
"My brother's message is written in his blood, and you alone will be able to read it." Determination blazed from the marquis' gaze, and for a moment, it almost felt as if she was seeing her Master.
Those green eyes...
The same green eyes that her Master had...
"Do your work, soul seer, and show us how we can get Alexandru back."