Later that evening when the house has gone to sleep, I creep from the room Tali and Galen gave me for the evening. They have many rooms here. Many empty rooms. Almost like this place was meant to house far more people—maybe even created as a resting point for travelers hoping to escape Lady Aisling’s clutches.
And now it has fallen into her grasp.
I wrap my shadows around me, weaving them into a giant cloak, then sneak across the hall to Lucas’s room. I knock once, just loud enough for him to hear, then slip inside. When the door closes behind me, I release the shadows. Lucas yawns and sits up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. I perch on the edge, every muscle in my body tense with the fear of being discovered.
“We need to talk,” I say. Lucas blinks more of the sleep from his eyes.
“I know. Something is not at all right here. They didn’t even question why we’re wandering the woods alone. I thought for certain we’d need to give them some excuse.”
“We shouldn’t let them see that we have talents like their daughter.” I shiver. “If Lady Aisling was here, she may have a means of watching. It’s too risky.”
Lucas nods his agreement. “They’re far too calm about sending their daughter off with a strange woman for people involved with the network.”
My heart plunges into my toes as a horrible thought grabs me. “We may need to consider the possibility that the network has been compromised. That Lady Aisling has infiltrated it.”
“That would explain how Alsa got caught.” Lucas is quiet for a moment. “Should we stop seeking help?”
“Definitely not. It’s also possible we’re too suspicious.” I give a wry laugh. “That’s why we need to find out. I’m going to sneak into their study to search for any clues about Nova or the network.”
Lucas swings his feet off the bed. “I’m coming with you.”
I form a shadow cocoon around us both, then we tiptoe out into the hall. Having Lucas with me is comforting, almost like having Dar here, back when I thought she was my best friend.
No one wakes as we make our way to the study; only soft snores echo through the master bedroom doors. I breathe out in relief, but I keep up my guard. Lucas’s eyes are wide as though every shadow could be Lady Aisling or her hunters. Lucky for me, I know shadows when I see one, and nothing can hide in them from me.
When we reach the study, we sneak inside and rummage through every drawer we can find as quickly and quietly as possible.
“Here!” I hiss when my hands alight on an envelope with a broken seal deep in one of the bottom drawers. Lucas draws near, and we read it silently together.
Dear Mama and Pa,
Zinnia is the most beautiful place. The Lady was right; the school is perfect for me, and I am making many friends. Thank you for sending me. I am so happy here! I cannot wait to show you all I have learned when I come home.
Love,
Nova
The letter is short and sweet, and Nova does sound happy. Could we be wrong? Could there be some other woman who is offering to train children who are talented? It seems very unlikely, but I suppose we cannot yet rule it out. Still, there is something about the letter that unsettles me. I am anxious to be rid of it. I stuff it back in the drawer where it belongs.
“That didn’t offer us much information, did it?” Lucas whispers.
I shake my head. “I’d hoped for more. I think it best we leave here as early as possible in the morning. Just to be safe.”
“Agreed.”
Together we sneak back into the hallway, but as we pass a window that looks out at the night sky, Lucas touches my arm. The moon is nearly full and bright, and the stars glitter. But something else moves in the sky. A cluster of objects—smaller than stars—bursts apart and falls from the heavens to the earth. I swallow hard, remembering what Alsa said about how moving the comet might upset other things in the heavens.
“Do you think those were meteors?” whispers Lucas.
“Maybe.”
We make our way back to our rooms, our hearts and minds troubled. When I sink into my guest bed, I stare at the ceiling for a long while, tossing and turning. As I do, a slip of paper falls from underneath my pillow to the floor. Curious, I retrieve it.
The Lady watches this house. Leave at first light, or she’ll come for you too.
A chill spreads over my entire body. Who left this note? Nova? Some other traveler? I tuck it back under the pillow. It’s a warning others should heed too if this is meant to be some sort of way station for the network.
Eventually I fall into a slumber filled with dreams of a dark, dangerous woman lurking in the shadows while the heavens crash to the earth all around us.