Innocent Darkness (20 page)
Authors: Suzanne Lazear
Tags: #Juvenile Fiction, #Fantasy & Magic, #Steampunk
“Oh, come on. You are so sweet on her it’s not even funny.” James made another face. “I’m not watching your reunion.” He flopped onto Steven’s bed. “Quinn’s been covering for you, too.”
“True.” He grinned. “You’re still not going.”
“You’re not actually leaving me here with Quinn and Elise while you go adventuring, are you?” James expression became a cross between hurt and disbelief. “I could help you.”
“I’m only going to the school to see if Noli is there.” In theory.
“And that’s why you’re bringing your sword?” James arched an eyebrow. “Let me go.”
“What if I have to go … ” He looked outside the window at Quinn playing a game with Elise in the backyard. “What if I have to go into the Otherworld?”
James huffed. “Oh, come on, V. I remember home. I remember the palace. I’m not Elise. I know the dangers and I know enough to be a help. I’m not that much younger.”
Every word rang true. “Since when do you call me
V
?”
“Someone has to keep you from being a fussy old bodger.” James grinned. “Besides, I need to go.”
“Why? Aside from being a royal pain.”
That earned him a shove. “No. Um, because,” James’ cheeks flushed. “I’ve been having dreams about the Otherworld. But I can’t remember anything other than they’re in the Otherworld and involve a girl.”
“Don’t tell Quinn.” He’d had gotten quite the education. Now he could actually dream search. But he still couldn’t figure out where Noli
was.
James snickered. “I overheard most of it. Are you really having clandestine trysts with Noli on the dream plane?”
“Am
not
.” They were a bit naughty by mortal standards, but hardly trysts.
“Girl or no, you won’t catch me being mushy like you.” He made a face of disgust.
Shaking his head and suppressing a grin at James’ words, Steven left the room.
“Good, I’ve been ready for ages.” James followed.
He turned around in the hallway. “You’re not going. Someone has to protect Elise.”
“Nice try, but we both know Quinn has it under control.”
There really was no good reason to leave James behind. Honest and loyal, he was better with a sword than Steven, and decent enough in magic. Also, his brother understood the intricacies of the Otherworld. He’d be an asset—especially if they needed to split up.
“I know you care about Noli.” James put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you and Quinn are worried about what’s going on with the magic. Let me help. Please?”
“You understand I might have to break some of our laws?” How far would he go for a mortal, desperation aside?
“Since when have we been afraid of breaking rules?” James shrugged as they went downstairs.
“These aren’t child’s pranks. This could lead to our deaths. You know how the high queen is. The sacrifice is under her dominion, if Noli is … ”
“I don’t understand why you’re so sure it’s Noli, why you’re so afraid, so desperate. But you’re my brother so I’ll go and help the best I can. Besides,” James grinned devilishly. “If you leave me behind, I’ll tell father.”
James would do nothing of the sort, but it made him laugh. “Well, if you put it that way … ”
Kevighn paced the kitchen in frustration. The magic still hadn’t bound Noli, who hounded him constantly for information. The queen knew he’d gone missing with the chosen girl. It was only a matter of time before she came here. She’d sent hunters out for more girls, but so far they were unsuccessful.
He’d
continued to search for another girl, part out of duty, part out of selfishness.
Never had they gotten this close to it being time without a sacrifice. This morning he’d gone to light the hearth and needed to try over and over like a small child. Soon the wood faeries would sicken and die. Ones in the mortal realm already were. Gates closed themselves off. One of the smaller realms had disappeared completely along with everyone in it.
Once again, it was his fault. Yet, he didn’t care. The problem didn’t lay in Noli’s stubbornness to give in to the magic. The binding would stabilize the magic and keep things from deteriorating, but only her death would completely reverse the damage.
No, the real problem lay in that he’d fallen in love with the very girl he had to kill. He wasn’t in lust, as with the other girls, merely or attracted, like with Annabelle. No. If he professed his love to her, as he had to so many others, he’d speak the truth.
At first he’d thought Noli drew him because she reminded him of his sister. But he’d been ensnared by her spunk, her spirit, her gifts, the fact she’d made his cabin a home again. He could easily imagine a quiet life here with her …
That couldn’t be. Unless he managed to find someone else before the magic bound her, Noli must die. He played a dangerous game and with every moment passing he became surer that he needed to take Noli to the palace, entrust her to the queen, and be done with it. He wasn’t going to find another—it had been hard enough finding her.
No rule said he must be the one to amuse and seduce the sacrifice and he’d let others do the job before. Yet the thought of anyone else touching her made his blood boil.
He wanted to kiss her, love her. That could make the magic set—it had worked before. It would be easy. She often woke up … frustrated, as girls that age often did. He’d walked by her open bedroom door more than once to see her cradling her pillow as if it were a man while she slept.
As good as it would be for the land, for his people, for the magic to set, irreversibly binding her as the sacrifice, it would be bad for him.
Out of the all the girls, all the times, why this girl, why now?
A familiar sensation rippled up the back of his spine. Someone had arrived at his private gate—the doorway into his domain. This wasn’t the one he’d brought Noli through, a little-used public one. Someone wasn’t “knocking” at his door. Rather, they’d come through the proverbial back door, using his personal gateway. Only three people besides himself possessed access to that gate.
Creideamh was dead. The other would never use it unless necessary.
The high queen herself had decided to visit.
Surely, nothing good would come of this.
Where’s Noli?
“This place looks dreadful,” James whispered as the two of them approached the imposing, yellow house.
“It’s a reform school, not a resort.” But Steven concurred. The soulless house seemed to watch them sinisterly, like dark court spies.
“What’s your plan? Walk through the gate, knock on the door, and ask to see Noli?”
Steven’s eyebrows rose as he pushed open the tall, ominous gate. Hopefully they looked respectable enough. “Do you have a better one?”
James shrugged, top hat askew. “No.”
As they walked down the cobblestone path to the front door, Steven looked around. This entire place made an uneasy feeling settle over him.
After ringing the bell, he straightened his coat.
Please let Noli be here.
A rather bland blonde answered the door. “May I help you?”
“Good afternoon,” he tipped his hat. “We’re here to see Magnolia Braddock.” All he needed was to see the girl’s expression to know the answer.
“Let me get Miss Gregory.” In a flustered flurry of skirts and petticoats, she left, leaving them standing on the front porch.
A few moments later, a spindly woman in all black came to the door and looked down her nose at them as if they were beggars looking for scraps. “I’m Miss Gregory, I run this establishment. You are?”
He bowed, trying to be every inch the gentleman. “I’m Steven Darrow and this is my brother James. We’ve traveled from Los Angeles to see Magnolia Braddock.”
Unlike the blonde girl, the headmistress’ face remained stone cold and blank. “I’m sorry, but our girls aren’t permitted visitors.”
“Please,” James wheedled, turning on the charm. “We’ve traveled a long way. All we are asking for is a few moments, chaperoned, of course. We’ll even stand on the porch.” He flashed her an ice-melting smile.
For a moment Steven caught a glimmer of something in her eyes. Fear.
“She’s not permitted visitors. Her mother is aware of this and should have told you. If I allow you, I’d have to allow everyone. Good day.” She slammed the door in their faces.
“What a dragon-lady,” James whispered.
“I think real dragons would be offended by that,” he replied.
He grinned. “I think you’re right.”
Steven looked through the windows to see if anyone watched—he didn’t see anyone. He made his way down the porch steps, but instead of heading straight out the gate, he followed along the side of the house.
“What are you doing?” James jogged to keep up.
“I need to check something.” He could feel the buzz of magic under his skin, pulling him like a lodestone.
A side door opened, startling them. As the soft, blonde girl in a blue dress with a white apron stepped outside. When she saw him her eyes widened. “Oh!”
His finger went to his lips. Quinn would
not
appreciate Miss Gregory calling the authorities. Neither would his father.
“We aren’t here to harm you or to cause mischief. Do you know Noli Braddock?” he whispered.
Blue eyes wide, she nodded, a basket on one arm. She lowered her voice. “She isn’t here anymore. It’s a dreadful scandal. But we’re not supposed to speak of it.”
“Is it now?” His heart sank.
“Who are you, her brother, Jeff, or her best friend, V?” She smiled shyly. “Magnolia was my friend. Well, I considered her my friend.”
Noli spoke of him? His heart jumped. “I’m V and this is my brother, James.”
She bobbed a curtsey. “I’m Claire. Charlotte and Noli were close. When Charlotte’s uncle took her back to Georgia, Noli became upset and they locked her away in isolation. When they took her out she simply … vanished.” She bit her lip and looked around again nervously. “She and Charlotte planned on running away. I think she might have carried out the plan, perhaps gone to Charlotte’s.”
Charlotte. Claire. The letters mentioned the both of them. Run away? He didn’t blame her. This place made his skin crawl.
“Do you have Charlotte’s address?” He doubted Noli ran away—or if she did she’d gotten all the way to Charlotte’s. Certainly she hadn’t run back to Los Angeles. Maybe she’d gone to Jeff. Still, he just couldn’t see her abandoning her mother with no word.
Claire looked startled. She seemed to startle easily. She also shone ever so slightly with the Spark. “Oh, silly me, I forgot my shears. It’s hard to cut herbs without shears. It should take me time to find them, at least ten minutes. Excuse me.” She went back inside and shut the door.
“Odd.” James blinked in puzzlement.
“Come on, we have ten minutes.” Steven dragged his brother towards the back gardens, which looked rather extensive. Had they ever let Noli out, or did they keep her inside? The thought of being kept inside made him shudder.
“What do you mean, ten minutes?” James scratched his chin, frowning.
“Are you daft? She’s going to try to get the address and come back in ten minutes.” They crept past the kitchen garden filled with vegetables and fragrant herbs.
“Oh, that’s what the babble meant?”
