An entire kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttered to life in Kieran’s stomach.
Lila returned with the darts the next moment and passed three each to Kieran, Sebastian, and Deena.Jutting her chin toward the board on the wall, she explained: “Let’s keep it simple: The team with the highest combined score wins the round.Best two of three.Ready?”
Kieran and Sebastian nodded, and Lila turned back to the board.She narrowed her eyes and held her tongue between her teeth as she lined up the shot.She flicked her three darts at the board, landing them all in the twenty- and eighteen-point slivers of the board.Kieran’s eyes widened while Sebastian nodded.Lila giggled and lifted her skirt to curtsy before sidestepping to let her sister take a turn.
“Not bad,” Sebastian said.
“And that’s after four drinks,” she said with a wink.
Kieran’s jaw twitched.Why do they keep winking?Do they think winking is attractive?I certainly don’t.It looks like they have dust in their eyes, and eye irritation is serious business.
Deena took her turn, landing one shot in the twenty-point sliver while her others flew somewhat askew.She cursed as Lila tallied up their points and retrieved their darts to give Sebastian and Kieran their turn.Kieran found himself going next, lining his shoes up with the strip of tape on the floor.
He weighed the dart in his hand.If I mess this up, we’re out of leads and I have to watch Sebastian kiss some random girl.Oh, I’m sofucked.I’ve never even done this before!I should just tap out now—feign stomach problems.Well, notfeign,exactly.I do think I might actually puke—
Just then, Kieran felt a gentle nudge against his hand.He glanced down to find Sebastian’s pinky brushing his own, so softly it was almost imperceptible.Kieran tried to look at him, but he was facing the other direction, chatting with the girls.Still, the touch was there, like a secret whispered between the two of them.
Kieran inhaled, lifted the dart, and flicked it forward with his wrist.
It hit the dead center of the bull’s-eye.
Lila gasped, breaking the focus of their conversation.Deena let out a low whistle.A small smile warmed Sebastian’s face.
Feeling their eyes on him, Kieran threw his other two darts, bolstered by the first shot.They didn’t hit the bull’s-eye, but he did manage to get them in the green circle outside it.As each one hit with a satisfyingthunk,his smile grew wider, his back straightening.There was a lightness in his chest he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
“Damn,” Deena muttered while her sister just gawked.“Well done.”
Kieran bowed, eyes and smile sunny.“Thank you.”
“Gonna be tough to follow that,” Sebastian said.He slid into Kieran’s spot in front of the tape line.Lining up his shot, he told Kieran, “You’re very impressive, Kieran Pelumbra.”
Kieran’s face warmed.“Oh, no, I mean—I’m sure it’s just beginner’s luck.”
In lieu of immediately responding, Sebastian threw all three of his darts in quick succession.
Bull’s-eye.
Bull’s-eye.
Bull’s-eye.
Kieran’s jaw dropped.
Sebastian shot him a sly smile.“I guess we make a pretty good team.”
Chapter Seven
“So, basically,” Kieran explained to Delilah and Briar, “we need to find the village witch.”
Back at the aeroship, Kieran sat in the study with the two of them.Briar was nursing a glass of water, having had a few too many drinks.Delilah was beside her, petting her short ginger pixie cut as they sat beneath a blanket on the green velvet couch.Briar leaned up against her, eyes heavy, seemingly seconds away from falling asleep.Kieran sat alone across from them with a cup of tea.
Sebastian had elected to stay at the pub for a while longer, even after they’d been able to repeat their success at darts and won easily, much to Deena and Lila’s horror.After a bit of prodding from Sebastian about their deal, he’d gotten Lila to admit the truth: The missing posters all over town, the fear in the residents’ faces—it was all because of the village witch.
“Lila told us that the lake was perfectly safe until six months ago,” Kieran continued, setting his tea down on the ornate sidetable.“But the townsfolk think someone cursed it.Now it seems to be drawing in townsfolk and drowning them.That’s why they call it the Lake of Whispers: Itspeaksto people.And it doesn’t stop until…well…the listeners drown.”
“Great,” Briar slurred, nuzzling closer to Delilah.“Cursed lake.Just what we need.”
“Like some kind of siren song?”Delilah asked.“I’ve read about stuff like that in books but never heard of it happening in real life.Do you think the Hilt is involved?”
