“What inspired you to use the luminarc?”
“Well, the receiver, Sire, and there’s a soft humming coming from inside the box.”
I strained my ears and detected the faint noise.
Cassian took the luminarc in one hand and waved the antenna over the box. The dial hand twitched before coming to a stop at the midnight hour. He set the machine down and frowned at the package. “You did right by alerting me. I will see to its opening personally.”
The guardsman frowned. “You take too much upon yourself, Your Highness.”
“The safety of my people is of the utmost importance.” The heavy sound of hooves and rolling of wheels came from outside. Cassian took up the box in both hands and turned to me. “Let’s go.”
We slipped outside and into the waiting carriage. Cassian was careful not to tap the box against any surface. My muscles were tense as he set the box on the cushion opposite us and took a seat beside me. The vehicle rolled down the road, taking us away from the castle and into the winding streets of his fair and dark city. Lanterns and candles illuminated the streets, casting long shadows over us as we hurried past.
The interior of the carriage was lit by two gas lamps that hung on either side of the space. I couldn’t help but stare at our ‘companion’ on the opposite seat with some trepidation. My heart was trying to beat to a rhythm that was a little too fast for my taste. I swallowed hard and turned to Cassian. “So what did the luminarc tell you about what’s inside?”
Cassian remained as he had been since we took our seats: leaning one elbow on the tiny windowsill and staring at the box. He brushed the finger of his bent arm across the lower half of his lips. “It told me there’s a great magic in there.”
“Dangerous?”
“It could be.”
My pulse quickened as the scenery flashed past. “Could it blow up?”
“There is every chance it might cause us such harm.”
“Is it a nethral?”
“No.”
I cocked my head to one side. “It doesn’t fit whatever that hand was pointing at?”
“That’s correct,” he mused as he dropped his hand into his lap and continued staring at the container. “The ‘hand’ pointed to the ancient symbol of power. Only the strongest of magics could force the luminarc to indicate that spot.”
“A four-pointed star…” I murmured as I thought back to the sense of familiarity I’d felt when seeing the symbol.
The memory struck me like a thunderbolt. My head shot up, and my eyes widened. I struggled with the chain around my neck as Cassian watched me with a mix of curiosity and concern. The damn thing still refused to come off my neck.
“Is something the matter?” he asked me.
“I know that symbol!” I told him as I yanked out the locket and held it aloft. The face turned to and fro at eye level. “Is this the same thing?”
Cassian furrowed his brow as he gently grasped the locket in his palm and studied the front face. He lifted an eyebrow, and his eyes darted to me. “Where did you get this?”
My hand shook as I oscillated between the truth and a lie. I opted for vagueness. “I…I told you Vhulkar was looking into the magic that hid me from him, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I wasn’t really hiding. Someone used magic to drop me in your woods.” I tapped the face of the locket. “The man who had the magic gave me this locket. Some sort of powder blew out of it and landed me in the forest where you found me.”
Cassian brushed his thumb over the surface of the trinket. “I see. May I have the locket?”
“I wish,” I told him as I grabbed the chain with both hands and tugged. The trinket didn’t budge an inch off my flesh. “See? It’s stuck to me.”
“Then that’s why you didn’t remove it in the hayloft,” he mused with a hint of his old mischievousness.
“Yeah,” I confirmed as I dropped my hands into my lap. “Does the locket look familiar to you? Or the picture?”
His sharp eyes continued to examine the scene with great care. “Perhaps, but we’ll speak of this later.”
