I sensed—again—that she was giving gifts that had nothing to do with bones.
“Take the first,” she said. “This gift is from Pelid.”
“Tell her thank you.” I reached inside and lifted out the bone from the center of the case.
It swallowed me into . . .
36
TEMPEST
“Come, love, it’s time for your bedtime,” a woman said from nearby.
“Can’t I play a little longer, Mummy?” a little girl chirped.
I couldn’t see them. I was . . . hidden? I didn’t know where I was other than inside a small room that was so dark, only distant shadows filtered through two draped windows ahead.
Swallowing down the panic broiling my skin, I sucked in a calming breath. It felt weird. My lungs rattled when they shouldn’t.
My bones ached terribly, as if I’d fallen off Seevar a hundred times today, then battled dregs for hours.
Because you’re me,someone said with a husky laugh—inside my mind.Yourself as well, I suppose.
I’m me, but I’m not?
Let’s say you’re borrowing me for a short time. Pay attention, now. You won’t be here for long.
The drapes on the windows lifted, and I looked out from eyes that were not my own. I was still Tempest, but I was not inside Ivenrail’s bedroom any longer.
You’re Tempest—and me,a woman whispered.
The voice sounded old.
Since I was fortunate to reach my two hundredth year not long ago, some might say this is so. I do not, however,she said sternly.My aching bones still have many steps left to travel. But enough of this. You must watch. Listen. Remember.
Who are you?I asked.
The person didn’t reply, and when I probed, using the spell to explore a mind, she tapped me sternly across the knuckles, hard enough to make me wince.
Not my knuckles. This wasn’tmybody, yet mine felt the pain.
I will show you once. Then you must watch as this unfolds. Listen. Remember.
Alright.
She strode over to a mirror and for one instant, I caught my—her—image in the glass. Gray hair piled up onto her head. A simple yet beautifully crafted light blue gown. Wrinkles on her face, and eyes—
She spun away from the mirror and opened a door I’d missed and stepped through it. When she paused, I swore it was to give me a chance to absorb this world, not because she needed to stop.
Through her gaze, I took in a large open living area that was as big as two of the residences back at the fortress combined. The ceiling rose three stories and the golden gilt here couldfeed a village for a week. But where Ivenrail’s ostentatiousness came across as garish, this felt understated, if gold could ever be called something like that. A homey feeling permeated the room, from the toys scattered across the gleaming floor to the carved wooden dragons caught in mid-flight and mounted on thin supports, soaring across the thick slab-of-wood mantle mounted above the fireplace.
Sunlight streamed through a long row of tall, narrow windows on my right, the sunbeams dancing across the vast marble floor lovingly draped with ornate carpets. Gossamer curtains fluttered in the breeze trickling in through the open windows, carrying with it the heady scent of roses, much like the perfume Vexxion left for me to add to my bath.
At the chamber’s heart lay the hearth where azure flames crackled, shedding warmth throughout the room where a woman sat on a creamy sofa, one of at least eight, while a toddler girl played with wooden toys on the rug in view of the flames.
I swore enchantment filled the air, but that could just be the touch of magic swirling through me. The bone brought me this and it was a gift, so Iwouldwatch, listen, and remember.
“Auntie Vera,” the little girl exclaimed, dropping her toys and leaping from the floor to rush over to hug the person I . . . rode in. I wasn’t sure how else to describe it. “Help me find my Layla, please?”
