I laid it on my thigh, smoothing it out. Drawn lines, bright and clumsy, depicting three stick figures. One small, maybe the boy. One wearing a golden pendant that looked suspiciously like a featherdorn. The final was a towering figure looming behind them both, scribbled in thick red ink.
Lore stepped out of the bedroom and joined me, looking at it over my shoulder.
It could mean nothing,I said.
Or something. Why hide it?
I shrugged.If the boy drew this, he may have been playing pirate and buried his treasure.
He reached out and touched the figure wearing the pendant.This could be Laphira.
Agreed. The shadow wasn’t drawn by accident.
I have no idea what it means.
With a shrug, I slipped the drawing back where I found it, smoothing out the rug.
The jewelry box yielded nothing but earrings and rings. A music box played a haunting melody but held no secrets. I was beginning to think she’d hidden the talisman somewhere else.
I followed Lore into the bedroom that was all soft draperies and polished wood, high-backed chairs with floral carvings across the top. Another room to be seen but not slept in.
Lore searched the vanity drawers, while I drifted toward the bed. I lifted the edges of the mattress, finding nothing beneath. When I dropped the final corner down, something made an odd sound behind the headboard.
Climbing onto the bed, I peered behind.
Playing with spiders?Lore's mental voice held a hint of amusement despite the tense situation.
Something's behind here.
A leather pouch hung behind the headboard, the tie blending in with the curtain lining, almost invisible unless you knew where to look.
I tugged it up and loosened the binding at the top, nudging it out of the way to peer inside. A small leatherbound book, smooth with age, lay inside. Tugging it carefully out, I laid it on my thighs, staring down at it.You’ll find this interesting.
He came over to join me.Hmm.He traced his finger across the swirling symbol on the front and it blazed silver before fading back to a smooth, tarnished emblem.
It likes you.Who wouldn’t?
Maybe. Maybe not.
It didn’t bite you, and that’s a good thing.
Open it,he said.
It could be spelled, but I was curious if nothing else. I flipped back the cover and scrolled through the almost universally blank pages.
Only one held writing. Leaning close, Lore read along with me.
They’re watching. I can’t control anything, not even my own thoughts. I hate what’s happening. Hate my mother and what she makes me watch. Even more, what she does to me after. I need to escape before…
There was nothing else.
I stared at the words, my fingers tightening into a fist.This must be Laphira’s. She’s terrified.Unease curled through me.If she’s in danger, her son could be as well. A child shouldn't have to live like this.The thought made my magic stir restlessly beneath my skin.
This must relate to what’s going on with her.
As I returned the book to the pouch and secured it behind the bed again, Lore strode to the closet and checked inside.Empty. Just gowns, carefully spaced.
Don’t mess them up.
