“Come with me.”
Blake’s voice was calm, but there was no question it was a command—a command that he was used to being followed. I didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to be annoyed about it, so I didn’t argue. I nodded and followed him out of the room.
My heart pounded against my chest as I followed him. Cody was real. I didn’t hallucinate him at all, and these people had done something to him. I could barely keep track of where we were going as Blake pulled me along, moving quickly through the castle. What did Blake know? These people—Caelan, Roslyn, Malakai, and Saryna were intense enough, but Blake and Ezreal.
They were different from the other Aurkai.
But Blake felt different from Ezreal, too—far less terrifying.
Why did he have Cody’s scroll? Is that why Roslyn hadn’t found it?
Something was very wrong.
We reached one of the towers on the western side of the castle that I’d never been to. I followed Blake up a spiral staircase where he paused at the topmost floor of the tower. He opened the door and turned to me. He scowled and waited for me to enter.
My steps faltered as I crossed the threshold—this place was incredible.
The arched windows on the far wall curved with the tower, framing a view of snow-capped mountains glittering in the silvery moonlight. Heavy red velvet curtains cascaded from above like rivers of crimson silk, their folds thick enough to block out the world if need be.
Near the windows, a grand piano reflected the candlelight of the wall sconces.
Plush, red-upholstered sofas and armchairs were arranged around an oval wooden table at the center of the room.
While being with Blake was far preferred to Ezreal, my chest was still tight with apprehension. His presence was not threatening, but I could feel him, despite being across the room. The air was thicker, like it tensed because Blake was in a mood.
Blake.
His name lingered in my mind. I thought of him with Melanie in the dungeons. The pain that tore across his face. I could feel it still—the grief behind his mask. Now, he was deep in thought, not casting a single glance my way as he paced from the piano to the table. He was wearing black trousers that were loose and low on his hips. A black pullover covered his lean, muscular frame, and his hair was tousled as if he’d been roused from bed.
What was he doing there? Had he been meeting with Ezreal?
“You’re one of them,” I said.
He paused, but didn’t acknowledge me.
Scowling, I grunted, but he didn’t notice—or didn’t care. Nothing I was doing was connecting like Melanie’s offense.
“What happened to Cody and Skylar?” I demanded, raising my voice enough to reveal the tremble in my words.
His expression was stoic.
“You must not tell anyone what you have seen,” he said. “Sit down.”
I was shaking and considered ignoring his instructions, but a sharp look from him made me decide otherwise.
I sat down on the sofa. He sat opposite me, touching his thumb and index finger to his brows and closed his eyes. Finally, he looked at me.
When we connected, my thoughts became heavy. His guard was up, but still, I could sense the weight he bore. It disarmed me and released the anger burning in my veins. Anyone that carried that kind of grief knew what good and right was, even if it wasn’t what they’d experienced in their life.
He didn’t miss the surreal connection, but he did break eye contact when he spoke.
“Two Initiates are missing. The Commander of the Guard, Commander Everson, decided it would be best if it were not focused on early in the year,” he said. “I did not know any of thismyself until I found a file on one of the recruits in Kalmont’s office one day—your friend Cody.
The anger was back in a flash.
“So Kalmont knew? And what do you mean not focused on?” I said. “No one remembers that they existed!”
Blake growled under his breath in irritation. “Commander Everson is skilled in various forms of hypnotism. Kalmont is in charge of the guard and did this on his orders. None of the other Aurkai know.”
