Looking to all the world like a trapped rabbit, the girl replied, “Er...it was a small trinket from my bracelet.” Roselyn quickly placed a hand over her wrist, rubbing at the joint as if it itched.
“What bracelet?” She’d never seen the maid wear one.
“Well, it broke, you see. That is why the trinket was lost. I am looking for it so I can fix it.” While it sounded like a logical explanation, it also sounded fabricated.
“I see. Let me help you look.” Glad that Perez kept silent through the exchange, she smiled, hoping to keep any inkling of her suspicions quiet.
Tucking the watch, and Perez, under her pillow, she set about looking for a most likely made-up trinket.
After a few moments of half-heartedly searching under chairs and behind furniture, she exclaimed, “Sorry, I don’t think it’s here.”
Roselyn straightened from her crouch by the armoire, and nodded.
“No, I suppose I must have dropped it somewhere in the servant’s quarters.” Dipping a curtsy, Roselyn thanked her for her assistance, and quickly disappeared through the door.
“Well that wasn’t the least bit odd.”
“What would you call it then?” The voice wasn’t muffled despite the watch being shoved under layers of feathers and fabric.
“I don’t know, but if she was looking for something, it wasn’t a trinket.”
She retrieved the watch, and sat at the edge of the bed.
“I’m surprised you didn’t say anything. You seem like the type of...uh...person who’d enjoy freaking people out.”
Tsking, Perez replied, “I could have said whatever I wanted. She wouldn’t have heard a word.”
Her snort erupted into a bark of laughter. “How does that work?”
“Everything I am saying right now I am saying in your mind. I can choose to speak aloud or directly into a person’s thoughts.”
Sweat beaded against her top lip. She flicked it away with the tips of her trembling fingers. “What do you mean?”
“I am using telepathy. The goddesses have empowered me to communicate to the mind of those I choose.”
“Ah.” Nodding, but not entirely sure she understood, she swallowed. “You’ve been locked away for centuries, how do you speak like someone from twenty-first century Europe?”
His rumbling laughter sent tingles along her spine. It was a pleasant laugh, but it chilled her.
“Though I’ve been trapped, I’ve had more than enough exposure to people to pick up a few things.”
“Were you always locked in a box?”
“No. After the spell took hold, the girl who cast it was captured and made to admit what she’d done. Because of her crimes against our people, they cast her out and left her to wallow in her evil. Most of the time, my family kept my vessel safe. Over the years, the watch has been handed down from generation to generation.”
Things became clearer. “So, Carlenna….” Awe deepened her voice.
“Is my great, great, great, great, great niece. Give or take a few greats.”
A buzzing erupted in her ears. “Oh.”
Ready to quit the short yet informative rabbit trail, she brought the conversation back to where it was before the skulking housemaid’s interruption.
“What did you want to ask me before Roselyn came in?”
“Ah, yes.” He paused half a second before he asked, “What do you want?”
She let out a heavy sigh, and rolled her eyes. “What do you mean?”
