His gaze shifted to a flock of birds gliding along the air currents. They bobbed and soared with a sense of freedom that felt almost within reach.
“If you're going to paint, you should do it now before it rains.”
Before I could reply, he turned and walked away, his silhouette stark against the fading sun. But even as he left, I could feel the weight of what had just happened. He was afraid. Not of me but of what I was becoming.
***
I spent the rest of the afternoon beneath a tree sketching the encounter again and again, trying to capture the strange encounter on paper.
When the light began to fade and the clouds shadowed across the grass, I packed away my pencils and made my way back to the manor.
As I emerged from the woods and approached the fountain, Seraphina stepped through the manor's doors, dressed in a stunning, lilac-threaded gown that sparkled in the fading light. Her expression was serious, and I wondered what awaited me now. I clutched the sketchbook tightly against my ribs like a talisman, a reminder that Fionn now knew the secrets of my sketchbook and what I saw in the chamber.
“Tilly, it's time to meet the Elorium.”
TWENTY EIGHT
STERNLIT HALLE
As I approached the Manor, I forced myself to look at Seraphina, her aged face exuding tragic beauty. She looked like a princess locked in a tower, waiting for a prince who would never come. But maybe she was. That didn’t make her innocent.
Her eyes followed me with a sadness I didn’t trust and a weariness I didn’t care for. I had heard her voice with Fionn days ago, whispering to him about the Seance and how they’d used it to hunt me down and track me like prey.
“Come with me to the Sternlit Halle,” she said, turning toward the manor.
The awkwardness between us was palpable. Donte and her betrayal hung between us like a curse. I couldn’t help wondering what she thought when he was sent to seduce me. Had she cared and agreed to it? Of course she did. It was probably her idea.
Maybe they deserved each other, the deceitful witch and the man from the stars who played along. I watched her walk, and Ididn't trust her, not one bit. She moved with a grace that was too perfect, like she would glide over anyone who got in her way and destroy them without a second thought.
Was she so desperate to reclaim her youth that she’d offer up the man she loved like a bargaining chip?
This just showed how sick they were and how low they would go for the Prophecy of Vareth. I couldn’t understand it. I would never forget how they’d lied to me and manipulated me with Donte, that is just a different level of messed up.
And now she wanted me to follow her into the Sternlit Halle. I couldn't stop the paranoia rising.
A darker thought came to me. There were ornaments on the side tables, heavy enough to break bones. I could grab one. I could strike first, like I had done before, with Torin, when he tried to get too close.
She wouldn’t expect it. Except… she would. Seraphina always expected everything. She’d probably already calculated how fast I could move and how quickly she could react. That was what made her so dangerous. And the worst part? The thought of hurting her didn’t horrify me. When had I started thinking like this?
My anxiety was rising. Breathe, I told myself, even as my fingers twitched with the urge to arm myself. I followed Seraphina’s lilac form through the west wing corridor, I felt my pulse quicken as a cold draft slid across the back of my neck, I looked around, there was no window open.
For the first time, after hearing her speak earlier, I finally understood their plan and their willingness to sacrifice anyone, even themselves to save themselves from what?
I followed Seraphina down the corridor, past the Ecliptuari that lined the walls in both directions. They didn’t flinch. They stood like mannequins. I ignored their freakish, unblinking stares as I stepped into the magnificent Sternlit Halle.
***
When the door closed behind me, I felt a sense of finality, as though I’d left part of my previous self-outside.
The air vibrated with a tension that crawled under my skin. All three brothers were there, their presence made the large room feel small and suffocating. The sight of them together in one place made my stomach clench, not out of fear but from a curiosity mingled with unease at their combined presence.
So here we were. Three brothers. Three different kinds of danger.
Despite my initial hesitation, I couldn't resist looking at the portraits. The sunlight flooding the room seems to cast them in ethereal light. But I realised that regardless of the time of day, sunlight never failed to illuminate each room.
Torin had claimed his spot near the grand gilded mirror, his reflection holding his attention more than the room itself. He ran a hand lazily through his copper hair, the movement casual, but his smirk was sharp and cunning.
His eyes caught mine, and his grin widened.
