???
By the timeI reached the library spire room, I had decided that all I could do about Marc was tell Felix my suspicion that he was working with Lady Cecily. It would be up to him to ask the rest of the questions. Of course, I planned to share my thoughts on what he should ask.But that would have to wait.
I couldn’t sit back and do nothing until Felix figured out his power, however. So, I’d stick with my original plan for the morning. I settled on my favorite chaise in the spire room and unrolled the Contract of Inheritance.
The contract Truthholder heirs were required to sign was far more involved than I had expected. In my experience, the adage “with power comes responsibility” was rarely accurate. “With powershouldcome responsibility” tended to better sum up the situation. But for the Duke—or Duchess—of Truthhold, not only responsibilities but also limitations were imposed before they could enjoy the privileges of their rank.
Though it was a contract for the heir, the stipulations listed within were all about after the signee assumed the title. The titleholder must remain within node lands—not the duchy, but the area within the node’s radius of influence—for at least half of every year.
I scribbled a note in my journal, reminding me to ask Felix how far the node lands extended. It couldn’t be just the hillside where the Truth enchantments were active. The Truthhold node was the most powerful on the continent; the power must extend for miles.
I set my journal aside and continued reading. Not only was Felix required to live at Truthhold for at least half of the year, but if he left for more than three days, he had to designate another person with a node-tie to act as his proxy. The proxy had to sign another contract that was essentially a more limited and temporary version of the one I was reading.
There were several more clauses detailing a code of conduct for the Truthhold liege. Most of it consisted of vague, generic ethical constraints that sounded good, but left plenty of room for interpretation. Given that the original contract had been written hundreds of years ago, that was probably for the best. But it meant that despite signing a contract just like this, Felix had been able to use his power to force me to Rose Castle.
I pushed the thought aside, and read the contract again, this time taking notes on certain turns of phrase, and trying to figure out whatMarc thought he had seen that the duke had missed. An hour later, I had a list of questions for Felix, but no sense that I had discovered anything helpful.
It was a little before noon, so I spent the next quarter hour analyzing the magic clinging to the scroll.
The same pitch as everything I had heard in the archives, the power beat against my senses in a steady tempo that reminded me of the bells I heard when someone made a promise they weren’t sure they could keep, but were determined to try. I knew that truth-reading an inanimate object was beyond my power, but I didn’t discount my instincts. The node truth-read contracts; it made sense that the reading lingered on the scrolls created through the node.
If I was right, then I might be able to find the scroll with Lady Cecily's curse.
I remembered the overwhelming feel of the magic in the archives and winced. Maybe not. It was easy, with only a single scroll, to discern the steady tempo and hear the brassy timbre of the magic, but once I was surrounded by thousands of scrolls, following a single whisper of power would be nearly impossible, even if I knew what I was listening for.
Nineteen
Felix
???
The instant Marcleft the dining room after luncheon, Isa leaned forward. “I need to tell you something I learned about Marc today.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You questioned him? I thought we planned to wait until I could force his answers.”
“I went down to the archives and asked him for a copy of a Contract of Inheritance. Then I followed up on something I had sensed during my last conversation with him, just an off-hand question to see how he responded. But I learned more than I expected.”
“You’re starting to worry me with how long it is taking you to get to the point.”
“He’s working with Lady Cecily.”
I stilled, almost wishing she had taken longer to work up to telling me. I had barely come to terms with the fact that Marc was untrustworthy—lazy at best and actively working against me at worst—accepting that he might be partially responsible for my curse was almost too much. Except I’d believe Isa over him—or my own instincts—any day.
“Explain please,” I said after only a heartbeat of hesitation.
Isa told me about her conversations with Marc, what he had said, what she had sensed. The damning conclusions she had drawn.
I took it all in. “He never actually told you when he had last been in contact with her, then?”
“No. I’d bet he saw her before going into the great hall and finding you transformed. But he has almost certainly been in contact with her since then, given his reaction to my question. Does he go to Leort often?”
“Every couple of weeks to buy supplies and pick up the contracts I need to witness.” I stood, my tail lashing. “Come on. I think I figured out how to tap into the node’s power instead of the Truths floating around this morning. I need to practice truth-telling now, so I can question Marc as soon as possible.”
I led the way to the great hall. We didn’t need to be there, I could reach the node’s power from anywhere in the castle and well beyond, but it felt right to practice my truth-telling with her sitting in the wingback chair that still stood next to the marble plinth and its bowl of fire.
Isa settled into one of the chairs, relaxing against the back rather than perching on the edge. She hummed, summoning a leather-bound journal to her hand. “I also have a few questions for you about the heir’s contract.”
A purr rumbled through me and I leapt onto the other seat. “Why am I not surprised that you have questions for me when we came here so I could question you?”
