I looked back at the dungeon as she moved up the stairs.
The Priestess paused on a step and turned to look down at me.
“Come along, Maeve. You wanted truth.”
My shadow mark pulsed again, steadier now, and I followed her because I realized that Shadowick was never meant to be conquered. It was meant to be released.
Chapter Thirty-One
I felt it before I saw it. My eyes flashed open, and I shoved the covers off me as I scrambled my legs into me, and a creature hopped on me again.
My mind immediately went back to Twobble giving me the same morning greeting at the cottage, which felt like so long ago.
I sucked in a breath and sat up fully, clutching a sheet. “Who are you?”
The short creature resembled a mole or shrew of some sort, but it appeared to be about ten times larger than either of those, with flappy ears.
Why I thought it would answer should tell a person the state I was in.
“Up. Up. The Priestess doesn’t like to be kept waiting.” He hopped up and down like an eager rabbit.
“You talk,” I whispered.
The creature scowled at me. “Of course, I speak. Now, get up, or I’ll be to blame for your tardiness. And I had enough of that when your sulking mother was here.”
“You were with my mom?” I asked.
Fear struck his gaze as he quickly shook his head. “No. I didn’t mean that. It slipped out. Just get ready.” He threw some clothes at me that weren’t mine. I held up a black velvet cloak as a pair of black slacks slid off the bed and onto the floor, along with a matching turtleneck.
I picked them up and stared at them. “Does the Priestess prefer camouflage for all of her guests so we blend into the shadows?”
“You joke now, but beware, the Priestess doesn’t have a sense of humor.”
A smirk covered my face. “I’ll try to remember.”
“Good. Now get dressed.” He went to the window and shoved the curtains open, staying facing the opposite direction.
“What’s your name?” I also wanted to ask what he was, but I figured that would be rude.
“Barlen,” he muttered.
I slipped off yesterday’s clothes and stepped into the pants, pulled over the turtleneck, and tied the cloak. But what I really wanted was a shower.
I slipped the pebbles from Twobble into my new outfit and cleared my throat.
“Come. Come.” He spun around and nodded, giving me the once-over.
I followed him out the door, down the hallway, through a stone corridor, and into what appeared to be a dining room fit for a queen, or I suppose a Priestess.
The moment her eyes found mine, he scurried away.
“Take the day and get acquainted with Shadowick,” the Priestess said, standing at the end of the breakfast table. “But first, eat.”
I hadn’t slept even a wink, but I wasn’t about to let that be known.
“Please, sit,” she tried again, trying to sound somewhat maternal, but it fell flat.
Bowls of strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries sat on a silver tray, along with granola. It all seemed so…normal.
