Page 56 of A Castle of Broken Memories

“And you think Tenebris is weak?”

“No…” She bit her lip. “Maybe.”

I raised a brow.

“He didn’t used to be,” she explained. “But after he lost his powers, he’s felt different. Fragile.”

I nodded. “And you want to keep him from breaking. I get that. But consider this—if you’re feeling that way about him, imagine how he must be feeling. Losing all that power? Maybe this is the challenge he needs to prove to himself he’s not as weak as others seem to think.”

Mariana frowned. “And if he doesn’t?”

I shrugged. “Then we’d better get working on our end of things. I’m guessing you had a reason for making me haul Harp all the way down here and not just popping back into the ballroom. So, let’s hear it.”

She pressed her lips together, and the determination clicked back into place. I could practically see the wheels turning in that beautiful head of hers. “I recovered my bag with the egg and my brushes, but the bottle I keep the potion for my spell work in was smashed to pieces.”

“Damn.”

“My thoughts exactly.” She jerked her thumb at Harp, who waited quietly off to the side where she’d been placed, a dreamy look on her upturned face while the sun cast its lowering rays over her skin. Another hour and we’d need to head inside before the night wings came out to feed. “Harp mentioned there was a wishing well. I’m hoping it’s the one here so I can use its water as the base for a new batch of potion.”

“Right.” I straightened. “What else do you need?”

Mariana patted her satchel. “Nothing I don’t already have with me, thank gods.”

“Perfect. Then why don’t I fetch a bucket of water while you get dressed, and we’ll meet back in the shelter before the sun goes down to put it all together.”

“What about Harp?” Mariana asked. “Should we carry her inside before you go?”

“I’m standing right here,” Harp called out. “And absolutely not. I want to drink in every last drop of sunshine I can.”

“How about this,” I suggested. “We’ll move you so you’re right outside the door. That way we can whisk you inside before the bats come.”

Harp shrugged. “If you insist, but I think you’re forgetting that the shadow creatures are spread throughout the entire castle—ballroom included—and they’ve never bothered me before.”

And now I felt like an idiot for not realizing that sooner. How many times had I asked about her day as opposed to going on and on about my own? Just because she wasn’t human, it didn’t mean she was without feelings. “Harp…”

“It’s fine, Jack, really. Go get that water before it’s too late.”

Still, I hesitated.

Her mouth curved into a soft smile. “Go.”

I nodded, promising myself I’d work on being a better friend once we got everything sorted out, and took off toward the trees at a jog. It only took a minute to reach the moss-covered well, and I hastily lowered the bucket down into the water below. The little green frog I’d named Ollie looked on as usual, and I found myself confiding in him while I pulled the bucket up and placed it on the edge of the well.

“I dropped my bonding ring down here last week,” I confessed, tilting the bucket this way and that in hopes of seeing something move at the bottom, but as always, there was nothing but water. “Ten years I managed to hold on to it, and the week before my would-be mate shows up out of nowhere, I drop it down a fucking well.”

The frog hopped closer, his tiny head tilting to one side.

“It’s okay, though. You see this water? That mate of mine is an amazingly talented witch, and she’s going to use this water to make a potion that will help break the curse on this hell hole for good.”

The frog’s eyes widened, and he hopped onto the rim of the bucket to peer curiously inside.

I followed his gaze, sighing while I stared into the bucket’s shallow depths. “I can’t believe it might actually happen. Going home, seeing my family again. Punching Noah in his stupid fucking face.” I cracked my knuckles. “Repeatedly.”

The frog tipped his head up, and I gave him a half-hearted smile. “I should sound more excited, right? I’ve been waiting for ages to leave this place. It’s just… Mari.” I swallowed. “She’s been warming up to me again. Trusting me. What if, when we return to the forest… what if that changes? What if she decides to freeze me out again?”

The frog blinked, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

I huffed a laugh and swung the bucket down from the well’s edge, frog and all. “Yeah, you’re right. No use sweating the what-ifs before they’re even a thing. And if she does try to ice me out? I’ll be like a burr in her fur. Only, you know, in a romantic way.” I paused, glancing down at my amphibious friend. “You wanna hop off now, or you coming along for the show?”