Page 92 of Wrath of the Never Queen

“We know but…” I lick my lips and glance at Theo. “There is a brick in particular we need to find.”

Inez’s eyebrows shoot up and she gives a nervous laugh. “A brick?”

“Please, Inez.” I step forward and clasp her hands. “Do you trust me?”

She looks at me, her jaw set. “Absolutely, miss.”

With determined swiftness, she steps around me and hurries to one of the many beds.

“Here,” she tells us, pointing at the wall. “It was here.”

“Help me with this bed, Theo.” I push up the sleeves of my dress.

He grasps one of the metal bars on the headboard while I grip underneath the bottom. Together, we haul it away from the wall, the feet scraping loudly across the bare floor. Behind us, several other servants and kitchen staff have gathered in the doorway, watching curiously. I ignore them and stand in front of the exposed wall.

It is faint, but I can see where the arch of the old door used to be. There are subtle cracks in the wall, running over and between the brick. I run my fingers across it, but there is no purple brick. Regardless, my ophid thrums, and I know there is au’mana nearby.

“There is nothing here,” Theo says, shoulders sagged in disappointment.

“No,” I disagree. “There is. I can feel it. There is more than one layer of brickwork.”

“Then what do we do?” Inez asks, wringing her hands. I know the servants’ eyes are on us as they mutter and speculate amongst themselves. I stand back and regard the wall.

“We break it.”

Chapter 36

We spend several hours chipping away at the wall. A few servants step in to help us, banging kitchen tools or garden shovels against the solid brick, but we only succeed in sending a few small chips of brick pinging off. After some time, Theo pulls me to the side.

“I think I know how to break the wall,” he tells me in a low voice. I brighten, but he shakes his head. “But I do not know if I can do it.”

He looks at his hands, flexing them uncertainly.

“You want to shapeshift.” It is a statement more than a question. I lower my eyes. In his dragon form, Theo could easily break through the wall, including the enchanted brick, releasing the spell on the castle. But would he be able to control it?

“I think…I think I would like to visit my mother’s altar,” he tells me. “Would you come with me?”

I step onto my tiptoes, snaking a hand around the back of his neck and pulling him towards me to press a kiss against his forehead.

“Of course.”

I explain to Inez that we have an idea and will be back as soon as possible. She wishes us luck, and we hurry past the throng of servants and make for Honora’s altar.

It is as we left it during Saint’s Day—dust coats the surface, small statues of the Saints standing patiently, their shadows dancing in the purple light. I take Theo’s hand in mine and send a prayer to Honora.I will not let him take your son.

Theo steps forward on unsteady legs, letting out a shaky breath. He lingers in front of the altar awkwardly before turning back to me.

“What…do I do?” he asks, his cheeks burning red. “I know I should know this, but…”

I move to join him, lightly holding both his hands so we face each other.

“There is nothing for you to know, Theo,” I tell him, voice hushed. “I have only read about the practice, but I believe it is simply…something you feel.”

He chews his bottom lip, uncertain.

“What if I do it wrong?”

“You cannot do it wrong—it is a personal experience. Whatever you do, it will be right for you,” I assure him firmly. “Your mother gave this gift to you so you would not need to spenddecades learning. The knowledge is within you.”

---