Page 118 of Ruling Destiny

“Where do you think Song went? Anjou, too? It’s an underground movement at Gray Wolf. Arthur’s done his best to stop it, but some things slip past him. Do you really think he’d just let people go missing in time?”

“He didn’t send anyone after you.”

“Because Braxton convinced Arthur I was dead. It wasn’t until you came along that he learned the truth. But Shiv, it’s dangerous and unstable. You should at least let me come with you.”

“Not a chance,” I say. “But nice try.”

I’m heading for our rooms when Killian calls, “You’ll need to find the portal. I can show you.”

I’m way ahead of you, I think, leaving Killian bound to the chair as I race toward a new plan.

71

I rush into our room, tear into the trunk, and after rifling through Killian’s things, I find the small leather-bound book.

And right there on the cover is the mark I once mistook for a sigil but is actually an etching of a small red rose placed at the center of an infinity symbol.

If Killian told the truth about this, then does that mean he’s told the truth about everything else?

Did Anjou and Song really choose to go?

And if so, why didn’t Anjou tell Song?

And why didn’t Song stick around long enough to tell me when she claimed she wanted to talk?

Is it because the conditions were just right, and they didn’t want to miss their chance while they had it?

Hurriedly, I flip through the pages, seeing a blur of various moon phases and symbols that’s impossible to make sense of.

There are long paragraphs devoted to intention, and the margins are scrawled with handwritten notes, including the date and time Anjou disappeared and, right beside it, a small question mark.

Did Song go in pursuit of Anjou?

And if she didn’t disappear on a Trip, if she left of her own accord, then why does Arthur not relieve us of our worries and tell us as much?

But then my mind returns to what Leonardo said:Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master.

And right away, I know the answer.

Arthur doesn’t want us to know there’s a way to travel on our own. He wants us to rely solely on him.

Gray Wolf Island contains a natural portal. But where there’s one, there must be others.

What was it Song said?Magick has always been the currency of the oppressed?

My God—this has the potential to change everything!

Knowing that once I leave this palazzo, if things go as I hope, I won’t be returning, I shrug on another clean shirt and pull on a jacket, since the ones I was wearing are still lying on the dining room floor. Then, after stashing my dagger and the Moon into my pockets, I head back into the dining room to check on Killian, remembering what Elodie recently said:

…until you’re crystal clear on exactly what your intention is, it’s best to stay away from all that. Otherwise, you risk falling victim to one whose intentions are far stronger than yours.

Well, my intentions are crystal clear. I know exactly where I’m going, and the anticipation leaves me positively thrumming.

But first, I need to find Braxton.

By the time I return to the dining room, the chair is tipped on its side, and Killian is nowhere in sight.

72

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