Page 75 of What Blooms from Death

“So what did you see?”

I tried to explain it in as much detail as I could—which wasn’t much; it felt like trying to describe a dream that had fled from my thoughts the moment I’d woken up.

“You didn’t recognize the woman or the location?” he asked.

“Not truly, no. Though I swear that woman looked like she could have been an older version of me. But I’ve never heard of a necromancer divining the future; only the past. And the girl appeared to be the same age as she is now.”

Zayn was quiet for a long time before he said, “Have I ever told you you’re a very strange person?”

I gave him a wry smile. “Yes. You’ve mentioned that.”

We fell silent, contemplating, picking at the tray of refreshments the servants had brought.

My turquoise bracelet was stirring again. Not the subtle shivering of earlier, but a tightening—occasionally clenching so fiercely to my wrist that it cut off my circulation and left my fingertips numb. I did my best to ignore it; I didn’t want to talk about mystrangenessany more just then.

“What are the chances at leastsomeof this food is poisoned or otherwise cursed, I wonder?” Zayn asked, lifting a small cake and giving it a dubious nibble. “Or, at the very least, not meant for real,livinghuman consumption?”

“Kaelen seems as alive as we are. I assume that’s why they have this food and water with actual substance to it—though who knows where it comes from. And I wonder if the wraiths eat anything similar?”

He shrugged, his eyes clouding over in thought once more.

“…I don’t think our host wants to poison us, either way,” I said. “He could have killed us outside the city if that was his game. He wants something else from us.” I frowned as I thought about the way his eyes had lingered on me in the hallway earlier. “Something from me.”

Zayn nodded. “He likely wants to figure out your magic—and how he can use it for his own gain.”

“Something I’d like to figure out for myself,” I muttered.

The comment hung in the air until I couldn’t take it any longer; I wasn’t solving anything, sitting here eating cakes.

I forced myself to stand. “I need to talk to Aleksander. Do you know where he is?”

“Off brooding somewhere, if I had to guess,” Zayn said, back to his usual, teasing expression of bright eyes and an easy grin.

“Not helpful.”

“I know he wasn’t in his room when I checked an hour ago, if that helps.”

I thanked him, drained the last of the water I’d poured, and then set off. I thought about using Phantom to help track Aleksander down, but Red seemed more at ease now that she had him to play with, so I insisted he stay beside her.

Part of me wanted to explore the house on my own, anyway. To wander through at my own pace, trying to make sense of its existence in this realm, while simultaneously trying to prepare myself for the talk I needed to have with the Light King.

I wandered up and down all three stories of the manor, taking in its haunting beauty. Though it was dulled by dust and darkness, its grandness couldn’t be denied. More metal sculptures lined the hallways—more figures whose identities I could only guess at. After studying their faces more closely, though, I concluded that they all seemed to favor one another. Several of the peeling and faded murals appeared to feature similar people, too. So this was a house built by—or for—one family. Like a mausoleum, I supposed. Except, there didn’t seem to be any trulydeadbodies anywhere…and there were far too many things that no ghost would have any use for.

The longer I spent walking through it all, the more confused I felt.

I wanted to keep exploring. But eventually, I heard familiar voices I couldn’t ignore—Thalia and Kaelen were nearby, having what sounded like a heated conversation. I cautiously drifted closer to the sound, which brought me to a balcony above a wild, overgrown garden. They stood alone on one of its cobblestone paths, their bodies half-hidden by thorny vines and shriveled flowers.

The balcony was massive, protruding out from an airy, open room, with multiple doorways leading onto it. I was cautiously creeping along it, searching for a way to get closer to Thalia without being seen, when I spotted Aleksander.

He was leaning against a column of the balcony, his gaze narrowed intently on the garden below. A tattered curtain hung overhead, casting him in shadows and further hiding him from view; we’d had the same idea of eavesdropping, apparently.

I carefully made my way toward him.

Chapter Nineteen

Nova

“Chaos,”he greeted me, his voice low.

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