Page 167 of A Storm in Every Heart
I stiffen, but don’t move an inch as King Magnus walks out of the palace. Beside him, walks Jett, smiling his usual mischievous smile.
I feel Kastian stiffen beside me as my mouth falls open.
Jett catches my eye and grins wider. “Nice dress,” he mouths.
I look at Magnus again, and understanding dawns. I grip Kastian’s hand, squeezing hard.
The guard looks as confused as Kastian, looking to his king, then back to us. Finally, he takes a step back. “Oh, my mistake.”
“Get out,” Magnus snaps.
The guard turns on his heel and scampers away, while Magnus moves into his place in front of Kastian and I. My shoulders tense, my muscles coiling with a nervous energy that I can't quite shake, despite the fact that I keep reminding myself there's no real threat. Kastian senses my unease and gently clasps my hand, his fingers warm and reassuring against my skin.
“Your tone is off,” Kastian says.
I let out a relieved sigh. I should have known that if I realized this wasn’t really Magnus, then Kastian would too.
As if to emphasize the point, Magnus cocks a hip and rolls his eyes. “I know it is. I can do the voice right if I really have to, but it feels wrong.”
“Fair enough,” I reply. “It must feel strange to use his body. Where did you put the real Magnus?”
Magnus’s eyes widen in a pointed way, and I swear I see Lyra’s expression bleeding though. “Come on, let’s go into one of the offices so we can talk. There are spies all over this damn castle and I don’t want to be overheard.”
I smile slightly, thinking that just because we lock ourselves in an office doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll be safe from spies.
I’ll have to check under the desk.
We follow Lyra in the shape of Magnus back into the castle and into the very same office I once hid in. Jett closes the door behind us and Kastian turns in a circle, eyes darting over the bookshelves, the arched windows and the dark oak desk. “It looks exactly the same. I’m surprised he didn’t use my father’s office.”
“He never touched any of your rooms,” Magnus says in Lyra’s voice. They let out a frustrated breath. “Hang on a moment.”
Before our eyes, Magnus’s skin ripples, bubbling as if overheated. His body shrinks, and Lyra stands before us in too-large clothing, shaking out her arms. “That’s better,” she says in her normal voice.
Jett gapes at her. “That is the most amazing fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”
Lyra gives him a hint of a smile, then looks back at Kastian. “Sorry, I was saying that my father never touched any of your rooms.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, but as far as I know, your bedroom, your sister’s rooms, your parent’s offices…they’re all still there.”
I glance up at Kastian trying to read his feelings about that, but his face remains stonily unchanged. He doesn’t say anything and finally I cut into the uncomfortable silence. “So, where’s the real Magnus?”
“Under the castle,” Jett answers darkly.
“Alive?”
“For now,” Jett nods, then exchanges a meaningful look with Lyra of all people. “He’s sedated, but still breathing. I figured we might need him. Daemon might want to question him, or…what about you, Kas?”
“What about me?” Kastian asks.
“I don’t know. If it were me, I’d want revenge.”
Kastian looks pensive. “I have revenge. I’m free and he’s locked in his own dungeon.”
“But did you want to do anything specific to him? Ask him anything?” Jett asks, incredulous.
“I want to never think about him again,” Kastian says flatly. “But I don’t know…maybe I’ll have some other ideas when we come back in six months. Keep him alive just in case.”
