Page 46 of Fortress of Ambrose
“Chateau Soleil. Kedd, Rein, the twins, you all are welcome at House of Marionne.”It’s technically my House.Willam’s jaw dangles open. Jordan stares, stoic, but I can feel his anger burning in my heart.
“You would take us there, breaking how many rules?”
“Didn’t you just say we make the rules now?”
No one living in a safe house has set foot in an ancestral magical House. Safe houses are a refuge for those runningfromthe Order. Going to Chateau Soleil isn’t just giving them safe haven; it’s defying history. Jordan hasn’t moved, but he is silent, which I appreciate. I’m doing this for him, for me, for all of us.
“Once we arrive, you will summon a Healer to tend to his wound. That’s all I ask for the safe haven.”
“When would we have to leave?” Willam asks.
“Whenever you want. Even Dimara, if she’ll come.”
They are speechless. And I have my answer.
“I guess I’ll go tell everyone.” Willam’s mouth is thin when he tips his hat, excusing himself.
Jordan sinks deeper in his seat, stroking his chin.
Knox pulls me aside. “I had to be in line. Willam’s lead now. But I do believe in what you’re doing. It’s very courageous, Quell.”
I’m not sure what to say. I’m not concerned with bravery or anything like that. I just want to live in a real way.
“And you’re sure you’re not interested in leadership?” She squeezes my shoulder affectionately. “You did good, Quell. I won’t say exactly what I’m thinking, but I’m sure you can imagine.”
My mother would be proud.
Twenty
Nore
The winding road along the drive to Begonia Terrace was speckled with sun-kissed vineyards and lush hills, but Nore sat in the back of the driver’s car with clenched fists. She watched the sky behind them. The ancestors weren’t following them this time, it appeared. But she’d feel better when she crossed the property line up ahead.
Nore couldn’t stop thinking about the cryptic message carved in broken glass on the pavement.
Soon.
Soon they would have her heart.
Soon she would have to fulfill the Pact.
The dead were getting more aggressive. Thankfully, the person driving the crashed car walked away, despite being pretty banged up. Ambrose Headship changed at age twenty-two. The serving Headmistress’s heart was removed from the glass box and returned. And the new heir gave up theirs. Unless the Headmistress died first.Ellery’s plan.Succession passed down to a childorit jumped family bloodlines. It did not change between siblings.
She had to die first, then her mother, to ensure Headship passed to him. And it felt like Ellery’s hands were already wrapped around her throat.
Yagrin, who hadn’t spoken to her much since they landed, turned to her now as they were nearing their destination. She longed for the boy who sat inches away to tell her it would be alright. To let her break, for a moment, in his arms.
“You never told me why the dead are after you, specifically. Does it have something to do with your brother?”
“Yes.”
“He’s sending them to capture you?”
“I think so. Or to scare me. I’m not really sure. But I know he wants to get his hands on me to kill me to force Headship to pass to him.”
Nore’s mind flooded with memories of the brother who’d stood in the way of their mother’s cruelty, always telling her that she was good enough. Her eyes stung with tears. She tried to blink them away. But her chin dropped to her chest as she relived the horror she’d boxed away since she’d been on the hunt for the Scroll pieces with Yagrin.
“Are you alright?” Yagrin looked at her squarely. Her heart twinged.
