Page 22 of Edge of Wonder

Use the key and set her free.

“Sneaky, witch,” I muttered, crumpling the card into my fist. I was a fool. A complete and utter fool. The clues had been staring me in the face since I’d arrived. My inner voice had even urged me to run the second I discovered Alice’s name, but I’d stopped myself. Instead, I fell for her charms, determined to help her, but it had all been a game crafted by my relentless family.

And I lost.

No wonder there was no record of her in Julian’s file. She’d been hidden away since she was a child. I’d just been given the wrong location. She had no family. No friends. No past. A shred of empathy slipped through my anger. Alice had been a ghost in life and death.

Warren cleared his throat and checked a watch hanging from his waistcoat. “Now that I’ve completed my task, and the ghost is gone. I’m going to have to ask you to leave before I call for the local authorities. You broke into my shop after hours, and there were damages.” He tugged on his cravat and eyed the charred easel. “Maybe if you return the spirit cage to me—”

“Forget it.” Reaching into my pack, I pulled out a bag of coins and tossed it to Warren. He struggled to catch it, juggling the bag in his hands before he lost the battle and it hit the floor. “That should cover the damages and pay for your silence. You’re never to speak of Alice or the witch to anyone.”

“Yes, sir,” Warren stammered.

Pocketing the key and the necklace, I left Warren’s shop. He slammed the wooden door behind me, and for a moment, I stood like a statue at the bottom of the steps.

Tessa’s note was still crinkled in my hand; the sharp edges digging into my palm. A warm breeze filtered through the alley, bringing with it the sensation of prying eyes. Was that a distant footstep? A woman’s laugh on the wind?

The urge to run was a physical sensation, one I’d never fought before. I should leave town. Fate may have played a dirty trick, but it wasn’t too late. I could walk down the street and vanish like I’d done so many times in the past. All I had to do was leave Alice trapped inside a dead man’s cottage. Fate may have sprung her trap, but I still had cards to play.

At the end of the street, people were going about their evening activities. It was a crowd I could easily slip into. Alice’s face flashed in my mind, and I forced it away, afraid I might make the biggest mistake of my life based on a dangerous temptation. Tossing the crumpled note into the street, I slung my bag over my shoulder and disappeared into the night.

Chapter 9

Sebastian

Alice paced behind the cottage windows. Her ghostly form glowed in the dark, and every few seconds, she peered out into the night. A worried look strained her features.

My relief at seeing her conflicted with my foolish decision to return to the cottage. I’d had the perfect opportunity to escape. But it wasn’t really an escape. I came here to do a job, and I intended to do it. Like Warren said, maybe that would be enough to break my curse.

I stood hidden in the tree line and watched her, unable to make myself go inside. Alice deserved to know the truth about her identity. But if Tessa was involved, then my mother was her accomplice, and I had to find out what they’d done. Not only for Alice’s sake but for my own.

Grabbing a shovel from a rundown shed, I made my way to the remains of a small garden. Any begonia’s had long since wilted and all that remained were tall weeds that flattened under my boots. Working beneath the moonlight, I sank the shovel into the dirt, using my foot for leverage as I tossed the loose earth into a growing pile.

The humid night air made my shirt cling to my back, and sweat beaded the back of my neck. With each turn of the shovel, my muscles burned, and exhaustion threatened to end my search for answers. But I kept digging, trying different spots, until the shovel finally hit something solid.

Brushing away the soil revealed a trap door. The hinges were rusted shut with age, forcing me to use the metal edge of the shovel to pry it open. A wooden staircase disappeared into the dark. I took a final look back at the cottage, then descended.

At the bottom of the stairs, I used a match to light a torch anchored to the wall. The short tunnel led to another door. This one was secured with a large padlock. I removed the key I’d taken from Warren’s shop and inserted it into the lock. It clicked open easily, and the padlock dropped to the ground with a loud thunk.

As I unsealed a narrow chamber, pebbles and dirt crumbled from the casing. Inside, the air was heavy with the scent of damp earth. I lit more torches, creating eerie shadows that danced on the walls. The room was inlaid with stone, and in the center, surrounded by a circle of unlit candles, was a raised pedestal holding a glass case.

I was used to finding crypts in my haunts. Skeletons were a common occurrence and coffins were to be expected, but not a glass box containing a perfectly preserved young woman.

Her blonde hair was pillowed beneath her, flowing past her shoulders in soft waves. She lay with her eyes closed. Lips a pale pink with the same hue dusting her cheeks. Ivy curled around her wrists like organic bracelets, and the vines delicately crisscrossed her too-short dress with lace sleeves and ruffled hemline.

My eyes locked onto Alice’s still form, and I couldn’t look away. Her features were peaceful, almost as if she’d fallen asleep with her fingers intertwined over her middle.

How long had she been dead? It appeared as if it could have happened yesterday and not years ago. Even the vines were lush and vibrant with life.

Magic.

It would explain Tessa’s involvement. But for what purpose? Why would Tessa and my mother lie to me about Alice’s location? Let alone the fact that she was no longer living? You’d think they’d drop that detail into one of their letters.

I approached the coffin and placed my hands on the glass. Inch by inch, I pushed aside the lid until there was enough room for me to reach inside. My heart hammered behind my ribcage, and I half-expected Alice to open her eyes and whisper,boo.

She remained still and silent as I lowered my hand to press gently against her heart. The skin beneath the fabric of her dress was warm, but she had no heartbeat. No rise and fall from her chest. I moved my hand to her lips, hovering there for a moment, but I didn’t feel any breaths.

Alice was definitely dead. But there was magic here. Something supernatural had kept her in this suspended state.

---