Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
My lips curved up. “Of course not.” I exhaled. “I was…under Kolis’s influence.”
Tawny stiffened. “What? How?”
I told her what I could, avoiding looking at Casteel as his wariness and anger filled the chamber.
Tawny looked furious enough to do bodily harm. “Why would he do that?”
“I…don’t know.” The memory of standing by the window and staring at the Cliffs snapped into focus. It was as if I had been looking for or had seen something. I shook my head, not wanting to talk about Kolis when I didn’t have to.
I remembered one of the questions she’d asked. “You asked where I went. Did you feel me leave?”
“Yeah. I could feel that you were gone. Not gone, as in gone,” she added. “But, yeah. Though I don’t know how.” Tawny shrugged with a quiet laugh. “Many things happen now that I can’t explain—like how I was able to talk to Vikter.”
“Vikter!” I shouted, causing Tawny to lean away and Casteel to stiffen. “Oh, my gods. I forgot. I saw Vikter.”
Tawny’s snowy brows rose. “What?”
“I saw Vikter at Mount Lotho—in Iliseeum.”
She blinked slowly. “That little bit of information doesn’t clear up anything for me.”
I quickly told her about seeing Vikter, skipping over the reason why. There wasn’t enough time for that, and I needed to ask her something. Actually, I needed to ask more than one thing.
“Before Vikter left, he mentioned Leopold. He said he never saw him,” I told her, remembering how he’d cut himself off as if he were about to say too much. “And that he was wrong about him.”
Catching sight of Casteel’s frown, I smiled weakly. “I completely forgot about it,” I told him and then refocused on Tawny. “He told me to ask you. Said you would understand.”
“Ask me?” Snowy curls toppled as she tilted her head to the side and sat back. “Is that all he said?”
“Pretty much.”
Tawny frowned. “I don’t know what he meant, but clearly he thinks I do.” She tapped her finger against her lips. “I never even met Leopold. I only knew he was a viktor because—” Her eyes widened. “Could it be that? The whole viktor part? That’s the only thing he really spoke to me about.”
“If that’s it, then he’s saying he was wrong about Leopold being a viktor.”
“Which isn’t impossible,” Tawny murmured.
Setting my chalice down, I glanced at Casteel. “But Malik said he was a viktor.”
“How did he know that?” Tawny asked.
“Coralena,” I said, even more confused than when Vikter had brought it up.
“I don’t know, Poppy. But that’s the only thing I can think of. I don’t know what more I could know.” She stared down at her wine. “Talking to him felt like a dream, and honestly, if Wilhelmina hadn’t mentioned…”
As Tawny trailed off, I refused to look at Casteel because I already knew he had a big grin on his face like he did whenever Miss Willa was mentioned.
“So,” Casteel drawled, reluctantly drawing my gaze. I imagined he was about to say something that would either infuriate or embarrass me. “Did Poppy ever tell you about—?”
“Anyway,” I said loudly. Realizing Tawny was still quiet, I looked at her. Her brows were nearly connected. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. It’s just I have a feeling that Willa said something, but…” She stared harder into the wine as if it held the answers she sought. “I have to think about it.” Lifting her glass, my eyes widened as she downed its contents.
I picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. “Do you think that will help?” I smiled, jerking my chin at her empty glass.
“Possibly.” She flashed me a quick grin that faded. “I heard about Stonehill.” Her gaze lowered. “Gianna said it was pretty terrible.”
“It was. I didn’t know she was there.”
“She said you didn’t see her. She was canvassing the other streets.” Pausing, she sent me a sidelong glance. “And I think she was avoiding you.”
Casteel let out a low laugh.
I ignored that. “Did she see…them?”
Tawny nodded.
“Is she okay?”
“As okay as one can be.” Leaning forward, she placed her glass on the table. “She heard it was the true Primal of Death’s doing. But…why? Why would he do that to mortals—to children?”
“I wish I knew. Actually, I probably don’t.” I let out a small breath as a knock sounded on the door. “But we think he was sending a message, letting us know he’s around and what he can do.”
Delano appeared in the doorway a few moments later. “Malik is here.”
“Let him in,” Casteel said.
“Malik,” Tawny murmured. “The even less friendly Da’Neer?”
My eyebrows rose.
“I heard that,” came Malik’s voice.
Tawny pressed her lips together and puffed out her cheeks.
Malik strode into the sitting chamber, a single brow arched as he glanced down at Tawny before his gaze flicked to me and then his brother. He looked a little better than he had last night—the shadows under his eyes weren’t so unforgiving.