Page 125 of Nightshade
“The monastery.”
“Where you once said you lived?”
“Yes.”
“Here in Stygian Falls?”
“No, no, silly. Praecepsia.”
Praecepsia? The place in the book I’d begun reading. Perhaps she’d gotten her hands on it at some point, though I didn’t know when she would have. “Are you feeling all right?”
“Of course. I feel perfectly fine! Why would you think otherwise?”
“You’re talking about things that make no sense.”
“Look, please just trust me.” Her cold hand clutched mine in a bruising grip. “We have to leave. I didn’t stand a chance before with those dogs, but you could sneak us past them. They listen to you. We can find your father and get out of here.”
An ache bloomed in my chest at the sound of her desperate plea. I couldn’t take her back with me, as much as I wanted. Doing so might possibly trap her in a decaying corpse for eternity. Yet, I had no intentions of staying, either. I could get her so far, at least, but from what I’d heard and seen of the creatures in this place, she’d be far better off staying.
“Aurelia, I can certainly get you through the gates, if that’s what you want. But … I can’t …. I can’t take you with me.”
“Well, no, of course. I mean, once we leave the cathedral, we’ll go our separate ways. You said you’re from a land called Chicago? Perhaps I might see what it is like there. I would like to return to Praecepsia first to find my mother, however. Then she could meet her grandchild.” A smile lit up her face. “Oh, that would be so lovely!”
The talk of Praecepsia had taken a disturbing turn.
“Aurelia …” Did I tell her the truth? Lie? Not telling her might’ve perpetuated a constant danger. “I know you said you feel as if you’re in danger, but what gives you cause to think that? Have you ever been mistreated here at the cathedral?”
“Well, no. Master Van Croix has always been stern, but generous.”
“So, you’ve not been harmed by anyone in the time you’ve been here?”
“No, of course not. But what does that matter? I have a life that I need to get back to.” Confusion flickered across her face, and she glanced away. “At least … I’m certain I do.”
Biting my lip, I stole a moment while she contemplated, considered the consequences of what I’d say next. “I can’t take you with me. If I do, you’ll remain trapped in a corpse.”
“A corpse? You are talking in tongues, Farryn. Plain English, if you please.”
“It’s very possible that the man who brought you here had you killed.”
“Killed.” In spite of the frown on her face, she chuckled. “If that were so, how would I be talking to you now?”
“Listen to me, Aurelia. It’s important, for the sake of your happiness, that you understand.”
“Understand what, exactly? You are talking like you have had a bit of Poppy’s Blood.”
“I’m just trying to be cautious and choose my words carefully, is all.”
“Why? Say what you mean to say. Do not dilute it for my benefit.”
Sickness stirred in my gut, and I rubbed the back of my neck which had begun to burn with my rising discomfort. “I think you were murdered. And you’re stuck in a place called Nightshade. It’s … like a separate plane that runs parallel to the world we know.”
A long pause followed, her eyes unreadable, until she bent forward on a laugh. “You really are mad. And if I were you, I would not speak of these delusions aloud, lest you intend to be questioned. Thoroughly. We don’t have time for this. We must leave at once.”
“Would you listen to me? You have to quit trying to escape! This is your home now. This is where you’ll be, and if you die here, you remain here. At least you have a chance at redemption.”
Face twisted in a scowl, she withdrew her hand from mine. “I beg your pardon, Farryn, but if you did not want me to come along, all you had to do was say the words. Making up horrible stories is … well, it is just cruel.”
“No, it has nothing to do with that. If I could take you with me, I would. But I can’t. And if you leave this place, you’ll be putting yourself and your child at risk.”
