Page 88 of Nightshade

“I was under the impression it was something in the walls.”

“No. Trust me, it is the bell. I sleep just below it, so I hear it quite clearly.”

“You sleep there? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Oh, it isn’t in the actual tower of the bell. There’s an undercroft below it.”

Where Anya had told me not to go. Odd that Aurelia would sleep there.

“Could be rats running amuck,” Aurelia prattled on, “But I’ve not seen a single rodent in this place. I suppose part of that is the dogs and Cicatrix, though.”

“Cicatrix?”

“The raven. It’s Master Van Croix’s pet. Supposedly, he talks, but I have never heard him.”

“The bird, or Van Croix.”

Aurelia chuckled again, knocking her arm against mine. “The bird, silly. So, how did you do it, anyway? Taming those dogs?”

“I don’t know. Guess they just didn’t consider me much of a threat?”

“They terrify me. I have always been afraid of dogs. Got bitten when I was young. They say that kind of trauma lives with you forever, when it happens so young.”

Her words incited a flash of violent water and a sharp burn in my nose, and I flinched the visual away. The spike of adrenaline left a cold sensation in my chest, compelling me to take a deep breath.

“Farryn? Are you all right?”

I blinked out of it, and turned to find her brows winged up expectantly. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked if you plan on eating your dinner. You haven’t touched it ,at all.”

“Oh.” A quick glance showed my silverware sat unused beside a fully-intact roasted duck. “I guess I’m not that hungry.”

“I’ll eat it, if you don’t want it.”

Pushing the plate toward her, I smiled and nodded. Part of me wanted to sneak away to the library I’d seen earlier on the tour. Another part didn’t want to leave her to eat alone. An unsettling feeling weighed heavy on me at the thought that, when I’d leave and return back to my own life, she’d still be there. Eating dinner alone. For how long? How long did souls persist in this place before getting sent off to their next destination.

I sat quietly as she chattered on about her day of chores, and when she finished up the remains of my dinner, we parted ways for bed.

28

Lustina

Music filled the dreary cathedral, as Lustina peered around one of the marble posts, watching the young baron play the oversized organ whose pipes reached toward the ceiling. The acoustics sent a vibration through her, so much that she could feel every sad note.

It wasn’t until the song ended and he sat in quiet that she emerged from her hiding place.

He didn’t bother to turn and look at her, as he ran his fingers over the keys. “My grandfather played for the church. My mother loved to watch him play.”

“Your family was not always noblemen?”

With a snicker, he shifted his jaw. “I suppose that depends on what you consider noble. As a poor man, my grandfather was far more noble. Humble.”

Lustina stepped closer, clasping her hands behind her back. Although she hadn’t been permitted to attend his mother’s burial service, she had watched from the loft, amazed by all the attendees who came to pay their respects. “Your mother’s service was beautiful. She looked so peaceful.”

From his profile, she watched his brows lower, and still, he didn’t bother to look at her. “Her burial was the only thing my father ever put into her.”

Unsure of how to respond, she nervously wrung the apron of her dress. “I never knew my father. I was born out of wedlock.”