Dark Heart of Magic
Page 36
More shock jolted through me. She knew my name? But if she knew that I was Serena’s daughter, then why did she think that I was my mom?
I looked into her eyes, and I realized that they were unnaturally bright, as though two glittering jewels had been set into her face. But the weird thing was that my soulsight didn’t automatically kick in the way it usually did whenever I locked gazes with someone.
I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited . . . but I didn’t feel any of her emotions, even though she was obviously very glad to see me. No warm happiness, no blazing conviction, nothing. Instead, this strange, almost floating sensation filled my mind as if my head were full of the light, airy mist that surrounded us, as if I were somehow drifting away from the rest of my body—
I blinked, and the sensation vanished, although the woman’s eyes remained as bright as ever. I tried to step away from her, but she reached out and grabbed my hands, hard and tight enough to tell me that she had a strength Talent.
“We have to warn the girls about the wolf,” the woman said in a low, urgent tone. “The wolf wants to devour them both, gobble them up until there’s nothing left but bones and blades.... No blood, just bones and blades . . . bones and blades . . . bones and blades. . . .”
She shuddered and let go of my hands. She wrapped her arms around her body and hugged herself tight as though something terrible had happened.
“Are you okay?” I asked, having no idea what was going on or why.
The woman looked at me, her face dark and troubled. Then, in the next instant, she blinked, her lips stretching up in another sunny smile. “Just fine now that you’re here, Serena.”
And then she turned around, retrieved her basket of roses, and skipped past me. Seriously, she was skipping as though she didn’t have a care in the world. The woman headed straight to my father’s tombstone, then dropped to her knees, pulled the red roses out of her basket, and started arranging them on his grave, humming a soft tune all the while.
All I could do was just stand there with my eyes bulging and mouth gaping open even wider than before. I felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Things just kept getting stranger and stranger.
“I thought that was you at the tournament today,” the woman said. “But, of course, I was up in the box, so I couldn’t be sure.”
So she was the woman who’d been sitting in the Draconi box, the blonde wearing the white hat. That still didn’t tell me who she might be in the Family, but that didn’t matter. What did was getting out of here before someone else spotted me—
A branch cracked behind me, and a hand touched my shoulder.
Instinct took over. I grabbed the hand, turned my body into the one behind me, and flipped my attacker over my shoulder. The guy landed on his back with an audible thump, then let out a low groan of pain.
Felix blinked up at me. “Ouch. That hurt.”
“Felix!” I hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“I’d say the better question is what are you doing here,” another voice chimed in.
I whirled around to find Deah standing in the cemetery as well, her hand resting on the hilt of the sword strapped to her black leather belt. My hand curled around the hilt of my sword as well, and the two of us stood there, staring at each other, daring the other to make the first move.
“What are you doing here?” Deah demanded again. “You’re trespassing.”
I couldn’t exactly tell her that I’d been sneaking around her house and spying on her dad, so I went with the first lie that popped into my head. “I was looking for Felix.”
Deah crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Felix sighed, then held out a hand. I reached down and helped him to his feet.
“Is this another one of your girlfriends?” she snapped.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. I came over here to make sure that no one spotted your Romeo—like, say, Blake or your dad.”
“How did you even know I was coming over here?” Felix asked.
I snorted. “Please. You’re crazy about her. As soon as she stomped off at the tournament today, I knew you’d probably sneak over here tonight and make some grand romantic gesture to win her back. Am I wrong?”
Felix winced, but he didn’t deny my accusation.
“Don’t be so cross, darling,” another voice piped up. “It’s always nice to have visitors.”
The blond woman had finished arranging the roses on my father’s grave. She got to her feet, skipped back over, and stopped next to me.
“What are you doing out here?” Deah asked, concern creasing her face. “You know you’re not supposed to leave the house after dark. It’s not safe.”
The woman beamed at me. “Talking to Serena. What does it look like I’m doing, silly? And it’s perfectly safe. Serena knows all about the monsters and the best ways to handle them.”
Deah sighed. “Mom. . . .”
My eyebrows shot up in my face. “This is your mom?”
“Yes,” she snapped. “This is my mom. Seleste Draconi. Do you have a problem with that?”
Her eyes glittered with anger, and her hand dropped to her sword again in a clear challenge.
“Now, don’t be mad at Serena,” Seleste said. “We were just catching up. It’s been so terribly long since I’ve seen her. We’re family, you see.”
Seleste patted my shoulder, her touch light and soft. Us? Family? Why would she think that?
Deah frowned. “What’s she talking about? Why does she keep calling you Serena? Did you do something to her?”
I held up my hands. “I didn’t do anything to your mom. I was out here looking for Felix when she came skipping into the cemetery.”
“What did she say to you?”
I shrugged. “Nothing really. Just some weird, random stuff.”
Deah tensed, her jaw clenching. “She talked to you? Tell me what she said. Tell me the exact words.”
“Why? It was all just gibberish about bones and blades and stuff.”
She opened her mouth, probably to demand that I tell her what her mom had said, but another voice boomed through the night.
“Deah!” Blake shouted. “Where are you? Your crazy-ass mom got out of her room again!”
She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she turned and yelled back to him. “I’m over here, Blake! I found her! We’ll be there in a minute!”
I looked into her eyes, and I realized that they were unnaturally bright, as though two glittering jewels had been set into her face. But the weird thing was that my soulsight didn’t automatically kick in the way it usually did whenever I locked gazes with someone.
I waited . . . and waited . . . and waited . . . but I didn’t feel any of her emotions, even though she was obviously very glad to see me. No warm happiness, no blazing conviction, nothing. Instead, this strange, almost floating sensation filled my mind as if my head were full of the light, airy mist that surrounded us, as if I were somehow drifting away from the rest of my body—
I blinked, and the sensation vanished, although the woman’s eyes remained as bright as ever. I tried to step away from her, but she reached out and grabbed my hands, hard and tight enough to tell me that she had a strength Talent.
“We have to warn the girls about the wolf,” the woman said in a low, urgent tone. “The wolf wants to devour them both, gobble them up until there’s nothing left but bones and blades.... No blood, just bones and blades . . . bones and blades . . . bones and blades. . . .”
She shuddered and let go of my hands. She wrapped her arms around her body and hugged herself tight as though something terrible had happened.
“Are you okay?” I asked, having no idea what was going on or why.
The woman looked at me, her face dark and troubled. Then, in the next instant, she blinked, her lips stretching up in another sunny smile. “Just fine now that you’re here, Serena.”
And then she turned around, retrieved her basket of roses, and skipped past me. Seriously, she was skipping as though she didn’t have a care in the world. The woman headed straight to my father’s tombstone, then dropped to her knees, pulled the red roses out of her basket, and started arranging them on his grave, humming a soft tune all the while.
All I could do was just stand there with my eyes bulging and mouth gaping open even wider than before. I felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Things just kept getting stranger and stranger.
“I thought that was you at the tournament today,” the woman said. “But, of course, I was up in the box, so I couldn’t be sure.”
So she was the woman who’d been sitting in the Draconi box, the blonde wearing the white hat. That still didn’t tell me who she might be in the Family, but that didn’t matter. What did was getting out of here before someone else spotted me—
A branch cracked behind me, and a hand touched my shoulder.
Instinct took over. I grabbed the hand, turned my body into the one behind me, and flipped my attacker over my shoulder. The guy landed on his back with an audible thump, then let out a low groan of pain.
Felix blinked up at me. “Ouch. That hurt.”
“Felix!” I hissed. “What are you doing here?”
“I’d say the better question is what are you doing here,” another voice chimed in.
I whirled around to find Deah standing in the cemetery as well, her hand resting on the hilt of the sword strapped to her black leather belt. My hand curled around the hilt of my sword as well, and the two of us stood there, staring at each other, daring the other to make the first move.
“What are you doing here?” Deah demanded again. “You’re trespassing.”
I couldn’t exactly tell her that I’d been sneaking around her house and spying on her dad, so I went with the first lie that popped into my head. “I was looking for Felix.”
Deah crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. Felix sighed, then held out a hand. I reached down and helped him to his feet.
“Is this another one of your girlfriends?” she snapped.
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be an idiot. I came over here to make sure that no one spotted your Romeo—like, say, Blake or your dad.”
“How did you even know I was coming over here?” Felix asked.
I snorted. “Please. You’re crazy about her. As soon as she stomped off at the tournament today, I knew you’d probably sneak over here tonight and make some grand romantic gesture to win her back. Am I wrong?”
Felix winced, but he didn’t deny my accusation.
“Don’t be so cross, darling,” another voice piped up. “It’s always nice to have visitors.”
The blond woman had finished arranging the roses on my father’s grave. She got to her feet, skipped back over, and stopped next to me.
“What are you doing out here?” Deah asked, concern creasing her face. “You know you’re not supposed to leave the house after dark. It’s not safe.”
The woman beamed at me. “Talking to Serena. What does it look like I’m doing, silly? And it’s perfectly safe. Serena knows all about the monsters and the best ways to handle them.”
Deah sighed. “Mom. . . .”
My eyebrows shot up in my face. “This is your mom?”
“Yes,” she snapped. “This is my mom. Seleste Draconi. Do you have a problem with that?”
Her eyes glittered with anger, and her hand dropped to her sword again in a clear challenge.
“Now, don’t be mad at Serena,” Seleste said. “We were just catching up. It’s been so terribly long since I’ve seen her. We’re family, you see.”
Seleste patted my shoulder, her touch light and soft. Us? Family? Why would she think that?
Deah frowned. “What’s she talking about? Why does she keep calling you Serena? Did you do something to her?”
I held up my hands. “I didn’t do anything to your mom. I was out here looking for Felix when she came skipping into the cemetery.”
“What did she say to you?”
I shrugged. “Nothing really. Just some weird, random stuff.”
Deah tensed, her jaw clenching. “She talked to you? Tell me what she said. Tell me the exact words.”
“Why? It was all just gibberish about bones and blades and stuff.”
She opened her mouth, probably to demand that I tell her what her mom had said, but another voice boomed through the night.
“Deah!” Blake shouted. “Where are you? Your crazy-ass mom got out of her room again!”
She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she turned and yelled back to him. “I’m over here, Blake! I found her! We’ll be there in a minute!”
