Hollow Dolls

by MarcyKate Connolly

  An odd feeling curls inside me as if I’m spinning out of control, even though I’m not moving an inch.

  “I don’t remember what the M stands for. It wasn’t in the note I wrote to be sure I didn’t forget,” I say more to myself than Rachel.

  “It has to be Maeve,” Rachel says. “But neither of you remember the other, because Lady Aisling used Sebastian’s talent to remove your memories of your previous lives. All that you kept was that there was a family you’d lost.”

  “And that we wanted that family back.” My hands begin to shake, and soon the quiver ripples over my entire body. “Until last night, I never even had a clue that Maeve was talented!”

  And yet, it makes a terrible sort of sense. The Lady was able to successfully transform Maeve into one of the flowers in her garden, but my mind-based talent prevented her from doing the same to me. Instead, the Lady used my own mother’s talent to enslave me.

  It’s horrifying. Sickening. And the sort of thing Lady Aisling would have taken particular pleasure in.

  I wrap my arms around my middle and rest my cheek on the desk. It feels as though the breath has been yanked from my lungs.

  No wonder we bonded so quickly, Maeve and me. Some unconscious part of us must have recognized the other. And given the powerful spells performed on us both by the Lady’s life bringer and youth keeper talents, we’ve barely aged a day since we were abducted.

  Maeve is my mother. I think it again and again, trying to stun myself into believing it’s truly real.

  It is. In my heart, I know it without a doubt.

  What I haven’t figured out yet is what I’m going to do about it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Rachel and I spend the rest of the day making plans to rescue Sebastian. Euna, however, has instructed Rachel to keep me here. But Rachel has promised she’ll find a way around it. I’ve read her thoughts, so I know it’s true. She doesn’t think it’s fair to keep me from my friend, and she knows my talent will be necessary to the success of our plans.

  When night falls, we sneak out of the library. Despite Euna’s order to keep me safely hidden inside, Rachel has found a way to smuggle me out of the fortress.

  “Quickly,” she whispers as she cracks open the door to my quarters. I’ve been pacing my room for the last hour, dressed and ready to go, unable to focus on anything else. I waste no time obeying. She’s prepared with a laundry cart and several large wicker bins. She opens the top of one—it’s empty aside from Rachel’s cloak and satchel. I climb inside and nestle next to them.

  She wheels me through the halls and down the ramp that leads to the room where they employ washerwomen to clean the clothes of the librarians and researchers. It’s late enough that there’s no one there now, which means we can slip out through the back door of the Archives with no one the wiser.

  Rachel parks the cart and opens the bin where I’m hiding. There are two more carts just like hers right next to it. She helps me climb out, but stops me before opening the back door. “Can you make sure no one’s out there? You can do that, can’t you? Feel the presence of nearby minds?”

  I send my talent searching just beyond the door and into the forest surrounding it.

  “Only the nighttime animals.”

  “Perfect.”

  We sneak out, closing the door carefully behind us, then hurry into the woods. One of the obsidian artifacts is hung around my neck, and the rest are safely tucked away in my bag. Rachel borrowed an obsidian ring she found in the library to keep herself safe too.

  I retrace my steps from the night before, the path burned into my brain after the stress of my flight home. It isn’t long before we reach the cave, and my heart takes a seat in my throat.

  This time, I’m better prepared. This time, I know so much more. I just don’t know how I’m going to balance what Maeve is with what she’s become to me. Perhaps if I tell her the truth, she will stop her plan. But it also might make her more desperate to get our other family members back. And she’d definitely come after me to keep me with her. At least, that’s what Rachel believes, and I can’t deny it makes sense.

  We’re both desperate to regain what was stolen from us. We just had no idea it was each other.

  The cave entrance comes into view. A slit in the mountainside, half-hidden by hanging vines. I can feel Maeve inside the cave, along with the faint trace of a few other minds endlessly calling for help. My old friends, stolen again to be used against anyone who stands in her way. For a moment, I even catch a hint of Jemma and Ida’s minds before they’re shoved too far down for my talent to reach.

  Maeve must be stopped. Even if she is my mother.

  I can make out a few of the words in Maeve’s mind, but none of them are useful. Her mind is so structured and orderly that she’s able to conceal things from me. She probably learned how to keep her private thoughts to herself raising me. I thought it odd before, but now it makes perfect sense.

  “She’s definitely in there, along with Jemma and Ida, and so are the others with mind-based talents I told you about. Under her control, they’re dangerous. But usually they’re my friends.” I frown. I’ve never been at odds with them before, particularly Sebastian. Just the thought is foreign and strange, almost like saying my own arm could be used against me. Unthinkable.

  Rachel puts a comforting hand on my back. “We’ll get Sebastian safely away, and then we’ll see what we can do about your other friends.”

  “Yes, Sebastian first.” It’s my fault he was captured. I need to fix this.

  We push aside the vines and enter the cave, keeping our footsteps soft and candles aloft. But we quickly discover that Maeve has prepared for intruders. We’ve barely gone two yards into the dark tunnel when a terrible roar echoes through the corridor.

  Rachel’s voice quivers. “Are you sure there isn’t anything else here in the caves?”

  “Positive,” I say.

  “What do you sense now?”

  Before I can respond, a dark shadow blocks the path up ahead and the sound resonates again, making my hair stand on end. The shape coalesces into the form of a giant snakelike beast, with a horned head and gaping mouth filled with row upon row of wicked-looking teeth.

  Rachel screams and stumbles back, but I begin to laugh. “Don’t be afraid. That’s just Natasha.”

  My companion’s expression is shocked. “You know this monster?”

  “No, but I do know the person who created this illusion of a monster. Natasha is an illusion crafter. She can make illusions of both sight and sound, just not touch. It may look and sound fierce, but really it’s nothing at all. She used to entertain us with her talent when the Lady wasn’t using us.”

  Rachel looks back and forth between me and the menacing beast as it inches closer and closer. “This is an illusion? You’re absolutely certain?”

  “Definitely. If it was real, I’d be able to sense its mind. There’s nothing there.” I walk straight up to the beast and stick my hand right where its snout appears to be.

  Nothing but dead air.

  Rachel still looks uneasy, but she inches forward around the beast. When it lunges at her a second time, she manages not to scream.

  It roars as we pass it by. I wonder if Natasha can sense what her illusions do when she’s not nearby. If the roaring echoed back to them, that alone would give our presence away. This is an alarm for Maeve to know someone has entered her domain.

  And we just set it off.

  “That’s quite a talent,” Rachel mutters, and I snort.

  “Wait until you see Melanthe’s. Now she’s actually dangerous.”

  Rachel’s brows knit. “What can she do?”

  “Move things with her mind.”

  “Anything?”

  “Anything that isn’t tied down. We definitely need to watch out for her.”

  “Now that�
��s one talent I’d prefer to have on our side.”

  I laugh again, despite the circumstances. I like Rachel. She’s funny and doesn’t treat me like I can’t understand simply because I’m younger or smaller than everyone else. She takes me seriously. That I appreciate the most. I wish she was my mother, not a monstrous body walker.

  And Lady Aisling knew all along. This is what she meant when I visited her. She told me if I ever discovered who the body walker is, I’d regret it. I hadn’t understood at the time. In fact, I brushed it off and had all but forgotten about it until now.

  Even without her powers, the Lady still delights in finding new ways to hurt other comet-blessed people. She was right; I do regret it. And somehow that makes everything worse.

  Rachel taps me on the shoulder, pulling me out of my reverie. “Is that an illusion too?”

  A huge crevasse yawns in front of us, far too wide to jump across. I peer into the abyss and see that way, way down, are more stalagmites. From here, they look small enough to be splinters, but I know they’re probably humongous up close. I take a step back, frowning.

  “This wasn’t here last night…” I murmur. “It must be an illusion.”

  Rachel shudders. “It’s a very convincing one.”

  “Natasha’s craft is excellent.”

  I take a deep breath and begin to step forward, but Rachel yanks me back.

  She eyes the gulf suspiciously. “I don’t think it’s safe to assume this is an illusion. What if Maeve has another talent in her possession? Like an earth rattler. Or maybe you took a different path to the cavern with the pool.”

  I hadn’t thought of that, but those are both good points.

  “I’m almost certain this is the route we took,” I say. “But let’s test it just in case.”

  I grab a loose rock nearby, then toss it into the gulf. It quickly disappears, but makes a thud much faster than it would hitting the bottom.

  “Where did it go?” Rachel says.

  “The illusion swallowed it up. See? Nothing to worry about.” Before she can stop me, I step out onto the illusion-covered path. She squeaks, then stops as she realizes it looks as though I’m suspended over thin air. She swallows hard.

  “It’ll be easier if you close your eyes,” I say, reaching out my hand.

  She smiles weakly. “And here I thought I was supposed to be helping you.” She squeezes her eyes shut and shuffles one foot forward so she can feel the ground under her feet. Then she grabs my hand tightly. “Just tell me when we’re on the other side.”

  We make slow progress as she shuffles her way across. I can’t help but admire Natasha’s work. She really is an artist.

  When we’re finally free of the illusion, I let go of Rachel’s hand. “We’re clear now.”

  She sneaks an eye open and breathes out in relief. “That isn’t a thing I want to do again anytime soon.”

  I can’t help but laugh, then clap my hand over my mouth. I send my thoughts into her head.

  We need to be careful to remain quiet now. We can talk like this, if you don’t mind.

  Rachel’s eyes widen. You mean you can hear my thoughts now too? I nod, and she considers for a moment. All right. Yes, that’s probably wise.

  We continue down the tunnel, hugging the walls just in case. And we keep an eye out for any other traps or illusions. Before long, we reach the end of the tunnel where it leads into the cavernous room where Sebastian and I found Maeve last night. Right now it’s empty, but when I stretch out my talent, I can feel the shape of several minds hidden in other small caves off this one. That’s where she’s keeping Jemma and Ida and the other shells.

  They’re not far, I think to Rachel.

  It’s a trap then, she thinks.

  Seems likely.

  Is Sebastian here?

  My heart throbs in my throat. Yes.

  We hang back for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen. I know Elias is nearby and close to Maeve, which means he can probably feel our minds with his thought throwing talent.

  Where’s Sebastian? Rachel asks.

  I concentrate until I feel the faint yell of Sebastian’s mind. Maeve has him under her control, but he’s resisting and screaming inside as much as he can. Tears burn my eyes. He’s terrified.

  He’s in a cave just beyond the pool.

  Rachel frowns. That will make getting to him tricky. Is there another way around?

  I shake my head. Not that we saw last time, but maybe?

  We retrace our steps to the last fork in the tunnels in the hope of finding another way to get to Sebastian. But all we find are dead ends. Disheartened, we return to the main tunnel and the entrance to the cavern.

  A new idea occurs to me, and while I feel confident it will work, it scares me. But I must try it. No matter how much it would scare Sebastian, I know he’d do the same for me if the roles were reversed. How many times has he gone along with my silly ideas, even when he was terrified by them, just so I wouldn’t have to be alone?

  Determination floods every inch of my body, and I know deep in my bones that this is the way.

  I quickly fill in Rachel, and while she isn’t thrilled with the risks, she has no choice but to agree that it’s a sound plan.

  Be careful, she says as I step into the cavern.

  I’ll try.

  I’ve barely gone two yards when a rock flies at my body. I drop to the ground, then roll as another projectile heads my way.

  I scramble to my feet, only to have to duck once again. Instead of heading for Sebastian, I make a beeline toward where I sensed Maeve and Elias hiding in a cave offshoot. Hopefully, that will throw them off their game and draw their fire while Rachel can free Sebastian and get him to safety. I’m banking on Maeve’s affection to prevent her from harming me, though I worry that may be a longer shot than I’d like.

  As I stumble between the stalagmites, my other friends appear at cave openings around the cavern. I already knew where they were, so this is no surprise, but the mirrored menacing looks on their faces is still unsettling.

  “What are you trying to accomplish, Simone?” All four of them speak in unison, which makes me shudder.

  “I just want to talk,” I say, warily keeping an eye on the approaching shells. They get closer with every breath. Even the way they frown reminds me of the look I’ve seen fleetingly on Maeve’s face over the last few weeks. My poor friends are just dolls lolling on strings.

  The worst part is that I can hear their own voices too. Far away and faint, but panicked.

  Simone! Help!

  Once, when we were Lady Aisling’s captives, we each reached a point where we gave up. We stopped fighting and had no choice but to accept that being controlled was a new normal.

  But now we’ve had a taste of freedom. We know that isn’t normal. It’s a violation of the worst kind.

  And we’ll do anything to get that freedom back.

  I don’t know how I can help them now—freeing Sebastian will be tricky enough—but eventually I must find a way. I can’t abandon them to Maeve’s whims.

  “And what do you wish to talk about?” Maeve’s own voice echoes off the stalagmites and stalactites in the huge cavern, her servants suddenly silent.

  I steel my nerves. I’ve made up my mind to tell her the truth. I expect to fail, but hope to succeed. The other shells have converged, and Maeve uses their arms to usher me to the side cave where she waits. From the corner of my eye, I see the edge of Rachel’s cloak as she and Sebastian cross the entrance to the tunnel that will lead them to freedom.

  Run! I think toward them both. Sebastian’s mind is foggy, but now that the obsidian arrowhead is back around his neck, it’s beginning to clear. Get to safety. Don’t wait for me. I’ll follow when I can.

  Simone? Sebastian thinks groggily. What are you doing?

  Go w
ith Rachel. I’ll be right behind you.

  We both know it’s a lie, but he obeys anyway. They better hurry. Maeve is distracted for now, but it won’t be long before she realizes her connection to Sebastian has been severed.

  He needs to be far away when that happens.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The shells drag me into Maeve’s cave, and I blink rapidly. It’s brighter here. Maeve has a warm fire burning, lending more light than the candles in the main cavern. It looks like there’s a natural vent in here too. And then there’s Maeve. Her auburn hair falling prettily over her shoulders, conflicting with the terrible smile she now wears.

  “I’m glad you came back, Simone. You know how much I like you. You’ll make a perfect vessel.”

  A shiver runs down my spine. Despite her profession of caring for me, she would still use me. Telling her that I’m really her daughter is the only way I might be able to shock some sense back into her.

  And prevent her from using me as a shell.

  The others have a fierce grip on my arms, thanks to Maeve’s controls. “You don’t need to hold so tightly,” I say. “Even if I tried to run away, you’d catch me again in seconds.”

  Maeve laughs. “Do you think I’m that easy to fool?”

  I shrug, though that’s harder than I expected with four sets of hands weighing my arms down. “No. It’s just that I know you don’t want to harm me. Not really. And I’m not going to run away.” Not until I’ve at least figured out a way to save Jemma, if not Ida and the other shells too.

  Maeve raises an eyebrow. “You’re right. I don’t wish to harm you. I could have taken control of you at any time, but I never did, now did I? And I still won’t. But why should I believe you won’t run away?”

  I bite my lip. I’m not entirely sure how she’ll react to the news I bring.

  “Have you found the soul summoner you need to use them as vessels?” I nod at my friends, though the implication is nauseating.

  Maeve’s smile falters. “Not yet. But soon. I know where they were last. It’s just a matter of determining where they are now.”