But whoever he was, Nicole couldn’t forget the young man. Now she could clearly see his face, as clear as Gumshoe’s, even though it had been a while since she’d met the stranger. It was impossible to tell which of the two she liked the most.
Outside, the day was breaking. The bird had stopped singing, and the morning air was silent and peaceful. Slowly, to avoid dizziness, Nicole rose and walked over to the window. She pulled the curtain aside and peered out.
The rising sun had transformed the City. Nicole drew in the air that smelled of ground coffee and freshly baked bread. A leprechaun-shaped weathervane creaked in the breeze in front of the window. Nicole was looking out over a sea of roofs. Covered with red, orange or yellow tiles, some of them seemed old, others brand new, and yet more were decayed and mossy. The morning light bathed them all in its invisible veil.
Nicole recognized City Hall and the Station. On the house to her left, two stone gargoyles spread their webbed wings. One of them seemed to turn its head toward Nicole, but this surely had to be an optical illusion.
A bell started jingling. Nicole startled. Was it her smartphone? Oh, no. She’d wake up now, and the City would disappear.
She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting to find herself back in her old bedroom. Clutching the edge of the curtain, she took a step back and opened her eyes. No. The City was still there.
Nicole breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to leave. Not now, anyway.
Letting go of the curtain, Nicole went back to the sofa. She could barely keep her eyes open. But before falling asleep, she reached for the glass ball on the table. She peered into it but didn’t see the silhouette in the House of Crimson Windows. She replaced the ball, picked up the lens and fiddled with it for a while, studying the black stone handle and the fancy lettering that snaked along its gold frame.
Then she remembered the picture. Where could it be? Could it have fallen out of her pocket when the werewolf abducted her? Nicole reached for her jeans folded on the stool and checked the pockets. The picture was there.
Had Gumshoe seen it? Probably not. Otherwise, he’d have surely asked her why she resembled the woman in the picture. Mom used to tell Nicole that she was the spitting image of Grandma.
She peered at the photo, studying the woman and the man who stood next to her. Then she turned the picture over. Nothing there. The lens in her other hand bothered her, and Nicole was just about to put it back onto the table when she glimpsed something through the thick magnifying glass.
Nicole bit her lip and drew the lens closer to the picture’s back, then moved it a tad farther away. She could now clearly see an inscription on the yellowed paper. But what was it made with? It looked as if someone had dipped a magic brush into the darkest night sky and written,
My dear Nicole,
I’m so happy you’re here. You might be the one who will save us all. Find the Heart of Chaos. You’ll get help from some Objects that I’ve left for you, but I can’t tell you exactly where they’ll be when you arrive in the City. Everything is so unsettled down here. The Child of Light will point you in the right direction.
You’re the only person who can release the City.
Yours,
Angelica.
Nicole reread the letter three times until the words written in darkness ink made her head ache. Her lens-clutching hand shook with the effort. She laid the lens and the picture on the table, leaned back against the pillows, and closed her eyes.
Angelica was Grandma’s name. She’d written this letter. Somehow, she’d known that Nicole would come to the City and read it. How could she possibly have known it? Why was Nicole here? What forces had brought her to the City? The only answers she had were those offered by Gumshoe.
The bird started singing again. Somewhere behind the window, a faraway door slammed, followed by the sound of footsteps. Somebody yawned. Muffled voices spoke.
Nicole Stewart lay with her eyes closed, listening intently to the sounds of her new home. From now on, she was the one to find all the answers.
(To be continued)
The intrigue surrounding Nicole is growing more intense. The Dark Inquisitors are starting to hunt her. And then there’s the secret of the Collector and his mysterious house. Nicole and Gumshoe are headed there, and they’re about to learn something incredible. Read the next novella, Hidden City: The Shades of Silence.
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Lost in the Shadows Page 8
