I needed to cherish every moment of it.
Before we reached the river, Quinn led us down a deserted side street, stopping in front of a fortune teller’s shop. Faded gauzy curtains the color of lilacs hung in the windows, blocking our view of the inside. The outside wasn’t impressive. The door had a crack running down the length of it, and the building’s paint, which must have been blue at one time, was bleached white from the sun and peeling. It looked abandoned, but smoke rose from the chimney. Someone was inside.
“Do people actually come here to have their palms read?” Leonid scoffed. He kicked at a pile of dirty, slushy snow, sending chunks flying down the street. “It’s not very inviting, is it?”
“Is this the place?” I asked Quinn, my heart sinking when she nodded. Why couldn’t we have been taken to a nice, warm bakery? Why a rundown shop this close to the slums?
“All right, I brought you here.” Quinn began inching away. “Just like I promised. So good luck and all.”
“Wait.” Leonid’s command snapped through the air like thunder, causing her to freeze in place. “Where are you going?”
She pulled herself to her full height. “Isn’t it obvious, Fancy? I’m leaving!”
“I don’t think so,” Leonid said. “Not until we go in there and see if you actually brought us to the right place or not.”
“I did!”
“You’re not exactly the most trustworthy person, you know,” Leonid pointed out, pushing her in front of him. “Go on. You first.”
Quinn cursed him under her breath. “Why did you have to come along, anyway? Why couldn’t it have been Aden? He’s so handsome and I bet he never pushes girls around.”
Leonid’s brows went up. “Actually, you’re wrong—”
“Leonid,” I said firmly. There was no need to bring up Aden’s past, especially not now, when we were about to venture inside this imposing store.
Still grumbling, Quinn turned the rusted doorknob and pushed the cracked door open. It creaked ominously, and Leonid and I exchanged dubious looks. “This is so over-the-top I’m wondering if it’s intentional,” he said quietly.
A thick cloud of incense hit us the moment we stepped inside, so strong it made me dizzy. A crackling fire in the fireplace made the room almost unbearably hot, and I cast a wistful look at the door, wishing I was still outside.
The room was small and cramped, and the walls were covered in objects that, as far as I could tell, had no relation to each other. There was a stuffed crow sitting on a shelf directly to my right, and next to it was a silver mask covered in green sparkles and feathers. Across from us and above the fireplace were shelves covered in bottles and books, and to our left, in front of the window that overlooked the street, were two mismatched armchairs and a wooden table. On top of the table was a deck of cards, but it wasn’t a normal deck like the one we used to play poker. The cards themselves were bigger, and each one had an illustration. I picked one up; it showed a girl in a long, flowing dress with her hands clasped over her chest and her eyes shut. Each detail was painstakingly done, and I wished I could bring the card to West. His artist eye would appreciate it.
“That’s the sleeper,” a voice said, causing me to start. Leonid, who had been studying the card over my shoulder, also jumped, and I saw his hand go to his pocket, where he was no doubt keeping a knife concealed. “She’s one of my favorites.”
The woman, the one I’d been thinking about since the moment we met during the performance, entered the room from a doorway I hadn’t noticed. No, “entered” wasn’t the right word. She glided in, as if she had wings, her presence both ethereal and otherworldly. My left palm started tingling almost instantly, and I shoved my hand into my pocket, wondering if she’d noticed. The corner of her lip turned up slightly as she stared at me, and I swallowed hard.
She was dressed in bright silks wrapped seductively around her body to show off her curves, and there was a red and orange headscarf braided through her long black hair. Today she was wearing makeup; her bright purple eye shadow made her gray eyes appear almost blue, and her lips were stained a dark red. The cosmetics and the elaborate outfit made her look like an altogether different person from the one I’d had West sketch. She could have walked right by the prison and not a single soldier would have recognized her!
She wanted to be found, I reminded myself. She wanted something from us, or else we wouldn’t be here. The tingling intensified, and I squeezed my hand into a fist.
Jaegger? I thought softly.
I am here. His reply came instantly, and I relaxed slightly. He had protected me from Parnaby and I hoped I could count on his help today, as well.
The woman joined us, taking the card from me. “Some card readers believe the sleeper is a gentle princess waiting for her prince to rescue her from a curse.” She tapped the picture with one slender finger. “But others say she sacrificed herself to the curse, so that her loved ones could escape.” Holding my gaze, she said, “I prefer that one. Don’t you?”
I didn’t answer. The way she was staring, it seemed like there was a hidden meaning behind her words, a message meant for me, but I was failing to understand it.
“No one cares about your cards and their meanings,” Leonid cut in. “You have something of mine, and I want it back.” He unbuttoned his jacket, revealing his uniform underneath.
If that was meant to intimidate the woman, it didn’t work. Smirking, she picked up the rest of the cards from the table and started shuffling them as she walked over to the fireplace, where Quinn stood. The girl flinched as the woman stroked a hand against her cheek. “Thank you for bringing them here. You may go.”
That was all Quinn needed to hear. Her body was a blur as she raced out of the shop, the door banging behind her. My heart sank, and I wondered if I would ever see her again. In the short time I’d known her, she’d grown on me.
The fire cracked and popped as the woman shuffled her cards slowly. Leonid shifted from one foot to the other, his agitation at being ignored growing by the second. “I said—”
“I heard you,” the woman said, lifting one thin, black eyebrow. “Yes, I have it, but I will only give it back after speaking with her.”
Leonid angled his body in front of mine. “What do you want with her?”
The tingling on my hand intensified, strong enough that I had to press my lips together to prevent myself from gasping out loud. She watched me, a small smile curving her lips. “I promise I won’t harm her. I simply want to read her future with my cards, and then I will give back what you lost.”
“It wasn’t lost—it was stolen!” Leonid growled. “You hired Quinn to pick my pockets! Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t arrest you right now.”
“I can give you one.” She snapped her fingers, and moments later, another woman emerged from the backroom.
I felt my eyes widen. This newcomer was gigantic, taller than even Aden, who was the biggest amongst our group. She had to duck to avoid hitting her head on the doorframe, and once in the room she slouched slightly to prevent her head from grazing the ceiling. Dressed in trousers, black boots, and a plain gray shirt, she wore a dangerous-looking curved sword on her back. She had the same black hair, gray eyes, and olive-toned skin as the fortune teller, but while the fortune teller was seductive and alluring, this other woman gave off a cold, calculating air. And she was frightening, like she could pick you up and bend you in half without even exerting any effort. Even Leonid couldn’t stop himself from gaping up at her.
“This is my sister,” the first woman said. At my incredulous look, she added, “We have different fathers. Hers was much taller than mine.” She patted her sister on the arm. “She’ll be keeping you company, Captain, while I speak with Irina.”
Leonid growled. “I don’t think—”
“It’s not up to you, is it, Captain?” the woman purred, her eyes focused intently on mine. I was the first one to look away, shuddering. “I’m sure you have plenty of questions, Irina. Fo
llow me if you want answers.” And with that, she sashayed her way to the backroom.
I already knew I was going to follow her.
LEONID GRABBED MY ARM BEFORE I could join the woman. “Lark, wait.”
“Leonid, she knows things—”
“Exactly, which is why I don’t think you should go in there.” He shook his head. “I don’t like the way she was looking at you.” His eyes were troubled as they searched my face. “It’s like she was trying to tell you something.”
I shivered. So Leonid had noticed too.
“I don’t want you to go in there alone,” he added.
“But if I don’t, you won’t get back what Quinn took.” I wondered how long the woman would wait for me before she grew impatient.
“Your safety is more important than that.” His grip on my arm tightened.
“She’s not going to harm me,” I said, hoping that was the truth. “She’s just going to read my fortune.” I placed my hand on his chest, feeling his heart racing underneath his uniform. “Please, Leonid, let me do this. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
He studied me, frowning. “I don’t like this…”
“Neither do I, but the sooner I go in there, the sooner we can leave. You still have the rest of the staff to interview. Preferably before Parnaby notices we’re gone.”
I could see my words were getting through to Leonid. Shutting his eyes briefly, he nodded. “You’re right. Go, but if you feel uncomfortable, leave. I don’t care if you come out of there empty-handed. Just be careful, Lark.”
I pressed my lips against his cheek. He turned his head, capturing my lips with his as he ran a hand through my curls. When we broke apart, we were both breathing hard as we stared into one another’s eyes. The look on his face, the way he was silently pleading with me to be safe, was almost enough to change my mind. But I needed to do this. Not just to reclaim Leonid’s stolen object, but to find out exactly how much this woman knew.
If she knew about Jaegger, like I suspected she did, then I was in trouble.
I walked away, skirting the tall, silent woman as I made my way into the backroom. It was cooler, and the smell of incense wasn’t as strong, I noticed with a sense of relief. A small, round table draped with an elaborate dark gray cloth sat in the middle of the room. There were two chairs situated around it; the woman gestured to one before sitting down gracefully in the other. Even though she appeared to be around my age, the woman talked and acted like she was much older. Next to her, I felt like a child.
I sat, my hands curled into fists as they rested in my lap. The tingling in my left palm was so strong it was impossible to ignore. Jaegger, please.
It’s not me, he said.
I sucked in a sharp breath, glad that the dragon had answered me, but fearful for what that meant.
The woman watched my obvious discomfort with a small smile on her face. My irritation grew, and it took all of my self-control not to rip the cards she was still shuffling out of her hands and throw them in her face.
That probably wouldn’t help me get the answers I sought.
“I’m being rude,” she said, breaking the silence. “My name is Aeonia.” She held out her hand, and when I didn’t take it, she frowned. “You have nothing to fear from me, Irina. I meant what I said. I want to read your fortune, and I want you to listen to what I have to say. Then you can take this and go.” She tossed a small brown cloth bag onto the table.
My breathing hitched. That’s the object Quinn stole. I could take it and rush out of there, and yet…
Answers. I needed answers.
“Good, you’re staying,” Aeonia said after I pocketed the cloth bag but remained sitting. “Your lovely captain will be fine, by the way. My sister Aurora might be imposing, but as long as the captain behaves himself, he won’t come to any harm. I just couldn’t have him in here. He’s covered in magic, and it’s enough to suffocate a girl.”
I stared at her, and her smile widened. Magic. She could use magic. My heart began pounding out a wild rhythm in my chest. “Who are you? Really?”
She laughed, a small tinkling noise that sounded like bells. “Let’s just call me an admirer. We were meant to meet that day, did you know?” She shuffled the cards slowly and deliberately. “During that performance, when you found me instead of Parnaby. That’s why I had to stop his magic; I needed you to see me, Irina.” Setting the cards down, Aeonia leaned forward in her chair. “And I take it you know all about the magic, don’t you? Or else you wouldn’t still be sitting there calmly. Most people don’t when they learn magic is still amongst us, even after all that bloodshed and loss.”
“Do I look calm to you?” I asked through gritted teeth. “And what do you mean about Leonid being covered in magic?”
Her brows rose. “You know exactly what I mean, Irina. Parnaby is manipulating everyone in this city to blindly follow his orders. Not just his soldiers, but even ordinary citizens who have never questioned who their president is, or why they’ve never seen him before. No one is free from his magic—no one except for you.”
I swallowed hard. She was right. Until I’d learned who the president really was, I too had never spared him a single thought. Leonid had said once you learned the truth, the magic stopped working on you, but now Aeonia was confirming what I’d thought all along: Leonid was wrong.
He was still being manipulated. I would have been too, except for Jaegger protecting me.
“The question is, why aren’t you affected?” Aeonia continued. “I’m not because I can protect myself with my magic, and I’ve extended that protection to my sister, but why you? Why were you spared from Parnaby’s spells?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My left hand was tingling so hard it had become painful, and this time I couldn’t stop the gasp from escaping my lips.
“Oh, we’re still going to pretend you’re in the dark?” Aeonia asked, bemused. “Fine, we can do that. You asked who I am. I’m a traveler. I make my home wherever the wind carries me. Cities, towns, even the outdoors. It’s the way of my people; it’s always been that way. Has the carnival ever come here?”
Her sudden change of topic surprised me. “I… I don’t know. If they did, I couldn’t afford to see them, but… I never heard of a carnival coming to Dusk.” But if a traveling group of people set up tents outside of Dusk, Bantheir and I would have heard about them. His curiosity—and jealously—wouldn’t have kept him away from the carnival for very long.
“Isn’t that strange?” Aeonia asked. “My people travel from city to city, and yet they’ve never come to this city. It’s almost as if they’re avoiding it. As if something was keeping them away.” She paused to cut the deck in half, once, twice, before resuming her shuffling. “I split from my family three years ago and have been traveling with just my sister. We’re visiting places my family never went to before, in search of… Well, that’s not important,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Anyway, six months ago, while on the road, I met a cousin of mine. She’d also split from the family and was traveling alone when she stumbled across a city she’d never been to before. My cousin had this funny little story about a street magician who tried to cheat her, and how she turned the tables on him and cursed him. I think you’ve heard this story before?” The blood drained from my face. “What was his name again? Ban— Banth—”
“Bantheir,” I said, choking on his name. Would I ever be free of the magician, or would he haunt me until the day I died?
Aeonia snapped her fingers. “Ah, yes, that’s right. Bantheir! We had a good laugh over that one. After we parted, I found myself wondering what had happened to the magician. On a whim, I decided to head to Dusk; I was headed south anyway. And like I said, my family had never come this way before, so I was accomplishing two tasks at once. I figured once in Dusk I could ask around about Bantheir; it would make for a good story the next time I met up with my cousin.
“Imagine,” she continued, “when I entered the city and discovered thi
s peculiar spell draping each and every person I crossed paths with. My cousin never mentioned the spell, but it’s possible she might not have even noticed it. She’s not as strong as I am.” Aeonia sat up straighter. “After a few days of research, I pinpointed the spell to the president—to Parnaby—and realized he was using magic to keep everyone in line.” She shrugged. “But Parnaby’s not the street magician I came to Dusk for. I searched for this Bantheir, but I was too late. He’d already gone and gotten himself killed, which wasn’t surprising. The curse was a strong one, and it would drive even the most powerful of men to their knees in an attempt to destroy it. No, the curious part of this whole story was you, Irina, and how you not only survived Bantheir’s attempt to sacrifice you in order to make himself immortal, but the fact that you were the only person in this city not covered in Parnaby’s magic. You stand out, like a beacon, and the moment I saw you, after I’d tracked you down to where you lived, I knew there was something special about you.”
“You’re wrong.” My voice came out as a whisper, weak and pathetic. “There’s nothing special about me. Parnaby isn’t manipulating me because he feels bad for me. Bantheir nearly drove me crazy with his spells, and Parnaby promised he won’t do the same thing to me.”
“You’re a horrible liar, Irina,” Aeonia said. “It’s not that he promised he wouldn’t use magic on you, it’s because he can’t. And the fact that he doesn’t even notice his magic isn’t working on you shows that there’s an even greater power involved here. But who is stronger than a magician who is capable of manipulating hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis?”
Jaegger hissed softly in my ear. She knows.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I insisted. Trembling, I made to stand, but Aeonia slammed the deck of cards onto the table. I stared at it.
“Pick a card, Irina.” When I didn’t move, her face softened into a razor-edged smile. “It’s just a deck of cards. They’re completely harmless. Remember what I promised you. I’ll let you be on your way after I read your fortune. You already have your captain’s stolen item back. I’ve been nothing but honest with you. Won’t you please do me this one favor?”
The Burning Chaos (Smoke and Mirrors Book 2) Page 7
