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Devon grunted in displeasure. The sound of his steps grew more distant as he left them behind.
Despite everything, this was where Nava wanted to be. Inside Arkimedes’s arms. She pressed her open palms to his chest, knowing she had to tell him the truth about the man in the shadows. Trust that he wouldn’t pull away from her, as he had done at the castle when he’d learned—rather abruptly—that she was his soulmate.
Admittedly, she couldn’t truly blame him for being upset with her when he’d seen their soulmate mark on her chest after their passionate encounter during the solstice heat. She should’ve confessed their past long before, but her cowardice had prevailed.
Arkimedes released her and tilted his head to the side, studying her features. “Earlier this morning, you were afraid when the youngest child was speaking with you. Your fear called me. What did he say to you?”
Had he been waiting to ask until Devon gave them some privacy?
A renewed sense of dread clawed at her throat, and Nava scanned their surroundings, feeling it grow larger and larger the longer they stood there. “He had the soothsayer trait, and he knew about my connection with the bees?—”
“What?”
“I’m afraid to tell you everything out here in the open.” She pressed her lips together and eyed warily at the buildings surrounding them. They were alone in the street, but she wasn’t foolish enough to think curious souls wouldn’t listen in from the safety of their homes.
“All right. We can talk about it later. It’ll be safer once we are out of here.”
They resumed their walk, and soon they turned into a wide alley with uneven walls and deep puddles. It was eerily quiet. Not even the sounds of people buzzing about on the main road made it past the tall walls covered in ivy. There was only the heavy beat of Arkimedes’s feet on the uneven ground. They followed a gentle curve in the alleyway, and the street behind them fell away altogether.
“There’s something odd about these leaves,” Nava said. She brought her finger up to the foliage, but right before she could touch it, Ark’s hand closed around her wrist and pulled her away.
“Don’t touch anything.”
Nava met his gaze with growing curiosity. “Why not?” She could read the energy over the ivy. Pulsating waves of life gently enveloped each leaf, from the stems to the tips. A trail of pale blues and whites wrapped around each surface, the imprint of someone’s spell. But unlike the flowers in the castle that spied on them, this energy was warm and vibrating with life.
“I don’t know if it will consider you a friend or a foe. It’s best to wait.”
“Who…?”
“Not a who, but an it.” He pulled her closer to where Devon was waiting for them. Arkimedes pointed to the barely visible sculpture of an old man’s face amidst the greenery. A brass, deformed spout jutted out of his open mouth, and mold and algae hugged the porous texture of carved stone that formed a wide basin below. “We’re here.”
“Oh!” She studied the pipe once again. Contrary to initial appearances, the tube was actually a bird’s head. A crow, to be exact, worn by age and decay. Its open beak served as a spout.
Devon leaned forward and placed his hand underneath it. A gust of wind descended around them. “I nearly didn’t wait for you two. I’m tired and hungry.” He glanced at Arkimedes, before his black eyes cut across to Nava and narrowed into slits. “The question is, will it allow you to pass?”
Water poured freely from the beak now, steaming hot into Devon’s open hand. The sculpture of the man screeched, transforming into an arched door.
As Devon crossed the magical doorway, the scent of roses and gardenias bloomed around them. Then, just as fast as it opened, it closed again.
“It’s our turn,” Arkimedes said.
Nava shot him a worried look. “Why might it not let us through?”
He rolled his shoulders, as if readying himself—for what? “I’m going to place my hand underneath the spout. It won’t let you in, Nava. But you can transfer inside with me when I cross.”
“What happens if it deems you a foe?”
“It will burn my hand off and alert the Society of a break-in attempt.”
“Wait, what?”
Arkimedes placed his hand underneath the open beak without answering her, and water burst out, gushing over his hand and filling the basin. The clear, steaming liquid thickened, and then it turned red like blood.
4
NAVA
Nava’s stomach rolled at the sight of the thick liquid covering her soulmate’s skin. Wasn’t red a bad color? What did it mean?
