A shiver crept over my skin, and his gaze trailed the gooseflesh down my neck. Without another word, he turned and strodetoward the stairs. I didn’t linger in the hall any longer than necessary. The moment Orin began his descent, I bolted into my brothers’ room and shut the door behind me.
The ornateness of the space was subdued in comparison with the rest of the manor, but it was cozy with a small hearth, a polished armoire, and a double bed with a simple frame. I didn’t care enough to marvel at any other details. My brothers were there, encased in shimmering caskets and suspended in the air just inches above the off-white sheets. Faint green mist coated their bodies, leaving only their necks and pale faces exposed. They were breathing—slowly—and most certainly alive. Their eyes moved restlessly behind closed lids, and the first hints of blight—the festering black mold—lingered in the corners of their mouths. But it wasn’t devouring their skin. Yellow bubbles would blossom and burst, but instead of spreading along their still visages, the fumes simply plumed into the air and the mist suppressed it.
Slowly, I pressed my hand against the magical barrier of Noam’s casket. I hated that it felt like a coffin.
“Oh, Noam.” Emotion thickened in my throat, and I forced down a hard swallow as tears stung at my eyes. I moved around the foot of the bed to place my other hand on Nohr’s case. “Nohr. I’m so sorry.”
And that was all it took. One moment I was standing, my arms shaking as I palmed the caskets holding my brothers, and the next I was a heaping mess on the floor. Sobs racked my chest in hard waves, crashing against my ribs and rendering my breath useless. At one point, I instinctively reached for my mother’s leather, only to come up empty-handed and fall into another spiral of erratic sobs. I was utterly alone. I had no ties to my home, save my brothers. They were here, but they weren’t reallyhere. And I wasn’t convinced I was strong enough to save them. Pulling my knees inward, I curled on the ground and wrapped myself in a ball. Between the dying fire in the hearth and the plush rug against my cheek, it was enough.
I didn’t leave their sides. I never saw my room. I fell asleep at the foot of their bed and dreamed of carved wooden roses with embroidered leather leaves, somehow infested with blight and dripping in golden beetles.
My home, my heart, was infected, too.
Six
A curt series of knocks roused me from sleep, and I stared bleary-eyed at the door. For a moment, I couldn’t recall where I was or how I’d gotten there. Decades had passed since yesterday. The stiff ache in my muscles from sleeping on hard ground, compounded by an unbearable crick in my neck, brought me back to reality, and I shoved myself into a sitting position just as the door swung inward.
A woman with soft curves and tightly braided chestnut locks stepped into the room. She had thin lips, smooth, round cheeks, and soft wrinkles that lined the corners of her walnut-colored eyes. The folds of her brown velvet dress swept against the floor as she moved, and she paused to slip her hands into the pockets of her white apron when she spied me.
“There you are.” She clucked her tongue, giving me a once-over with the practiced disdain of a mother. “You’re a mess. Come on.”
Abruptly, she turned on her heel and left me to scramble after her. I paused long enough to cast a glance at my brothers and whisper a goodbye beneath my breath before closing the door.
You may visit whenever you have free time.
Orin’s words filtered through my mind. I would be back. I wouldn’t leave them alone, even if they had no idea that I was here with them.
Fortunately, the attendant hadn’t gone far. She’d pushed through the double doors of my quarters and waited for me to enter before letting them click closed behind us. Rows of stained-glass windows bathed the large space in a rainbow of colors, painting the ivory accents peach and lavender and indigo. The attendant ushered me past an ornate bed, complete with a sheer canopy, to seat me before a white oak vanity. I stared at her through the reflection of the mirror. She pursed her lips in a tight grimace as she ran deft fingers through my knotted hair.
“Was the bed not to your liking?” she asked, yanking her hands away to inspect her coal-stained fingers.
“I just wanted to be near my brothers.”
She scowled. “You’re a room away. If you insist on sleeping beside them, I can arrange for a cot to be brought in.”
I shook my head. “No, this is fine. Thank you.”
She strode across my quarters to fling open a door. With an exaggerated sweep of her arm, she gestured to the attached room. “You’re in desperate need of a bath.”
“I can bathe myself.” I stood, my body already protesting at the movement. Threadmending had left a lingering ache in my bones, and sleeping on the floor hadn’t helped. I glanced about the room until my eyes snagged on my apothecary cases. Salts would help. Stiffly, I moved toward them and rummaged through the contents.
“That may be true, but my lord has instructed me to care for your every need.” She gripped my arm and yanked me toward the bathroom before I could grab a remedy. “Ever-made medicine will be infused in the water. You’ll find it more effective than anything crafted by human hands.” She stilled, her eyes pointedly sliding tomy fingers. “Perhaps it’s not better thaneverything, but certainly this.”
It was strange to be both coveted and hated for a talent I had no say in developing, and yet that’s exactly how this woman gazed at my fingers. She strolled into the bathroom, and the lanterns clinging to the wall lit of their own accord. The copper washbasin—large enough to comfortably hold two people—began to fill. Steaming milky water swirled into existence until it reached the lip of the tub, and then all at once it went placid. My jaw hit the floor as I watched the room respond to her, but she barely acknowledged it.
Magic.I paused at the edge of the claw-footed tub. “How?”
“Everything in this house is attuned to the Ferngloves’ magic. It does their bidding—and mine, too.” She rolled up the sleeve of her gown to reveal the beginnings of the family’s crest. “Attendants bear the mark as well.”
Which also meant I could hardly function in this space without the presence of one of them at my side. Suddenly, the invisible chains of Orin’s contract tightened around my body. “Is it safe?”
“How detailed would you like that answer? Nothing in this manor is safe, threadmender. But I can assure you that I will never be the one to harm you.”
Noted. I inched toward the copper basin, but she snared my wrist between her fingers. Her grip was surprisingly strong as she tugged me to the side, forcing me to sit on a small wooden stool a few feet away. Tin buckets full of water waited near the legs.
“Hair first, bath second.” She moved behind me to study my locks, then gave a disapproving scoff. “Don’t wantthismixing with the bathwater and staining your skin.”
I sat quietly as she doused my hair and began the arduous process of removing the dye. I’d spent years using it, never once allowing it to fully fade and reveal the ivory shade that had claimed my locks. A familiar twinge of panic wrapped around my throat.
