When I searched through my body one last time, I could swear I felt a sliver of darkness lurking within.
When I surfaced from the trance, satisfaction pulsed through me like sunlight after endless rain. I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face. The constant failure had been grinding me down, but this felt like a step in the right direction. Maybe I had been too hard on myself, considering everything fate kept throwing my way.
My lips stretched wider than they had since I arrived in the shadow lands, and I was greeted by an equally enthusiastic Miriam.
‘Look at you! You can smile!’ She chuckled, and I was happy to see her own sour mood had cleared.
Snorting, I stopped beside her, enjoying the company. ‘I know, it’s a wild concept, isn’t it?’
The red-eyed nightmare-inducer stepped closer. ‘May I ask what sparked such a change of heart?’
I didn’t get a chance to answer before Alec interrupted, ‘The family portrait, of course.’ He showed off a pout. ‘Can’t you see I’m just as excited?’
I laughed before being called over to the plain wall, where three chairs stood next to each other as our father joined, standing behind us.
A lithe, dark-haired woman dressed in red and covered by a black apron arranged her painting supplies, preparing the canvas before her dull eyes moved to assess us.
They gave me palpitations.
Those eyes, the rich amber tones locked in an intentful gaze, looked too familiar. They looked so alike… the soft brown waves of hair, the sharp jawline. But River claimed his mother was dead. It had hurt him enough to remove her portraits from the castle.
The hours she spent sketching blurred for me, a broken kaleidoscope of self-doubt and fleeting hunches, as I tried to find a reasonable explanation.
If she really was their mother, then another thread of River’s lies had unravelled before me. Trading me to the Isles was one thing, but lying about his mother cut deeper than any betrayal. He had never opened up to me the way I had to him. It had all been a lie.
She worked for hours, pencil then brush, mixing paints into shades I hadn’t realised existed. When she finally packed her supplies and agreed on a completion date, I caught sight of her speaking quietly with my father. Their hushed exchange left me uneasy.
When they went their separate ways, I couldn’t stop myself from following. My mind focused solely on the truth. Just as she reached for the door handle, I stopped her with a tap on the shoulder.
Tense and anxious, I fidgeted before the confused woman, unable to tear my eyes from hers. ‘I’m sorry. This is so weird. It’s been a really weird week for me.’
Her nose crinkled, unsure whether to entertain the conversation. Hovering by the door with one hand still on the knob, she asked, ‘How so?’
There was no point lying. ‘Long story short, I’ve essentially been kidnapped here by my brother, on behalf of my father, whom you just spoke to.’
The painter visibly blanched. ‘Are they really your family?’
The reaction worried me. ‘I couldn’t believe it at first, but I’m starting to.’
‘Are they treating you all right?’ The fact she cared enough to ask made my heart clench.
How awful, to get more kindness from a stranger than from my own mother. Scolding myself for even thinking of that wretch, I forced a smile.
‘They’ve been nothing but supportive. Though I would rather if they invited me for dinner than abducted me.’
A deep sigh escaped her before she reached for my hand in a caring gesture. ‘If they are your relatives, then cherish them. Many can only dream of meeting their families.’
I wanted to ask her, needed to, but my mouth refused to cooperate, and the painter left before I ever found the courage to speak.
Chapter Forty-Three
Avari
My thoughts spun faster than my feet could carry me.
‘Who was that woman?’ I followed my father to his office, where he now sat sprawled over his leather couch, sipping on a strongly scented brown drink.
His eyes travelled around the room, his mind somewhere far away.
