Page 101 of The Wolf Queen’s Curse

Ann’s confusion grows, but I tilt my head. That’s when I pay more attention to Hanora’s accent. It’s Irish and I believe her name is Irish as well, which means she may be Catholic, and the phrase is Latin, but what does it have to do with…?

“Oh,” I say.

She looks marginally impressed that I translated and made the connection.

Mortui non morden.

Dead men don’t bite. It’s a line from Treasure Island.

I cast the privacy spell. “You’re afraid someone will kill you to keep you quiet?”

She shakes her head. “It’s a lie.” She nods to Ann. “For her.”

I frown. “I don’t understand.”

“Then you aren’t as clever as you think you are.”

“No, your clue isn’t enough—”

She walks to the door and takes the knob. I don’t stop her as she unlocks it. Then she turns and looks back. “You used a spell to unlock that door earlier.”

I nod.

“The basement is also locked, though I don’t think your little witchy spell will open it.”

She pulls the water closet door and startles back when she sees Bishop right there, hovering. I motion for him to let her leave, and he does.

The moment Hanora is gone, I understand her “clue,” though I wait until we’re back in Ann’s room to explain to her and Bishop.

“She said dead men don’t bite,” I say. “That’s from Treasure Island.”

Bishop nods. “It means that a dead compatriot can’t turn on you.”

“I thought she meant she was afraid of being killed if she talked, and she probably is, but she said that, for Ann, ‘dead men don’t bite’ is a lie. Because being dead won’t keep someone from talking to a necromancer.”

Ann frowns. “She was very interested in my powers. You believe she was suggesting we talk to a ghost? I haven’t seen any here. I could try a summoning, I suppose.”

“She also said my unlock spell won’t work on the basement door.”

“She wants us to go into the basement,” Bishop says.

“Could she not have just said that?” Ann says. “You were using a privacy spell when she said that part.”

“I don’t think she’s particularly inclined to tell us anything,” I say. “Maybe she thought tossing out riddles would get rid of us. Or maybe it was like throwing the question to the fates. If we can figure it out, then we deserve it, and she didn’t actually tell us anything.”

“It could be a trap.”

Bishop shakes his head. “Then why not just lure us into the basement? No need to mention speaking to the dead.”

“So what do the two have—?” I stop and look at Ann. “You can summon a ghost if you’re near its body, yes?”

“I can.”

“Then I think that’s where we’re going to find whoever she wants us to talk to.” I look from Bishop to Ann. “Buried in the basement.”

I don’t want Bishop coming into the basement with us. While this doesn’t feel like a trap, it also seems very unwise to put our Alpha in yet another situation where he could be murdered. This means a slight delay to the process and possibly an argument that requires a privacy spell as our tempers and voices rise.

I remember the first time I heard Lenora and Alfred argue. I’d been so certain it marked the end of their relationship. They hadn’t been together long, but I knew my aunt had fallen for him in a way she never fell for any of her casual lovers. But I’d read enough novels to know that a fight between lovers meant the relationship was fracturing.