Page 56 of Blood Curse

It looked ordinary.

After everything the Crown had done to keep us from it, I had expected fire, thunder or at least an unfriendly glow. Instead, clear water tapped against stone with the patient sound of a leaking tap.

“That’s it?” I asked.

Stellan’s mouth lifted. “Disappointed?”

“A little.”

The Crown shoved pain across my scalp.

My knees buckled.

Stellan caught my hand. He didn’t pull me upright. He stood still and let me use him until my legs straightened.

“Still going?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Still your choice?”

“Yes.”

The voice changed tactics.

The water will strip you empty.

He wants you weak.

He will give you to the court when you are useless.

The words arrived in my voice now. They carried my fear, which made them harder to ignore.

“It’s telling me you’ll hand me over when the Crown is gone,” I said.

Stellan didn’t rush to deny it. “Do you believe that?”

“I believe it knows what frightens me.”

“That’s different.”

“I know.”

He kept hold of my hand until I released him. Then he walked beside me to the basin.

Silver leaves had been carved into the inner wall. Their stems curved down through the water and met in a circle near the bottom. Age had darkened the stone around them, but the silver stayed bright.

The Crown pulled my head away when I leaned closer.

“There it is,” I said.

Stellan crouched beside me. “The carving?”

“The Crown’s panic.”

Elias stayed at the gate. “Don’t cut your palm yet. We need to know the silver can quiet the metal before blood enters the water.”

“What should I expect?” I asked.