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She gasped. “What?”
“Just after you vanished, our invited guests from Windguard walked in on me, in very much the same position as I’d found you, knelt over Lizbet with the murder weapon in hand. You’d dropped it and I’d picked it up. As I had, they’d jump to conclusions. Because my father had murdered my mother only hours before, they believed I was a coconspirator. Your mother or Rathmort must have erased the kingdom’s memories of you both, because only I could recall you and Elora had been staying with us.”
“I never knew what happened to you. I thought you’d been killed as well.”
“No, they just destroyed everything I loved and left me to take the blame.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I plan to get it all back.” He reached down to squeeze her backside. “Starting with you.”
She gave him a half smile. “I wish I could go back and change everything. But there’s one thing I still can’t wrap my head around.”
“What’s that?”
“Who did you see following Lizbet into your room that night?”
“Why, it was me, dearling?”
16
Both Celeste and Khalstorm leapt out of bed, scrambling to re-dress; she in a newly acquired shell-colored frock, courteous of Lockheed’s purse, and Khalstorm in dark trousers. Elora sat looking relaxed as a kitten in the seating area, smirking at them in her sleek strapless black dress, her arms outreached over the sofa, her slender legs crossed. She hadn’t been there a second ago.
“Mother!” Celeste cried, panic filling up like a clogged drain. “How did you find us?” Was Rathmort seconds from showing up too?
“I sensed the freeing of your magic,” she purred.
Celeste glanced at her bare wrists with realization. The cuffs had been blocking her magic, but also concealing it from scrying eyes.
Gaze flashing green, Khalstorm let out a menacing growl. “You!” He lunged for his stolen sword, facing Elora with murderous intent. “I’ll kill you for what you did to my family, to your own daughter. What kind of mother—”
“Oh, poo.” Elora nonchalantly flicked her hand in Khalstorm’s direction. A gale-force wind shot through the room and slammed square in his chest, knocking him off his feet . . . and through the third-story wall. Dust and debris rained down around the newly created hole.
Celeste cried out. Before she could sift, Elora appeared in front of her, the cuffs dangling from one of her outstretched fingers. “Time to return home, daughter.”
A terrifying roar split the air like a crack of lightning. Massive claws ripped their way through half the wall. The building shook and creaked. Khalstorm had transformed into his dragon and was frantically digging his way back into the room.
Elora sighed with a hint of irritation, seemingly unconcerned. “They make better pets than lovers, dearling.”
“I’m not returning with you,” Celeste spat. “You can just forget it.”
Elora made a pouty face. “Oh, as if you had a choice.” Then she lunged.
Celeste sifted away, barely escaping her mother’s grasp and reappeared outside in front of the inn. In his formidable dragon form, Khalstorm stood on his hind legs, snarling and scratching his sharp claws down the inn walls. Chunks of stone and debristhunkedto the ground. The rising sun meant others were out and about. Not many, but a small crowd had begun to gather, drawn by the ruckus.
“Khalstorm!” Celeste called. They could fly away and vanish into the sky. He paused at the sound of her voice, but before he swung his big head around, her mother appeared next to her . . . at least, sheknewit was her mother, only now Elora looked exactly likeher, dressed in an identical shell-covered frock. A mirror image.
“Khalstorm!” Elora echoed in a voice that matched Celeste’s exactly.
Khalstorm gazed between them, blinking as though to clear his vision, then he growled, sniffing the air. Celeste thought he might know her by smell alone, but apparently Elora’s spell covered that because his head reared back in confusion.
“Don’t let her fool you,” Elora called.
“Mother, stop this!”
“You won’t get away with this, mother!” Elora shot back. Couldn’t Khalstorm hear the mocking tone in her voice?
“Khalstorm it’s me,” she pleaded, stepping forward.
