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Auntie Toru snorted. “If. If? As if anyone could enter!”
Auntie Mo held Raela’s gaze. “My word is final, Raelametanashi.”
Raela knew better than to lock horns with her Auntie Mo. But her heart hardened even as it questioned … well … everything. Raela knew other people existed—some of Auntie Toru’s stories included them—but she had never seen them. She had only seen animals, both ordinary ones and a few ancients, and her aunties. She had never ventured far from their home. Never left their forest. Especially not after what happened that one time she had ventured down the riverbed—she had gotten lost and caused Auntie Shou’s disappearance.
She had learned her lesson. She knew to stay in her little world and never venture far. But now, it was as if light shone through the haze. Now that she had seen one man, she had to consider that he had come fromsomewhere out there—and that Raela, herself, could gosomewhere. The idea pricked her mind like a splinter.
She lifted indignant eyes to the concerned gaze of her Auntie Mo. And she deflated. She loved her aunties, so she would try to obey. Really, she would. They didn’t make rules to harm her. Maybe she could return to the way things were before. Raela could live in her simple existence, cleaning, cooking, practicing with the magic of the forest …
But as Raela settled herself back into her chair, studying the steam of her tea, new questions simmered, each one rising to the surface like the bubbles in her cup. Where was the man from? Were there others like him? Why couldn’t she understand him? And then other questions squirmed uncomfortably. How did Raela come to the forest? Who were her parents? How could she be so tall while her aunties were so short? And why was he taller than her aunties like she was? And, most disturbingly, why hadn’t she asked any of these questions before? It was like her mind was waking and ideas that should have been obvious to every child were suddenly clear to her. She remembered Auntie Mo talking about her parents when Auntie Shou was around, but it had all stopped when she left, and Raela never thought to ask about them again.
She peered at her aunties with an uncomfortable, sinking sensation. They were so defensive—and these ideas felt so new when they should have been obvious and common—that she wondered if they had done something to make her forget. Prickling with distrust, she set down her mug, bade them a quiet goodnight, then went to her room to stare at the ceiling.
The ceiling provided no answers at all.
Chapter 4
Caught
Killian
KillianstoodbesidePhineasat the evening ball, sipping his drink and watching the other dancers. Phineas stared at him, his mouth flat with concern etched into every feature.
Killian glanced up at him. “What?”
“Don’t youwhatme. You came back less angry, but now you’re not even mentally here. You’re distracted, aimless. You aren’t even danc—”
“Your Highness.” A lady of the court curtsied low before them, tipping slightly too deeply and showing off her lowered neckline. “You are looking well.”
Killian bowed his head, keeping his eyes on the crowd. “Thank you. The night is a fine one.”
She blinked twice before she spoke again, moving closer than was strictly acceptable. “This song is a favorite of mine.”
Killian reached for a bite of something from a passing tray. “The musicians are particularly skillful today, I agree. This song is lyrical.” But not as lyrical as the one he’d heard in the forest’s clearing.
The lady shifted, then picked at her sleeve before glancing desperately around the room. “Well, if you would excuse me, Lord Byron is calling.” She curtsied shallowly before she stomped off, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Phineas laughed low and under his breath. “Exactly. Thank you, Lady Bethel.”
Killian fought to stop the roll of his eyes. “What is it?”
“You’ve always seen dancing as a princely duty.” He leaned closer. “But you hardly looked twice at that lady, and she was doing her very best to get your attention. What has you so distracted that you didn’t even notice her fawning?”
“Phin, everything is fine.” Setting his glass on a nearby table, Killian stepped out onto the balcony, Phineas hot on his heels.
“You’re good at many things but not lying.”
“I’m not a liar.”
Phineas tilted his head thoughtfully. “Not as a character trait, no. Unless you consider charm deceitful, which I do.”
“Make your point.” Killian leaned back against the balcony, the cool air a refreshing contrast to the stuffy room.
“All I know is you went into the forest one way and now your head is in the clouds.” Phineas stepped directly in front of him. “What happened today?” He tapped Killian’s forehead. “What is happening in there?”
Killian crossed his arms and drummed his fingers against his elbow. “Nothing.”Everything.Phineas tilted his lips in something like disbelief. Killian sighed. Phineas was never going to drop it. “It’s possible that Jax and I opened the gate.” Killian glanced up at Phineas.
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, his friend’s face paled. “Killian. You had better be talking about a different gate than the southern gate.” Killian shook his head. Phineas continued, “The gate to the Forbidden Forest, the supposed shield from evil for all of Norwood. The gate that we once tried to open as kids and had to spendsix monthscleaning up pig muck as punishment. I still smell like manure. Please tell me it’s not that gate, Killian.”
