Silver in the Bone (Silver in the Bone #1)(51)
Author: Alexandra Bracken

 

I nodded, letting the quiet dripping of water and splashing of nixies ease the tension between us.

 

My gaze drifted up over the nearest statue—the maiden. Her expression was knowing as her stone eyes watched over us, and it made me think of what Caitriona had said earlier about the security of knowing that a greater being was there to care for you in your life’s journey.

 

But I couldn’t imagine what god remained in this land darkened by death.

 

 

 

 

 

A half hour later, Betrys’s voice carried down the steps. “All finished?”

 

I stood from the water, wrapping myself in the towel and moving behind the maiden statue’s feet to dress. My wet hair dripped onto my shoulders, allowing the chill to cut deeper—and that was before I put on my sludge-soaked boots.

 

I hadn’t realized Neve had followed me over to change until I heard her gasp.

 

It took me a moment to understand what had startled her. I reached for my tunic, but she gripped my arm, turning me more fully toward her.

 

I tried to curl in on myself like a leaf, blood rushing to my face. For the first time since it happened, I’d managed to forget about the blue-black stain on the skin over my heart. It was shaped like a hideous, sinister star.

 

“Tamsin . . . ,” Neve whispered, her eyes huge as she backed away. “That’s a death mark.”

 

I pulled my tunic over my head, my pulse fluttering with a strange panic. “No, it’s not.”

 

“You were touched by a spirit,” she said. “How did you survive?”

 

“It’s not,” I insisted, gripping my jacket and throwing it over my shoulders. A blisteringly white field of snow flashed in my mind, the incorporeal hand stretched toward me, the pain like a knife to the heart—

 

“What kind was it? A poltergeist? A wraith?” Neve pressed, trailing after me as I made my way back toward the stairs, where Cabell and Betrys waited.

 

I whirled on her, my face aching, my body as tight as a drum. “It’s not a death mark. That’s an old wives’ tale.”

 

Neve held up her hands. “All right. It’s not a death mark. Great Mother, relax, will you? I didn’t mean anything by it. Death marks are nothing to be ashamed of. Most people don’t even survive the touch.”

 

The silence between us was painfully awkward as we made our way back up the stairs. Cabell shot me a questioning look. I ignored it, letting exhaustion claim my thoughts. Let it empty my head of anything other than imagining the small stretch of floor I’d be able to lie down on for a few hours.

 

Betrys gave us each a looking-over in that silent way of hers, the scar on her right cheek somehow more pronounced with her frown. Rather than take us to one of the outer buildings or into the walls again, she led us to the tower itself.

 

In the shadowed light, it was hard to make out the details of the first level; it seemed to be a great hall, in which countless tables had been assembled in two long rows.

 

The aisle between them led to yet another ornate statue, this one of the Goddess herself, dignified in face and posture, colored bone white. Small bowls of unseen treasures, dried bundles of wheat, and dying flowers were arranged around her in offering. A candle flickered from a chamber carved into the center of her chest, turning the natural cracks in her stone surface to glowing veins.

 

The walls were painted as though the artist had wished to bring the forest inside. Something about the way the candles shivered and guttered along the tables and walls made it seem like the trees and flowering undergrowth were alive. As if we had been offered a glimpse into the isle’s past.

 

Neve came to stand beside me, and I followed her reverential gaze up to the chandeliers and the garlands of dried greens and flowers strung between them.

 

My heart gave an involuntary kick against my ribs. Why would they heap offerings upon the idol of the Goddess and lovingly decorate the hall when all it could ever be was a reminder of what they’d lost and would never get back?

 

“This way,” Betrys said gently.

 

To the far left was a large winding stone staircase, its walls carved into the body of the tree. As we climbed, there was a dull thudding in my ears, and I couldn’t tell if it came from my own heart or somewhere inside the tree.

 

The upper levels were a breathtaking meeting of tree and stone, seamlessly entangled like smoke and steam. On the second floor, I slowed, peering into an enormous open chamber. Dozens of sleeping people were spread across blankets and straw-stuffed mats. I scanned them quickly, searching without luck for Nash’s ugly mug.

 

Betrys brought us to the third floor, to a hallway lined with grim-faced doors. She opened the closest one, motioning to Neve and me. “I hope you won’t mind sharing . . . ?”

 

Inside was a handsome four-poster bed that looked large enough to sleep an entire family. A simple tapestry of deer and birds hung along one wall, and there was already a fire in the hearth.

 

“The people sleeping downstairs . . . ,” Neve said, hesitating. “How can we accept this when they’re on the floor?”

 

Speak for yourself, I thought. I could accept this gladly.

 

“They choose to sleep together for comfort and protection,” Betrys reassured her. “These chambers are normally used by the priestesses of Avalon, but my sisters and I prefer to sleep among the others in case a need to defend the tower arises in the night.”

 

Well. I put my hands on my hips, tilting my head back. Annoyingly, I now felt a little bad too.

 

“Many of our elders are resting in the other chambers, so I ask that you keep as quiet as possible,” Betrys continued, giving me a particular look. “And do not wander the halls.”

 

“Will we be able to meet the other Avalonians?” I asked. If he was here, Nash would have to be among them.

 

Betrys merely opened a door for Cabell and left without another word.

 

“Come on,” Neve said, giving my arm a gentle tug. “It’ll be better to look for Nash after a few hours’ sleep anyway.”

 

I sighed, shooting Cabell an uncertain look.

 

He nodded, that hopeful smile still on his face. “Better to be sharp, right?”

 

“Right,” I echoed.

 

Neve picked up the candle on the small bedside table, carrying it over to the tapestry for a better look before turning to the wardrobe. A painted fox and hare were caught in a circular chase across its doors. Opening it, she found our bags stowed inside and two long coats made of a patchwork of different fabrics.