“No.”
“That was too close.”
“We’re also getting closer to a solution. A permanent one. I can feel it.”
His jaw tightened and he nodded. “Let’s keep looking.”
He slipped around me, moving deeper into the museum. Every time I got close to his side, he moved away. I supposed it was to be expected, though.
A moment later, I spotted a map room. I grabbed Tarron’s hand, ignoring his flinch, and pulled him along. “Let’s check here.”
The room was small and dark, with big wooden cases full of maps. Reproductions, probably, given their age and the fact that we were allowed to sort through them.
It took a few minutes of searching, but finally we found a map of the city from the late medieval period. The lines were faint and the drawing faded, but it revealed endless narrow passages through the ancient buildings.
“This has potential,” I said.
As if she’d heard me, my sister’s voice whispered out of the comms charm around my neck. “Mari? Where are you?”
I pressed my fingers to the charm. “Map room. I might be onto something.”
“Me too.”
“Do we need to come there?”
“No. I don’t think so. We’ll come to you.”
I continued to study the map, but there were so many buildings that it was impossible to tell which might be important enough to contain our ghost. She arrived a few moments later, leaning over the map and pointing to the huge stone wall that ringed the city. “Here.”
“The wall?”
“No. Rooms within the walls. We saw models of them in the diorama room. Apparently, there are prison cells built right into the city walls.”
“Ah, and that’s what the abbot said.” I nodded. “The ghost would be found within the city walls.”
“We interpreted it to mean that he was in one of the buildings contained within the walls.” A grin flashed across Tarron’s face, and I wished desperately that he’d be well again so I could enjoy his smiles without worrying what was coming after.
The four of us leaned over the massive map, searching the image of the huge circular wall that surrounded the city.
Tarron spotted it first. He pointed to a widened section of the wall that looked like it was filled with bubbles. “Those must be the cells.”
“Agreed.” I straightened. “Let’s check them out.”
By the time we made it out of the museum, the streets were full. People bustled between the crowded little buildings, and we had to dodge around them as we hurried up the cobblestone lane. Magic sparked on the air, and tiny pixies flitted about. York was one of the most magical cities in England, and it showed.
It didn’t take us long to reach the portion of the city wall where it widened enough to accommodate cells. Stairs led all the way up to the top of the wall so people could walk around the top of it, but I had eyes only for the middle portion.
“I don’t see a way to get in.”
“Neither do I.” Aeri stopped next to me, staring up at the wall.
“Partway up the stairs, there’s an alcove into the castle wall,” Tarron said.
I moved slightly so I could see it. “Definitely it.”
We hurried toward the stairs, and I raced up, taking them two at a time. There was indeed an alcove right by the stairs, with a huge wooden door set deep into it.
A massive metal padlock looked like it hadn’t been opened in decades. Centuries, maybe.
“I’ve got it.” Tarron pressed his hand to the metal, which flamed red, then orange. Finally, it melted into a puddle on the stone step.
Tarron pushed open the door, which creaked ominously.
“Perfect for ghosts,” Aeri whispered.
I stifled a small laugh, which was probably as much nerves as it was humor.
The hallway within was dark and narrow—and only about six feet deep. It led to another door, which wasn’t locked.
A sense of anticipation streaked through me as I approached it. My heart thundered and my skin warmed.
Excitement surged.
What the hell?
I had no idea why I felt this way, but it was unmistakable.
There was something past that door that I really wanted to see. I could sense it.
My breathing was harsh by the time I reached the door and pressed my hand to it.
“Mari, slow down,” Tarron said. “We don’t know what’s back there.”
I didn’t listen. I couldn’t.
There was no way to explain what I was feeling. I just had to get into that room.
Aeri joined me, moving just as quickly. I swore I could sense her excitement, too.
“Do you feel it?” I asked.
“I do. What the hell is it?”
“I don’t know.”
Together, we pushed the door open and found ourselves in a small but beautifully decorated cell. A nice bed, a bookshelf, and beautiful art covered the wall.
And just one chair.
The ghost of a man sat upon it.
I stepped into the room, my heartbeat going wild. Aeri pushed in beside me.
He stood.
We stopped.
Holy fates.
It was like looking in the mirror at an older, more masculine version of myself. Or Aeri. The bone structure was the same.
“Holy fates,” Aeri said beside me.
Shock lanced me, ice through my veins, followed by fear and joy and every emotion I could name. I’d never seen him before—not in my memory, at least. But it was so obvious that it was him.
“Father?” I asked, my voice whispery.
Aeri squeezed my hand. I swallowed hard.
The man’s jaw slackened slightly. “Daughters.”
Holy fates, holy fates, holy fates.
My father was the ghost of the Dragon Blood. That’s why the abbot had looked at me funny.
Tarron came to stand next to me, and Declan joined Aeri.
I was so shocked I could barely process what was happening.
Tears gleamed in my father’s eyes, and he looked as shocked as I felt.
“I never meant to leave you,” he blurted.
Oh, thank fates. It was a question that I hadn’t realized I’d been thinking. But I had been.
“I’m Mari.”
“I’m Aeri.”
He raised his hands. “I would embrace you if I could.”
“What happened?” Aeri asked.
“I was killed shortly after your birth.”
“By my mother?” I asked.
“No. I was killed here, in York. But it is a story for another time. I need you to know, however, that I never meant to leave you.”
I squeezed Aeri’s hand tight. I believed him. She glanced at me. From the look in her eyes, she believed him, too.
“You are bound here?” Aeri asked.
He nodded. “Only the magic of this place can keep me on the earthly plane.”
“Is it a coincidence that we’re looking for the Dragon Bloods and our father is the keeper of their location?” I asked.
“No, indeed not. There are many others that you could have asked. But fate would have you come here, to me.”
Of course. When I’d asked my sense of premonition to help me find answers, of course it would lead me to the route that was closest to my heart.
“Come.” My father started toward a tapestry on the back wall. He flicked it aside and revealed a hidden door. “We will sit.”