JAMIE
“What?” Tobias drags a hand through his hair. “Why have you told April everything?”
“I haven’t.”
Maeve stands in the cottage window, clutching a small notebook in her hand. “She’s the spy.”
“April? No way,” says Ash. “She’s as straight as they come.”
“I don’t trust anybody,” puts in Andrei.
Maeve turns. “What’s on the plans? Anything showing cellars?”
I sit at the table with Ash and Andrei while a disgruntled Tobias stands at my shoulder, peering at the images on my phone. “It’s hard to make out. I’ll need to print them. I’ve looked at Petrescu and there’s nothing but the cellar.”
“Are you sure?” Maeve takes the phone from me and swipes between images, lips pursed.
“Do we take the plans from April?” asks Ash. “We can’t involve her.”
“And we can’t exactly attack her and steal the map,” I retort.
“Shit.” Andrei spins his phone around on the table in front of him. “Mind control?”
“She’s smart. April will expect that and she’s good with Potions. She’ll create a mental block potion.”
“Where would she get the ingredients for that?” asks Andrei.
“It would seem April can get hold of many things.” Tobias steps back and taps his lips. “I share your suspicions, but the Dominion aren’t likely to plant someone this obvious.”
“Unless they’re luring us down there,” I mutter.
“But down where?” asks Ash with exasperation. “To a room filled with cardboard boxes?”
“Something is down there!” Maeve’s half-shout startles us. “Take me back to the cellars with Jamie and we can try to trigger a vision.” She places the book on the table. “I wrote down all my visions, and this is connected to the sanctum visions too. Read them. If I focus, maybe I can extend the vision.”
Tobias rubs his cheek. “Partly, I think that’s a great idea. Another part of me wants to avoid this until we’ve investigated further.”
“Really?” she splutters. “This is urgent, especially now somebody else is looking into everything. Okay, April might not be the spy, but the real spy could find out. They’re probably watching her too!”
Andrei stares at Maeve and chews on his bottom lip. He agrees with Tobias.
I don’t.
“Maeve has powers to help us. What’s the point if we don’t use them?” She gives me a grateful smile. “If I’m with her, we can control things better.”
“I agree,” adds Ash.
Tobias takes hold of Maeve’s notebook and reads the first entry. His brow dips as he flicks to the next.
“The sanctum is key,” she urges. “That’s where I saw you and the flames. Where me and Jamie heard the noise. If you don’t want me in the cellar, let me try scrying in the sanctum.”
“Only you and Jamie are allowed in the sanctum,” says Tobias stiffly and closes the book. “What if something happens?”
“I’ll go with them,” blurts Ash.
Tobias’s shoulders slump in defeat. “Alright. The sanctum is better than the cellar, judging by your reaction last night, Maeve. Yes, somebody should go with Jamie and Maeve, but not you, Ash. Andrei can accompany them. You and I will wait in the library.”
“Are you sure?” asks Jamie. “Walcott are pretty anti-Andrei. What if someone sees him?”
“Like I give a shit,” he mutters. “This is more important than their dumb crusade.”
“If Andrei gets caught down there illegally, as his head of house, I can promise consequences,” Tobias replies.
“Right,” I say. “That’s settled. No time to waste if April is nosing around.”
Nobody else moves.
“Maeve?”
Until her outburst, Maeve seemed disturbed by something and I’d put that down to her visions, but now she’s staring at the side of Tobias’s head. “Sure. Can you sneak into Sofia’s and find the crystal we use? I’ll meet you down there.”
Tobias turns his head as if she spoke to him but he doesn’t speak.
“I’m going to look for April,” announces Ash.
“Is that a good idea?” I ask.
“She wants to meet us, doesn’t she?” He crosses his arms.
Andrei snorts. “You want to use that charm of yours on her?”
“I want to feel useful!” he snaps, dampening the atmosphere further.
“I’ll go with him,” says Andrei.
Tobias flicks through the pages in the book. “I’d like to speak to Maeve about her visions a little more before we take the next step.”
Maeve doesn’t appear surprised by his statement.
She did speak to him—only nobody heard.
MAEVE
Tobias walks over and closes the cottage door behind the guys, then turns to me. “Why did you ask me to talk to you alone?”
I grip the envelope resting in my jacket pocket. Asking him aloud would’ve drawn attention from the others, and this isn’t something I want to share with them all yet.
“You’re anxious,” he says softly. “Are you worried about tonight?”
“You’re anxious too.”
“Because I don’t know what will happen. I have no control over tonight, and I don’t want you hurt,” he blurts.
I can’t resist the next question. “In case you die?”
“What the hell? You think that’s my biggest concern.”
I immediately regret my words when his expression blackens. “No. Sorry. That was a dumb thing to say.”
Tobias sucks on his teeth and looks away. “What did you want to talk about?”
“My aunt wrote me a letter.” I pull the creased envelope from my pocket.
Tobias looks at the envelope as if I’m handing him a bomb, and his sudden apprehension unnerves me. He reads the letter, expressionless, before folding and handing back to me.
“She makes no sense,” he says flatly. “Your aunt evidently has a feud with your mother over you being a witch. You told me she’s estranged from the family?”
“Yes, and I had this silly idea,” I admit. I don’t want to speak the words that have grown louder in my head since I arrived here, scared they might be true, or if not, someone will laugh at me. “Do you think my aunt is really my mother?”
He smiles in bemusement. “That’s a little far-fetched, Maeve. Even if that were true, you’re here now and people know that you’re connected to her. The truth would be hard to hide.”
My eyes tear at the emotional hit from finally asking the question. “You honestly think she’s not?”
“Maeve,” he says softly. “If you’re genuinely concerned, I’ll look into the records. All witch births and deaths are recorded.”
“Mine wasn’t.” The panic rises again.
“Yours will be recorded somewhere. Occasionally witch powers skip generations if relatives intermarry with humans. Those children are harder to track and record.”