Page 88 of Kingdom of Locks

“I won’t leave you to face Cyfrin alone,” Mama Imelda declared. “I’m staying right here until—”

“Don’t do that,” said Aurelia, exasperated. “What will that achieve? You need to be long gone by the time he comes. I’ll lock the door to our room and tell him you’re sleeping. Maybe he’ll come and go none the wiser.”

Mama Imelda hesitated, and Aurelia pressed her point.

“It’s not much past noon, Mama. If you go now, you might even be back again before sunset with a solution.” She glanced at the stupefied guard. “I’m sorry to add to what must have been a hard day of riding already,” she commented. “But do you think you could get my mother back to the capital?”

“Of course,” he said, bowing hastily. “It would be my pleasure.”

“Good,” said Aurelia briskly. “It’s decided.” She pulled her head—and her hair—fully back inside the tower, indicating she was done with further argument. After several minutes she peeked through, and ascertained that they were gone. Clearly Mama Imelda had decided to take her advice and spend the time finding a solution before sunset instead of wasting it arguing.

Free of witnesses, Aurelia let her calm mask drop, and slid to the floor. Her scalp felt like it was on fire from Mama Imelda’s weight, and her whole body was shaking, both from the weakness that still plagued her, and the enormity of her situation.

She was alone. For the first time in her life, she was truly, genuinely alone. And Cyfrin was coming.

Overwhelmed by her emotions, she let herself cry for several tension-releasing minutes. Then she picked herself up, dusted off her hands, and set determinedly to work tidying the space and preparing herself some lunch. She wasn’t a helpless child, and she would not fall apart. Life would go on.

Amell had told her that it took two hours to ride to the city, so she knew she would have to wait at least four before her mother might be able to return. So she almost jumped from her chair in amazement when she heard a shout below after only two. Was it possible Amell had left the capital only two hours after his guard, and was here now? She should be able to pull him up easily enough. Her head still hurt, but her weakness had improved substantially as the time wore on.

But when she reached the window, horror washed over her at the sight of a far less welcome figure than the prince.

“Cyfrin!” she gasped. “It’s hours before sunset. What are you doing here?”

The enchanter raised one disapproving eyebrow. “That is entirely my own affair.”

“But…” Aurelia swallowed. “But you’ve never come during the day before.”

“Well,” said Cyfrin crisply, “the situation has changed. I will explain it all when I don’t have to crane my neck to do so. Now pull me up.”

Aurelia’s mind whirled. He sounded like his usual irritable self, but there was no sign of the fury he’d feel if he knew how the situation had really changed. Was there a chance he’d poured so much magic into her hair that he wouldn’t notice the power missing from her core? She needed to behave as naturally as possible.

“I’d…I’d rather not,” she said. “It’s just…my mother is resting, and it’s difficult to pull you up on my own.” She made her voice hesitant. “I think she’s fallen asleep, but I suppose I could wake her.”

Predictably, Cyfrin’s eyes gleamed at the news that his hated critic was out of the way. “Asleep, is she?” he said eagerly. “No, don’t wake her child, let her rest. We can manage without her.”

Now that Aurelia understood the motivation behind his eagerness to be alone with her, it was all she could do not to gag. But she hid the reaction, still trying to sound casual.

“I don’t think I’m strong enough, Master Enchanter.”

Cyfrin made a gesture of impatience. “Of course you are. Now throw down your hair. You know from the years when your hair was too short that I have other ways of getting up if I need to. And if you put me to the effort of using them, I will not be pleased, believe me.”

Aurelia did know it, and she did believe it. Resigning herself to the inevitable, she fed her hair through the loop and threw it down. In her weakened state, the ascent that was usually mildly uncomfortable was agony, and she couldn’t keep in a whimper as she braced herself against the wall.

At least it was brief. In no time at all, Cyfrin stood before her, his eyes instantly passing over the space in confusion.

“Something’s different,” he declared. “What’s missing?”

“Well, my…my mother is sleeping,” Aurelia reminded him.

Cyfrin waved her off impatiently. “Not her. I don’t care about her.”

“You said the situation has changed, Master Enchanter,” Aurelia said quickly, trying to turn his thoughts. “What’s changed?”

“Ah, yes.” Cyfrin turned to face her, a gleam coming into his eyes. “An unexpected development, my dear. I confess, at first I was angry, but then I decided I would turn it to good account.” He gave her a solemn look. “My child, it’s time.”

“Time for what?” Aurelia demanded uneasily. “And what development?”

“Time to extract the magic I’ve stored within you,” Cyfrin said simply. “Time to make my move at last.”

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