Page 54 of Phixmery

I’m watching the door to her tower intensely as I answer, my brows drawn together in the same confusion that I’m sure is etched across his face. But I’m not risking not seeing her to check. “She’s never missed a night, I swear on our brotherly friendship. Maybe something happened to her while we were gone,” I murmur, taking a step out of the darkened alcove to head up to her squad chambers.

Someone, I’m assuming Killian, grabs me by the scruff of my collar, being careful not to touch my skin. “You are not going up there,” he grumbles, sending me flying into the back wall of our hiding place.

“Enough,” Talyn snaps. “This is ridiculous. We’re up now, anyway. Let’s just head down and see if we can find anything.” He strides out of the alcove and heads towards the officers’ quarters.

I blow out a breath and turn to Killian. “You know I wouldn’t have got caught if I went up there. It’s not like the officers would say anything anyway. We are theLord’ssons. TheInfamousWing of Phixmery.” I use finger quotations. “Throwing me into the wall was completely unnecessary,” I add dryly, straightening my tunic.

He storms off to follow Talyn but not before I hear him mutter. “Yeah, but it was worth it.”

My hand flies to my chest as I gasp in mock horror before chasing after them. Fine, then. Karma is a dish best served pranked, or however it goes.

We come up to the hall but it’s empty since thankfully the patrols have already gone through. It wouldn’t matter anyway—no one asks questions about where we come or go. I press on the stone wall, which gives way, and the three of us enter the darkened stairwell.

No one is down here, then.

Talyn strikes his ring against the stone wall and summons flames which he expertly sends down, igniting the sconces in seconds. With a purpose, we head down the stairs in a comfortable silence, nothing but the sounds of our boots thudding against the paleolithic stone. Killian and I easily follow the trail she usually takes, stopping at the door where we first found her.

Talyn appraises the metalwork, running his fingers along the embossed writing of a long-forgotten language. “You’re saying she managed to open this door?” he questions as he tries the handle for the fifth time.

Killian grunts in assent, standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the opposite wall while I stand near Talyn.

“Yup. Opened it, almost fainted, and then shut it and left. She didn’t even enter the room. Do you know what it says?” I ask, watching him trace the words again.

He shakes his head. “No. All I can tell you is that I’ve seen it before. In some ancient books in the restricted section of the library. It’s a dead language from thousands of years ago. Although why it’s under a castle that isn’t nearly as old is perplexing on its own.” He mutters the last part so quietly I almost miss it. He shakes off whatever trance he’s in and starts off down the tunnel again. “Where is the furthest you’ve seen her down here before you lost her?” he asks when we’ve caught up to him.

It’s curious to see Talyn excited about anything. He may not show it, but the fact he’s almost distracted and rushing off shows me otherwise. He loves a good mystery. Maybe now he can understand my obsession with her.

“This way.” Pushing past him, I lead him down a series of tunnels until I get to a dead end.

“This is where you lose her?” he asks in disbelief. “Are you positive?”

“No, we would lead you to a dead end for no reason,” Killian snaps, his anger blazing in his red eyes.

Talyn glowers at him before placing his hand against the cave wall and closing his eyes. After a moment he moves towards the end of the tunnel and tilts his head. “It feels like earth magick, yet it doesn’t,” he murmurs. “It’s definitely Solace though…” he trails off like he’s lost in thought.

How can something feel like something but also not? That’s a contradiction all on its own. I watch in fascination as Talyn places both hands on the wall and coaxes it out of the way, opening up a grand space. The walls and ceiling look natural, untouched by fae magick. The floor is a different story. It’s as smooth as polished glass, not a pebble out of place. Two tall pillars climb up to the exceedingly high ceilings, stopping it from caving in. In the far corner a stone bird perch sits elegantly waiting to be used, most likely by her familiar. The place is massive, easily able to hold two dragons.

Was this her? Did my Little Mouse do all of this, or was it here before and she made use of the space? But why? Why would she spend so much time down here?

“The magick I found on the entrance is saturating the ground here. But I can feel traces of elemental magick—all four elements. At least three different signatures,” he mutters, obviously reaching out with his own elements.

As Killian’s and my magick is more mental, we aren’t able to feel what he’s talking about, but I trust him completely. We can only sense when someone of the same ability is using it near us, and if I’m familiar with their Szellemi signature then I can pick them out while they’re actively using it. Killian is the same way. “So she isn’t coming down here alone?”

Talyn shakes his head. “The elemental magick is newer. I would say they haven’t been down here before today or yesterday. The older magick trace is Cadet Solace’s, but it doesn’t make sense…”

“Why?” Kill grunts, taking a step closer.

Talyn glances up at us and I’ve never seen him look so confused. “Because I sense all four elements from her. I’m sure I know who the more recent signatures belong to, and it’s not Solace.. But her magick… it feels familiar, but I know I’ve never felt it like this before.”

“So Cadet Solace is hiding something?” Killian asks, looking for some sort of confirmation.

Talyn rises to his full height, looking at both of us, the confusion wiped from his face. “From now on, we all need to keep an eye on her, figure out what she’s doing down here. Each of us will take turns keeping watch to see when she comes down here next. From now on, she doesn’t get to take a piss without one of us knowing.”

I grin with satisfaction. Finally. Watch out, Little Mouse—I’m going to hunt you and peel you apart until you squeal all your secrets. Let’s hope you’re working for the right side—otherwise, there isn’t a mouse trap in this realm that will keep us from roasting that pretty backside until you’re nothing but a scorch mark left on this earth.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

THE REST OF WING ONE is back this morning and I’m not looking forward to training with them again. Right? I didn’t miss them or anything. They’re nothing but power-hungry assholes. Even if they’re nice to look at, my muscles needed the break. Thankfully, Sergeants Featherington and Hemmings just had us sparring with each other and doing basic drills.

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