Page 45 of Turret

“I’m here, Quinn.”

He swiveled around, squinting in my direction. I stepped more fully into the light cast from the window, and even then he didn’t appear to see me until he’d ventured a few steps closer. He released a whooshing breath.

“Gemma.” In three large strides he was before me. “I didn’t see…but you’re here.”

He rested his hands on my shoulders and looked at me, his frantic gaze scanning me to ensure I was well. It lingered on my face longer than necessary, as if not trusting his first assessment, before his tense posture sagged in relief.

His obvious worry only deepened my remorse. “I’m sorry to have worried you.”

His look immediately shifted from relieved to scolding. “Why did you slip away from me?”

“I was concerned for the tower, so I decided to investigate its fading powers.” It wasn’t the only one I was concerned for—Quinn was squinting more than usual, as if the dim light in the room was causing him great struggle. “How…is your vision?”

I hesitated to ask, simply because in the past I’d hated the constant questions concerning my own well-being. My desperate desire to know how my dear guard was faring gave me greater empathy for those who’d often inquired after me.

He released a heavy sigh. “Not doing well; everything is so shadowy.” But as usual he dismissed any further questions about himself and his condition by hastily changing the subject. “What are you doing here? Of all the rooms I searched, this was the last one I expected to find you in.” His dark gaze flickered to the mirrors with an accusatory look.

“The tower led me here.”

His anger deepened and his glare darted towards the surrounding walls. “Of course it did, and you’re so sweet and trusting that you let it.” His hands lowered to my waist, his touch both protective and intimate. “As much as I hate to upset you, I wish you’d understand that this blasted tower doesn’t have your best interests in mind.”

“That’s not true.” I ached to defend my friend, especially now that I understood it on a deeper level than I had before.

“Isn’t it?” His frown deepened as he searched my expression. “Considering the room you’re in and how it’s tormented you in the past…you don’t seem upset.”

“The mirrors showed me different things…or rather, thetowerdid.” I hastily explained what I’d learned about the curse, omitting only my conversation with Mother several days before; I hadn’t told him of it after it’d occurred and I had no desire to do so now.

Quinn listened thoughtfully and pondered my words long after I’d finished my explanation. “The tower’s magic is sinister enough that I suspected it to be a result of a curse, though I’m admittedly surprised the curse is a separate entity from the tower’s magic. So my hypothesis was correct: the enchantment is fading, meaning thereisa way out.” I’d never seen Quinn look so smug.

I paused, unsure how to voice my most recent epiphanies. “If that’s the case…I’ve been thinking…of what it’d be like if Ididleave the tower.”

Quinn’s breath hooked before his entire manner lit up. “You mean you finally want to?”

I hesitated before nodding. “I’ve been thinking of what a future beyond the tower would look like. I’ve spent so much of my life within walls that’s it’s difficult to imagine anything beyond.”

He leaned on his elbows against the windowsill to stare out across the landscape. “That’s the beauty of life: it can be entirely of your own making. You’ve already taken control of it by rising above your health to find passion and purpose. I truly believe you can accomplish anything you desire.”

I allowed myself to imagine: to be free, to be healthy, to fully experience all I’d been missing…I allowed this part of me that had been dormant for far too long to grow until it filled my entire being, no longer restrained by my fears that such a future was impossible.

“I want to experience all life has to offer, and if I ever return home, I want to work in the apothecary.” I bit my lip. “Is that truly a calling fit for a—” But almost as soon as my familiar doubts arrived, I disregarded them. “I shall be the firstroyalRoyal Herbalist.”

Quinn grinned. “You certainly will.”

I peered into his sweet, handsome face, marveling at the confidence and tenderness that filled his gaze as he looked at me, which only reminded me of the other future I was fighting for: one with dear Quinn an intricate part of it.

Despite his shadowy vision, he seemed to sense my unspoken desires, and though he sighed, I could see the yearning in his own expression. “You still want a future with me.”

I nodded. “I’ve been giving it a lot of thought like you requested. My wishes haven’t changed.”

He said nothing, silence which ended the argument before it could even begin. And though I ached to pursue the subject further, I knew it wouldn’t help my cause to push him. I bit my lip to suppress my frustrated sigh and turned back to the window, where I extended my hand out, marveling at the way the sunshine lit up and warmed my skin. But I wanted more than just a taste of this feeling.

“I know the tower’s magic is fading and that soon we’ll be allowed to leave,” I said. “The tower’s dwindling reserves will likely leave us little choice. But I’ve spent far too much of my life having it dictated by others to be forced out. I want to make the choice.”

Yet though my wish was sincere, it wasn’t strong enough to completely eclipse the fears that served as the bars around my thoughts.

Quinn grew pensive. “If wecanget out, perhaps you can begin by only exploring the area around it for now rather leaving completely. Knowing you can return to the tower after the excursion might give you the bravery you need to take the first step.”

I gratefully seized the suggestion, yet the problem remained: we still didn’t knowhowto leave. Quinn had been faithfully searching for a way, only for the sole one he’d found to seal itself before we could use it. I bit my lip. “How will we get out?”

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