Page 128 of The Robin on the Oak Throne

The tracker had been dropped right in front of the doorstep. Maybe the security hadn’t known about the tracker at all. Maybe the wards’ magic had disabled it when they’d taken the cauldron through the door, doing their work to prevent intruders.

Which meant the cauldron was on the other side of the door.

A part of her knew that she should stop here. She had no clue what was beyond this door. And yet, the door called to her.

It didn’t speak exactly, but there was something beyondit that lured her forward. Not like a spell, more like a magic she should recognize. Something that knew her, and wanted her to come. And she, too, wanted to answer that call.

Magic this strong should make her wary. Somehow, it did not.

She needed to tell Graves, but when she looked down at the phone in her hand, it was dead. She cursed and stepped a few feet away. Nothing. It was as if being near the door had shut off the technology. And she didn’t have the time to wait.

She grasped the doorknob, knowing the warding wouldn’t keep her out. She absorbed the magic around it, the scent of pine and lemon filling her nostrils. Then she turned it and pushed forward into the unknown.

The door swung open to a large antechamber. The floor was blanketed with moss and clover. The empty desk was made of oak. Hardwood doors led off to either side. The energy was still there, ever-present, like the beat of her heart, but she saw no answers in this lobby.

“Welcome,” a voice said.

The woman before her was young. Perhaps younger than Kierse, only a teenager, with tight dark curls, light brown skin, and round glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She sported a set of dark-green robes not unlike what the Druids wore, though hers were embellished with a tree on the left breast.

Her brows were knitted together. “Are you all right?” Her eyes widened as they narrowed in on Kierse’s arm. “You’re bleeding!”

“Oh,” Kierse said, glancing down at the wound. She’d forgotten about that. She’d been so high on adrenaline thatshe’d shut off the pain in her arm. Now that she was looking at it, it did look extreme.

The woman hurried forward, taking Kierse’s arm in her small hand. “This looks bad.” She glanced up. “Is someone after you?”

Kierse hesitated before answering, “Yes.”

“Come on. Come this way.” The girl gestured for her to walk toward the far wall. “I am so sorry about whatever has been happening to you. I’ll get you all cleaned up. You don’t have to be afraid.”

Kierse shook her head. “Wait…what?”

“I’m Maya, by the way. I know it’s tough out there. The world hasn’t been kind since the war.” Maya glanced at the door again with a worried expression. “You’re not the first person who has crossed our door and needed help.”

“Where exactly am I?”

“A place that will help,” Maya said. “Why don’t we get you a bandage and a snack? You’ll feel a little better with some food in you.”

Kierse’s stomach grumbled at that word. Oh, yeah, she’d been too hyped to eat before the mission and now it was hours later and she’d once again had nothing but half a glass of champagne. Shewashungry.

But nervousness was beginning to curl in her stomach about wherever she had ended up. This was where the tracker had led her. The cauldron was gone, but she had a feeling that she had just inadvertently stepped into headquarters. And Maya had no idea. Maybe she could get some information out of her even if she couldn’t get the cauldron itself. Stealth was, after all, her favorite pastime.

“A snack would be nice,” Kierse admitted.

“What should I call you?”

Kierse knew she couldn’t give them her real name, and she doubted Wren was on the table, either. She needed something else.

She swallowed and said, “Shannon.” Her heart lurched at the sound of her mother’s name on her tongue.

Maya smiled. “This way, Shannon.”

Kierse hesitated for a second, looking back at the magic door. She didn’t know if this was the right move and she had no one to ask. She was on her own, making her own decisions. She didn’t need Graves’s advice, but damn, she would have liked it right then.

She wouldn’t get another opportunity like this. And if it gave them information on the cauldron or the Curator, it’d be worth it.

“Okay,” she said, following Maya through one of the doors of the antechamber.

The back room was innocuous enough. Just a long beige hallway with connecting doors. None of the greenery from the lobby covered the floor. This felt more like an office building. A little less mystique. A little more practicality.

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