Page 86 of Lightlark
But this one didn’t budge.
Isla studied the wall and spotted a gap. A place for a key. No ... it was too long for a key to fit. Unless it was massive.
She looked around for something that matched its intricate design, a strange pattern like a miniature mountain range. A short candlestick holder seemed close to the right size. She tried to shove it into the hole, but it didn’t fit. Not even close. She tried getting some vines and fashioning something similar. But when she turned it like she would a key, the vines snapped.
Her back teeth slammed together. If there was a way to open the door, it had to be inside somewhere.
Isla walked up a winding staircase, covered in dead leaves that were a symphony of crunches beneath her feet. She roamed through hall after hall, into room after room, shards of moonlight her only guide. Minutes later, she had an armful of objects that might fit into the hole. An old, abandoned comb. A thin champagne flute. A vase just big enough to hold a single flower. A miniature harp.
She shoved object after object inside, trying them like keys, until dawn peeked through the palace, bathing the glass entrance in violet. But none of them worked.
The door remained closed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
THE ABBEY
Isla was more convinced than ever that the Wildling vault held something she could use to find the bondbreaker. Or help her in some other critical way.
And if anyone on the island would know the secret to opening it, it was Juniper.
She walked into his bar the very next day. It was empty, save for a man sitting at the back corner, hat over his face, as if he was napping in the pub, waiting for the livelier evening crowd.
“My favorite Wildling,” Juniper said from behind the bar. He wrung his hands together. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Isla needed to make this quick. Hopefully no one had spotted her entering the pub, and she wanted to keep it that way. “Moonling nobles attempted to assassinate me.” There. That was her secret.
Juniper’s head reared back, as if this news surprised even him. “What information do you seek?”
She leaned in closer. “The ancient Wildling palace on Wild Isle. What do you know about it?”
He pursed his lips. “Admittedly, not much. Is there something specific you’re wondering about?”
“Is there something hidden inside? If so, would you know how to find it?”
Juniper frowned. His brow creased. It seemed he wasn’t used to not knowing about a subject. Isla had to admit it was a long shot.Wildlings hadn’t lived on Lightlark for hundreds of years. She doubted most islanders knew the palace even still stood, if its abandoned state was any indication. “I apologize, Ruler. I have never heard of something hidden inside the Wildling palace. From my understanding, anything of value was looted long ago.”
Isla nodded sharply. She had known the chances were low that anyone knew about the vault. Her secret would have to be used another time, for another sort of information. She made to leave, but Juniper spoke once more.
“I do knowsomethingabout the Place of Mirrors, however.”
She sat down again. Juniper had used the castle’s name, the same one Grim had told her. “What is it?”
“The Place of Mirrors is the only place on the island where all powers other than Wildling’s are repressed. Only Wildling ability works inside.”
What?
Only powerful enchantment could do such a thing. She didn’t even know ability like that existed. Something in the vault must be responsible.
It wasn’t the information she was looking for, but it was enough to make Isla desperate to know what was behind the door.
And more positive that whatever it was could help her now.
Isla walked back out into the agora with more questions than answers. A storm was on the horizon. The sky above was filled with dark clouds like a pack of wolves circling, gray fur and all. They seemed to mimic her troubled mind.
“How do you think that dress would fare in the rain?”
Grim. He was leaning against the outside of the bar, waiting for her.
