Page 87 of Xantera
When her footsteps recede down the hallway outside, I jolt into action, thumping the journal down onto the desk.
And turn to page sixty-eight.
As soon as I’m back in my room, I scramble to the bed and slide my hands under the mattress. My fingers find the warm gold chain, and I waste no time gliding it up my thigh.
Lucan! Are you there?
He told me he’s here for me, that he’s just on the other side of the Wall. And I believed him. Ibelievehim. So I wait for the spurt of electricity patiently, confident that he’ll sense me knocking on the door of our connection. Any second now…
The clock ticks.
And ticks.
And ticks.
I glance out the painted panes of my window, realizing how low the sun has dropped since I was outon the balcony. Any minute now, he should be morphing back into the Monster so that I can tell him what I learned.
But my pulse doesn’t skip. No dark, rich presence reaches out to latch onto my heartbeat.
Lucan,I whisper into the void.I have news. If you can sense me, come back.
Silence.
Nothing but a horrible, haunting silence.
The clock ticks some more, and soon I can’t stand the sound without doing something to fill the static void Lucan usually fills. I yank the necklace off just as quickly as I slid it on, stuff it back under the mattress, and begin to scour my bedroom with new eyes.
Fine, then. If Lucan doesn’t want to be here for me, I’ll have to do this without him.
But first, I need to form a plan before Eleni arrives to bring me my dinner.
By the time the servant door pops open and Eleni emerges from the dark corridor, I’m sitting on the edge of my bed with a placid expression. To anyone else, it probably looks like I’m drunk on vampire venom, but truthfully, that feeling of wanting to float away already dissolved hours ago. And I doubt anyone would notice that I ripped a tiny strip of fabric off the hem of my dress.
“Hello, Eleni,” I say pleasantly when she looks up. She doesn’t answer, of course, but I use the half-second it takes her to give me a quick bow to peer over her shoulder for a quick glimpse of what could lie beyond the paneled door. It looks dark and…
All too soon, Eleni lifts her head again and shuts the door with a swift kick of her foot.
Oh, well. I’ll get a better glimpse soon.
Shuffling over to me with my dinner, she places the tray in my outstretched hands and begins to unwrap the utensils from their napkins.
“Thank you.” I paste a smile onto my face. “It must be exhausting for you to climb all those stairs just to bring me a meal. I’d be happy to help you next time.”
Eleni glares at me and shakes her head, setting my fork and spoon down on the tray with distinct clinks. I wonder why they don’t give us anything sharper. It’s not like I’d be able to stab through the Third Guardian’s marble skin with a dainty little butter knife.
I could fantasize about that, of course, but now’s not the time to lose focus. This whole thing will be a lot easier if I can convince Eleni to just let me into the servant corridors.
Pretending to gaze absentmindedly toward my window, I take another stab.
“It really is such a bore here. Nothing to do. I’ve already explored the entire palace from top to bottom.”Literally.All those stairs have now joined the horrors in my nightmares. “I’d really be happy to help you out, Eleni. I miss working.”
It’s the truth, but whether she can pick out the vulnerability in my tone or not, my servant just clamps her lips together. Without looking up, she removes the silver cloche covering my plate to reveal a plate of roasted lamb, sizzling vegetables, and golden potatoes sprinkled with what looks like parsley.
My stomach clenches as my eyes stay glued to the silver cloche.
The glass cloche in the drawing room.
That’s where I’m going to go first. If I can’t find my mom, I’ll find the key, open the Wall, and let Lucan in. And when the Guardians are no longer breathing, I’ll be able to tear the palace apart to find her.
