Page 76 of The Silent Mountain
Flinn’s face lights up at my words, and he nods.
“So, unfortunately, I don’t have much time,” I say.
“Let’s jump to business,” he says. “The note that was sent to me already gave me some information,” he pauses. “The cult, huh?”
“Do you think it’s still active?”
“I don’t know, I just know that things are off in the human realm,” he says, a worried frown on his face. “There are weird movements there.”
“Creatures?” I ask, thinking of the mare.
“I am not sure,” he mutters. “But there are demons that seem to plot together in little groups. It’s said not to be unusual to spot them, but not in such large gatherings. Also, something else feels weird…”
“Like what?”
“The king,” he says. “He just feels off, and I mean more so than we know from Aza.” He shakes his head. “Something is not adding up, Alana. I am worried. I could swear I saw the eye again.”
At this, Stefan looks up as well. “The eye?” he asks, appalled. “Like the tattoo the cult members had?”
“Yes,” Flinn says. “The problem is, no one else saw it, and it was dark. It was during a small demon attack on our caravan. I can’t say for certain, and might have imagined it, so take it with a grain of salt.”
Flinn has sharp senses and an even sharper mind, so I doubt he just imagined things. Sure, it might have been the light or even the stress, but he wouldn’t mention it if it weren’t important. “It could be something else,” he adds.
“Even if… It’s still something we need to look into,” I say. “If the cult is still practicing, we need to know where.”
“And by whom?” Flinn adds. “It can’t be Penelope and her people, as most of them were killed, but maybe there is a second base somewhere.”
“Maybe she wasn’t even the real leader,” I mutter more to myself than to anyone else.
“What…” Stefan mutters.
“You can’t be serious,” Flinn adds.
I look at them, realizing I have been thinking aloud. “I mean, it’s a possibility, isn’t it? Penelope was incredibly strong and cunning, so much so that she was able to capture and manipulate deities like the harbinger and others. That’s a lot of power, even for a genius ancient witch.”
The silence that lingers around us is uncomfortable, to say the least. “Itisa lot of power,” Stefan says quietly.
“But did Penelope truly seem like someone who would be taking orders?” Flinn asks. “The dragons can answer this better than I can, but from Shayan’s explanation, it did look like she had a lot to say.”
“She also had a lot of money and was able to hide a huge castle behind a spell,” Stefan says. “If she didn’t take orders from someone, there is still the possibility she had help.”
“Or someone who fought for the same cause,” I add. “An ally.”
Again, it’s silent. “Fuck it,” Flinn curses all of a sudden. Stefan raises his eyebrows at his outburst, but Flinn wouldn’t be Flinn if he cared for anyone’s opinion. “The theory makes sense.”
“But for now, it’s just that,” Stefan argues. “A theory. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions and ignore other possibilities.”
“You are the advisor to the king. What’s your opinion? What’s your advice?” I prompt him.
“My advice is to research this theory,” Stefan says. “It sounds like a plausible option that we can’t ignore, especially with Prince Flinn claiming he has seen the eye again, and with the disturbances in the human realm and possibly in other realms, too.” He pauses. “I will need to tell King Favian.”
“Good luck with that,” I mutter. “I can back you up if you need support.”
Stefan sighs, sounding equal parts amused and resigned. “Thank you, my queen.”
twenty-four
It Lurks in the Dark
