Page 107 of The Court of Secrets
Mai glanced at me. “I’m not going. I believe Her Majesty.”
Penelope looked as if she was trapped in a mental tug-of-war, her gaze flitting between mine and Nissa’s. “You can go, Penelope,” I said. She was the type of girl who wanted to do everything by her queen, but she held the same uncertainty Nissa did, and I needed it quenched.
“Thank you, Majesty. It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just—”
“It’s perfectly fine. I’d rather you have absolution.” I turned to face Nissa, my gaze fierce. “While you are there, take Adius with you… and Lord Abor.”
Her eyebrows pinched together, her forehead wrinkling. “Are you certain you want Lord Abor to know this?”
I nodded. “He needs to hear the truth. I will need him on my side when I tell the people and the council the truth. He will suffer the same as anyone else once he dies. He’s not a high priest or a king or queen. With Adius, I want him to get the confirmation he needs.” I paused. “Nissa, I am trusting you. If you blow this up, you can easily tear the kingdom apart, and I know you’re better than that. Go find out the truth, then keep it to yourself until I return.”
“What will you do?” Her eye twitched.
“There has to be a tether to our world. There is with anything, and I will find it and destroy it.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Morgana sat across from me, cards laid out between us. “You wouldn’t have told them if your intuition didn’t say you couldn’t trust them. You don’t need the cards to confirm it.”
I gave her a look. “I don’t trust my intuition.”
She didn’t look up from her cards. “You should, especially with this. Your gift is coming in.”
“Barely.”
“You’re suppressing it still.”
“Is Blaise safe?” I asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. The cards glistened gold from their backs, a pattern knotted with suns and moons.
“What question do you want to know? If Blaise is okay or if you can trust your ladies with your secret?”
I shrugged. “Both?”
She half-smiled, rolling her eyes. “Winter. Winter.”
“Do the reading,” I pleaded, biting my bottom lip. “I need to know.”
She shuffled them again and laid one out. Turning it around, she smiled. “The knight. Blaise is safe. He will fight but will be victorious.”
I breathed relief.
She gave me a cautious look. “You know the cards can change at any moment. Don’t rely on them all the time.”
“I know, I know.” I waved my hand dismissively. “They can only predict current timelines,” I recited. “Now tell me if I can trust my ladies.”
She turned three cards. The rat. The boat. The tower. “It’s undecided. The rat shows a willingness to betray if necessary, to abandon ship, and the boat can be smooth sailing or sinking, depending on the next card.”
“The tower?” I arched my brow.
“It means destruction.”
A lump formed in my throat. “I thought I could trust my intuition?” Panic seized me.
Morgana leaned forward, placing her hand on mine. “It can mean destruction of something else, not the trust. This can mean a thousand things, and timelines change too. I told you doing the cards was a bad idea.”
“You usually do a reading before important events,” I said. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“I look for guidance and don’t put all my faith in them. I fear you will rely too heavily on them.”
