Squeezing her hand tightly, the large teardrop-shaped moonstone cut into her palm as she threw open the door that would take her into the circular room that still haunted her. Taking a deep breath, she forced her legs to move.
The small table she’d seen when she was twelve was no longer there, replaced by crates housing several of the props needed for the nightly shows. Light bounced off the surface of an opened box, revealing Isaac’s throwing knives. Each one was sharpened to a dangerous point.
In the middle of the small room was a large, dark stain. Killian’s and the old Ringmaster’s blood had long ago soaked into the wooden floor, to remain there always as a reminder of the past—one he refused to get rid of or cover.
Lace had questioned him about why he refused to replace the old, worn, and blood-soaked flooring, but he never gave a good answer. Soon, she realized it was the one thing Killian had to remember how much of a monster his brother truly was. No matter how much he craved the bond between him and Caspian, it was not to be. That connection was severed, and there was no going back.
“Killian?” Lace called out, her voice cracking. She tiptoed further into the room. Once she spotted him sitting on the floor behind a crate next to the stain, she stopped. His head hung while his fingers trailed, studying the pattern their blood had made. When she came closer, she laid a hand on his shoulder. Caught off guard, he jumped slightly. His eyes lifted to meet hers.
“Lace,” he said, allowing her to help him to his feet. “What’s wrong?”
Opening her fist, she let the amulet dangle in the air between them. Killian’s eyes widened, and Lace thought she heard his airway constrict.
It was a beautiful gem, and Lace had been transfixed by its haunting allure the instant it was placed into her hand by a shopkeeper in Salek. It had taken more time than she cared to admit to hunt him down through the whispers of secrets and riddles of others. They still didn’t know if the necklace they sought would lead them anywhere. They had run out of options. After all of the dead end clues, they were finally at a true impasse.
At first, the shopkeeper had been hesitant to hand the gem over, but after some magical persuasion, he gave it up. Lace hadn’t been thrilled at the aspect of Killian using the chaos to control another, although she let it go knowing how important this was.
The man made it a point to explain that it would help them find what they were after, though Lace and Killian hadn’t told him what they sought. They were afraid someone else might claim the silver card holding the other half of the chaos if anyone knew of their search for it. It had made their journey difficult.
He had been nervous their whole meeting, making Lace and Killian vow to keep the exchange quiet, and they had. It wasn’t the first time they made a silent exchange with someone who wanted their meeting to remain a secret. For the last two months, they had explored each and every clue they came across, searching for the silver card. Just as Future predicted, however, none of them led anywhere. All of their clues were dead ends, but they weren’t willing to give up. Not when they knew Caspian was out there looking for the card too.
The large opalescent, pearly-blue moonstone sat innocently in its intricate silver housing, swirling around on its thin sterling chain. Where once the gem had lain peaceful and serene, now it glowed like a beacon calling for every beast within Elkiate. Its light was so bright it blinded Lace briefly, and she looked away.
“It’s time.” She closed her fingers around the gem, keeping the light concealed within her palm.
Killian nodded once. “Let’s go get the others.”
The moon before them was full and hung low in the sky. It shone with a deep intensity, guiding their way. Its mystic glow danced between the empty spaces within the towering trees, creating apparitions of creatures that twirled in the low brush, relishing in the moon’s gift of light. Nearly bare branches reached down toward them. Though they were losing their leaves to the fall season, they still swayed softly in the wind alongside their lunar friends.
Lace traced her finger along the rough bark as they made their way closer to the cliffs they searched for. Elkiate’s woods, this time of year, was quiet. Most animals already had holed themselves away in preparation for winter. Though, where they were headed, not even a cricket could be heard. No known animals, and certainly no humans, dared attempt a trek into the heart of the wilderness that was Windwere Forest.
The locals were terrified of the woods, and there were rumors of those who had disappeared from the very trees Lace, Victoria, Killian, and Lucille now hiked through. Looking around, she found it hard to believe the folklore of the Elkiate elders. The beauty and tranquility of the area enraptured her. She couldn’t imagine that monsters so unimaginably grotesque could be hiding within, causing so much panic.
Her mind wandered back to her own lands in Falhaven and the Nethern Forest that ran alongside the Shadowyn Cathedral. There were stories that had been passed down from generation to generation about those trees as well. She had believed them growing up. Even still, a shiver ran the length of her at the thought of entering them.
Maybe there was something to the legends. Maybe all the forests were linked, ancient lands connected by strange magic, long-lost creatures, and the extinct gods. It was conceivable. She’d seen too much to deny any possibility of the alternative.
“How much further?” Victoria asked. Her delicate skirts were torn from the thorns that pulled at them and her pale face was flush from the exertion of the hike. Her long blonde hair had been hastily pulled back before leaving, but several curls had escaped their hold from the bun. She panted softly as Lucille helped her over a fallen log.
“Not much.” Killian glanced up at the moon. “We’re almost there.”
“Good,” Victoria grumbled. “Instead of holing up with the performers, winding down from the night, we’re out here getting stabbed by tree branches.”
Lace stifled a giggle as she took in her flustered sister. Victoria had surprised her by blending into the life of Pandemonium so seamlessly. It was no secret both sisters wanted away from their lives as princesses of Falhaven. She’d expected there to be a decompression period, but there hadn’t been one. Her younger sister tasted freedom and immediately let it envelop her. Lace couldn’t blame her for relishing in the sensation. She had too.
They hadn’t been back to Falhaven since leaving months ago, but they still wrote to Robert several times a week. Their relationship was in the beginning stages of the healing process, and the hard feelings were dissipating. Ever since the crown touched his head a few weeks prior, he’d proved to them both that his promise was true. He no longer sought control over their people, including his sisters. He was proving to be a great sovereign.
Lace asked how Dryston was fairing with their recent tragedy, but Robert simply said he didn’t know. No one had heard from Princess Kristine since her mother and brother had taken their last breaths. He promised to extend an olive branch soon. Hopefully, with her reign, peace would blossom between their countries.
The trees began to thin, and Lace could just make out a clear view through the gaps. A small clearing appeared before them as they broke through the tree line and stopped just short of a massive drop off. Lace took a chance and looked down. Sharp rocks jutted out from the cliff they stood on, but even with the moon granting them light, it was hard to see the bottom.