Somehow, she needed to stop it before it got to Whispering Pines. It might require the complete destruction of Glittering Birch. If that was the case, perhaps she needed to speak with Shireen, find common ground and a way forward that ensured both their Houses a place of prominence. While she still thought Whispering Pines was the best choice to rule the Greenweald going forward, she could tell in the short time she met her that Shireen would never agree to such a thing.
There were ways to work around it. Maybe not right away, but down the road….
Jocasta continued to think, her mind running in circles, as she marched through the trees that meant no more to her than any other object.
♦ ♦ ♦
She knew something was wrong as soon as she neared the Whispering Pines compound. There were no guards on lookout, nor at the entrance itself. Anyone could walk in from anywhere, with no challenge at all.
There were no servants, no gardeners, no one out walking the paths. As a matter of fact, the gardens were looking neglected, with weeds sprouting among the flowers.
It reminded her very much of Glittering Birch.
The door to the main tree was open, but no one went in or out. She climbed the steps, her hand going to one of her daggers. Inside, she could hear voices.
“Watched the two of you start out the door and then turn back. We were coming to help when you burned that thing. Guess we weren’t needed.”
She knew that voice.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think maybe you came just in time.”
The second voice sounded familiar, also. Not as much as the first one, which was… Darius.
Jocasta frowned, unsure why her former aide, and member of that secret House, was here. And who was he talking to?
She refused to stand like a beggar on the steps of her own House. Squaring her shoulders and pushing any lingering doubts to the back of her mind, she entered the tree.
Darius and Thaddeus sat with their backs against the wall of the entry hall, looking further into the tree.
“Well,” she said loudly. “Isn’t this cozy.”
The two men jerked their heads around and scrambled to their feet.
“Lady Jocasta,” Darius said. “You’re here!”
“I am. Why are you?”
“I came looking for you. Instead, I found Thaddeus here.”
“I see that.” She turned to the other man. “And you? Why are you here?”
Thaddeus had nowhere near the deferential nature toward her that Darius did.
“I came home. I needed help. For me and my… friend. You weren’t here, but we found help anyway. Or rather, it found us.”
She wasn’t getting any answers, and felt her temper beginning to rise.
“I’m going to ask one more time,” she growled. “And if I don’t get a straight answer…”
Her hand tightened around the hilt of one of her daggers.
“We need your help with Subtle Hemlock. My House,” Darius said.
“Help doing what?”
“Stopping them from destroying the Greenweald. And probably everything else.”
Jocasta laughed. “You expect me to believe that?”
Thaddeus shook his head and then sank back down against the wall.
“Take your time,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “Go look around. See what our House has become. If you want everything to be like this, do nothing. But when you’re ready to stop being such an arrogant ass, let us know.”
She glared at him, ready to pull a knife and put it into his eye. Instead, she calmed her breathing. Without even moving from the spot she could see what he was talking about.
The tree was strangely empty. No servants, no council members, no families, nothing. Just as outside. Dust lay on furniture and the floor. Cobwebs swayed in invisible breezes in corners.
She was wrong again. She couldn’t stop whatever was happening to Glittering Birch from coming here. Whatever it was, it was already present.
“What do we need to do?” she asked.
Chapter 68
“We need to get back to Subtle Hemlock,” Darius said. “I can bring you there, or Thaddeus and Melanie can, as soon as Willow is done with her.”
“There are others here with you?” Jocasta asked.
“Yes. Well, Melanie came with Thaddeus, but she’s hurt. Pretty badly, actually. So Willow— I’m sure you’ve heard of her— is working with her right now, and…”
Jocasta held up her hand to stop him.
Darius was babbling and he didn’t understand why. Jocasta had always unnerved him, even when he was sure she was completely unaware of who he was and what he was doing. Then, she knew. Just like that, she figured it out. Darius didn’t think he’d been careless, but maybe he had.
Maybe that was why Malachi had done to him what he had. Letting him know in an underhanded way that Darius had wasted all that time posing as a doorman in Whispering Pines, waiting for the right opportunity.
Or, more likely, Malachi was simply a sadistic bastard and enjoyed taking the opportunity to inflict pain.
The fact remained that Jocasta saw through his charade and was impervious to Darius getting into her mind. Even now, as she stared at him, he tried, just a little, to get a peek at her thoughts. It was useless. It was like his probe slid off a wall made of ice.
“Tell me what we need to do,” Jocasta said. “I don’t need a big song-and-dance or who’s-who.”
“Yes.” Darius took a deep breath. “Subtle Hemlock is ruled over by Malachi. He’s the strongest magic-user I’ve ever heard of. Maybe that’s ever been.”
Behind him, still sitting against the wall, Thaddeus snorted.
“He’s got his fingers in everything and spies in every House,” Darius continue, “with the exception of Towering Oaks. He’s terrified of Solomon.
