“I’ve never seen magic like this before,” I said. “It’s colorless, gray, but not like goblin magic… something else. Why can’t I tell the type?”
“Look harder.”
I cupped the box in my hands, trying to see past the facets and inside the box. When I did, I found several intricate spells blocking me from seeing inside.
“There are spells inside. They’re blocking me.”
“Can you see past them?”
“No.”
She held out her hand. “Give me the box.”
I did as she said.
She took the box from me and held it on her palm. “This is called a lotus cube. It contains a magic of sorts and was once used in training practitioners. But I will say no more, for its secrets are not ones I wish to divulge. They are for you to discover.”
The box disappeared in a cloud of black fog.
“Another time,” she said, then rose. “Come, I shall escort you around my palace.”
I stood but didn’t follow her out of the room. I still had a mission to accomplish—and following the witch around her castle wasn’t helping me achieve that goal.
“What if I refuse?” I asked.
“And do what? Try to escape?”
I hesitated. Would I try to escape without Kull? It wasn’t a question I wished to ponder. “I…” I couldn’t answer. Not yet.
“Come,” she said. “There is much I wish to show you.”
Her silver dress swished behind her as she walked toward the doors. I wore no chains, she’d placed me under no spells, yet still I felt compelled to follow. As long as she held Kull, she held me. Besides, wandering the castle may give me clues as to where she was keeping Kull. I would be sure to keep a watchful eye out for his prison.
I followed the witch out of the room and into the hallway. Two of the wraiths followed us out. Despite my thick petticoat, the air felt chilly, especially as we crossed through a hallway with no windows and little light.
“You are cold?” Silvestra asked.
“Yes.”
“We shall go to my garden. The sun will warm us there.”
I didn’t want to go to her garden. I didn’t want to go anywhere except wherever it was she was keeping Kull, and then I promptly wanted to leave. Flexing my fists, I felt my power recuperating from my last spell. If it came to it, I would fight her, although I knew what the outcome would be. Still, I could always try.
Crossing through a domed foyer, our footsteps echoed through the empty room. Small tiles of varying turquoise and purple hues made up the floor to form a seascape mosaic. The coils of a sea serpent dipped and rose through churning waves. The image was so detailed I felt as if the cold spray splashed my face, as if I could hear the shrill wail of the wind and feel the floor buckling beneath my feet. Magic flowed through the room, making me realize the sensations weren’t imagined, but enchanted.
After crossing through the foyer, we stopped at a door set under a deep alcove. The witch pushed the door open to reveal a garden.
As we entered the garden, the two wraiths stayed behind, watching us with their cold, detached gazes. I followed Silvestra through a labyrinth of waist-high rosebushes. The gravel path wound through the garden of fragrant red flowers, and then we entered a maze of tall hedges. Some of the paths didn’t seem to have any purpose and were arranged oddly, stopping abruptly and leading nowhere. Was there some meaning to their arrangement? Some of them were large circles connected to nothing. I got the feeling that if I were standing far above the ground, their patterns would make more sense.
We stopped at a pair of stone benches placed in the garden’s center. The air smelled of rain, and with the dark clouds looming in the distance, it seemed the storm wasn’t far away. Birdsong filled the air as I took a seat across from the witch.
Her strange, almost colorless eyes looked to the sky, reflecting the sunlight in a way that reminded me of Fan’twar.
The castle’s towers rose beyond the garden, an impressive, massive structure that seemed to stretch from one end of the horizon to the other. Most of the parapets were covered in moss, making them blend in with the surrounding countryside. Beyond the towers were the snow-capped peaks of the Dragon Spine mountain range.
Kull was in that castle somewhere. I would find him. No matter how long it took, I would find him.
“You said I’ll see Kull tonight,” I said. “Will he be hurt?”
“He is physically well.”
“Physically? You’ve hurt him in other ways?”
“You’ve nothing to fear yet. I have a bargain to propose.”
“What sort of bargain?”
“Tonight you will see. Tonight everything will be explained.”
I crossed my arms, wondering if she were only making up excuses for when I would see Kull again.
“How do you like my garden?” she asked.
I sighed. She was changing the subject again. This was getting annoying. Tired of playing her games, I stayed silent and didn’t answer.
“Everything has a purpose,” she said as she brushed her fingers over the petals of a rose. “You might see a mere flower, but I have found other uses for living plants. Magic has a way of working with nature.”
A snake appeared in the bushes. I drew back as it slithered from branch to branch, its black scales almost indistinguishable from the shadows. As it approached, the witch outstretched her hand, and the serpent slinked forward, its tongue flicking, and then wrapped around the witch’s wrist. It held perfectly still, as if waiting for her command.
I kept my distance. Whether here or on Earth, snakes gave me the creeps.
Shouting came from the castle doors, and we turned to see what the commotion was about.
