I straightened, clenching my teeth and held my fists at my sides. “You don’t understand. It had to be done. My part, anyway.”
“And don’t get mad at her for us,” Zyacus barked. “I’m a big boy, the decision is my own.”
“She didn’t even want us to go,” Taz added.
Aric’s mouth twisted into a frown. “When we met with the Hazelvales it was to get answers; we didn’t expect what became of that meeting.”
Tears fell down her cheeks. “All of you knew about this except for me!”
And there it was, the real reason for her hurt. I hadn’t told her or Lora about this choice I had to make. “I didn’t want you to feel forced into going. I knew if I told you before you’d feel obligated to go. I want you to stay. I want you to be safe,” I said softly. “The fewer people that knew the better.”
“I hate all of you!” Legacy bellowed and took off running.
I took a step to chase after her but Lora’s small hand stopped me. “Don’t. She’ll get it. I understand why you made the deal. You’re the royals, sacrifice for your people is in your blood.” A small smile formed on her face. “And Taz is just a really loyal friend.”
Taz grinned. “I am. And why didn’t you volunteer?”
Lora laughed. “Not that I’m unloyal, but my parents would die if I left to an unknown foreign land without their permission.”
“We understand, Lora.” I knew the feeling. My parents would tear apart the realms to find me. I’d leave them an explanation and hoped they accepted my choice. Both of them would have made the same decision as me. But dragon’s breath, King Enden will be raging at me for taking away his eldest son and heir. And Aric’s mother, Kyria, with her temper, could threaten a war.
Chapter 29
After spending all morning asking the cats if they’d seen Atticus, and none had, I ran to my room. I hadn’t seen Legacy since the night before when she ran away angry at all of us. I was going to ask her if she wanted to help look for our cat. He’d been missing too long for me to ignore.
Before classes started, I sat on the floor with a map of the entire continent spread out. I found a piece of his hair and set it on top of the map. I chanted the location spell and waited for the hair to move. It lifted into the air, hovering above the map and stayed there. What does that mean? I’d never had that happen before. Is he not on this continent? If he were dead I don’t think it would have moved at all.
I didn’t know what else to do so I dashed out onto the sparring grounds to find my grandmother, Madison. Standing with her arms folded she watched two girls slam swords over and over. She turned to me, putting a hand on her hip. “What are you doing here? You should be in your first class.”
“Atticus is gone. I asked him to find out about that stupid Fae prince and it’s been over a week. I just did a location spell over the entire continent and didn’t find him.”
“It didn’t move?”
“It floated above where I’d set it down at the edge of the map.”
Madison turned her gaze back toward the fighting girls. “Cats can hide themselves from locator magic. It’s also possible someone could be hiding him. He could be around kirune which would interfere with the spell or—”
“He’s not dead is he?”
Looking at me with her rigid lavender gaze she said, “It’s a possibility. The hair lifting off the map could signify his spirit has risen. But I don’t know.”
No. “So there’s nothing I can do to find out for sure?” I asked.
“You could try a scrying spell. Have you done one before?”
“It was discussed the other day in class but we didn’t test the spell. I know I’ll need a bowl and water.”
“And something that belongs to Atticus.” Madison’s face softened. “Have there been any more incidents I need to know about?”
I shook my head hoping she didn’t hear the lie that was about to come out of my mouth. “Not since outside the academy.”
Madison whistled as the girls’ sparring match went beyond practice and blood trickled from noses and cuts. “Enough! Next up.”
The girls immediately separated and two others stepped into the sparring circle.
After a moment of silence passed between us, Madison pulled me a little further away from the students. “I had a dream.”
I swallowed hard. Madison’s prophetic dreams were never good.
She continued. “I saw you standing beside a cage of thorns with your crown inside.” She looked atop my head as if hoping to see it there. “When you took it from the cage, the vines melted and the Fae man you described appeared. He told you to put it on your head. Told you that with it would come great power. Power you can’t otherwise have.” Madison sighed. “I know that man is evil. I can feel it. Stay away from that crown, Visteal. Stay away from him.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice. I wanted to destroy it, not wear it. But worry haunted me. Even now I felt the pull from the crown in the orchards. I hadn’t sleepwalked again but I’d dreamed of it. “I won’t touch it.”
“Good.” Madison walked closer to the sparring match. “Now go to class.”
I hurried to herbology. Legacy wasn’t there. She was really angry enough with me not to show up to class apparently.
Nimblewatt lectured on plants we could eat outside of what we grow for food. Plants that hadn’t been affected by the blood moon. During the rest of my classes I had a difficult time focusing. My mind continually drifted to my crown, to the Fae Prick, to the bargain I made, to my now urgent need to find Atticus.
All the worry
