“Can you describe the texture of the lines?” He looked at her, his focus absolute.
Becka shivered, although she wasn’t sure why. “They are black and slightly rounded upwards in the middle. Almost like scars?”
He jotted down some notes. “Does the color shift at all? Lighten? Or colors other than black?”
She nodded. “Where it’s raised the black is a little faded, but otherwise it’s the same color.”
“Is there any difference in intensity where the patterns overlap?”
“A little. It’s darker. Makes it harder to see which line came first or which set goes together.”
“That’s how it seems in your drawings. These are well done. Thank you, Becka.” He gave her an encouraging smile.
Becka smiled back, despite her confusion. “I still don’t understand your reaction. You say you can’t see it, but you don’t think I’m imagining them?”
He held up the notebook opened to a page covered in her drawings. “This is overly specific to be just your imagination.”
“But...why do you believe me at all? My aunt and younger brother have both accused me of conspiring to ruin my twin’s funeral. They’re guilded and respectable within the fae culture. I’m not.”
“Which is precisely why I trust you. You do not have anything to gain. Also, when you speak I do not hear any falsehoods.”
“What about when Astrid and Calder spoke?”
He shrugged. “I did not hear any lies on them, but they were energetically guarded, which casts suspicion on their statements. I could not pinpoint anything, but it’s possible they lied through omission.”
“Couldn’t this just be the next step in my nefarious plan?”
Quinn stowed the notebook away in his jacket. “I do not know why you keep expecting me to doubt you, Becka.”
Indeed, why was she asking the man, who she wasn’t sure whether to fear, if he trusted her or not? “Weird things keep happening around me, why wouldn’t you suspect me? You’ve even admitted to including me in the investigation.”
Quinn shook his head, his confidence an absolute. “Yes, weird things are happening, and yes, you are at the center. That doesn’t mean you caused them. At least not on purpose. However, your situation is a mystery I intend to solve.”
Becka’s breath hitched in her throat, her gaze catching on his lips. She cleared her throat. “So, what do you think the marks signify?”
“They could mean nothing, but since they are hidden from practically everyone, I have to assume they are important. Do you mind if we retire to your room for a bit?”
“Sure, why?”
“I need to call Chief Elowen, she’s my superior, and send in these images for the team to review.”
Team? But of course, there’s a team. “Alright.”
“I am also going to need you to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the case.”
Becka barked out a laugh, only to realize a moment later from his stern expression that he wasn’t joking. “Wait, what?”
“You have learned details about the investigation that need to be kept secret from others in the family and the press, should you ever be questioned. It is standard procedure and protects the investigation in progress.”
She frowned. They could legally compel her to keep her mouth shut? Surely not.
“This doesn’t change my plans, Quinn. I’ve decided to return home to the city, with or without your escort.”
His eyes did that little squint frown as the rest of his face remained neutral. “Let’s discuss this in more detail back at your room.”
They walked out of the chamber and took the path back to the manor house.
Quinn had sounded like a firm no on his end of the conversation. Becka’s ire rose. “I’m tired of fae telling me how to live,” she muttered, “even you. I am going home, with or without your help.”
Quinn stopped abruptly and turned to face her. “Do you remember what just happened back in there?”
“Yeah, I saw Tesse and drew the symbols in your notebook. And there was that weird flower petal dusting. I was there,” she replied, holding up a finger still black from the ash.
He stepped into her space, his voice dropping to low tones. “You are not understanding me. Back in there you saw something no one else has seen, and plenty of other eyes have had the opportunity.”
Becka’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you think it means?”
“I think Astrid and Calder are right. You are the trigger for these events. The shroud breaking. The fault in Astrid’s homage. And now Tessa’s marks.”
“How can you even think I’d do those things!” Becka pulled away but he snagged her arm and kept her close.
“Becka, I’ve become confident there is something going on with you,” he replied. “But I suspect it is something you are completely unaware of.”
Becka shook off his grip, but didn’t move away. “Wait, what are you saying?”
“Think about it, Becka. There are markings upon your sister. Only you can see them, so they must be enchanted or hidden in some way so that even recording devices cannot detect them. How do you suppose you, and only you, can see those designs?”
Becka’s mouth hung open. She had no answer. Magic had never worked for her, but now everything was going sideways. She felt like she’d boarded a runaway train, lost in a foreign landscape with a target on her back.
Becka dug her metaphorical heels in, despite her desire to turn and run all of the way home by herself. “Even more reason for me to go home! Then I won’t be some pawn in someone else’s game.”
Compassion filled his eyes. “If you are a pawn, then you need to know who’s directing your movement. Perhaps you are cursed? But if so you need to know, not just what’s been done, but why.”
“You think someone...hexed me so I could see those marks?” she asked.
“I don’t have another likely answer, but
