I pulled a bobby pin from my hair and looked around. I didn’t see anyone, and hadn’t so far this morning, so I set about breaking in. After a few unsuccessful twists in the lock, I felt something give, and I turned the knob.
Pushing the door open slowly, I peeked in, half expecting to find the royal bathroom or something. When nobody screamed at me to go away, I pushed the door open wider and stepped inside. Unlike the other rooms, this one was completely dark.
Feeling along the wall, I finally found the light switch and flicked it on. The room reminded me of a large storeroom. It had no windows, and the walls were dark brown. With a bare lightbulb in the ceiling, it held none of the grandeur of the rest of the house, and it had no furniture.
But it was filled to the brim with paintings. Not hanging on the wall. Just stacked and piled around in every available space. At first I assumed they must be leftovers from the King and Queen room, but from what I could see, none of them were portraits.
I picked up the one nearest to me, and it was a lovely picture of a newborn baby wrapped in a blue blanket. I set it aside and picked up another, which appeared to be Elora, looking much younger and even more beautiful, dressed in a gorgeous white gown. Despite the beauty of the picture, her eyes looked sad and remorseful.
Holding the picture at arm’s length so I could get a better look at it, I realized something. It had the same brushstrokes, the same technique as the painting of the baby. I picked up another picture to compare, and it was the same too.
These were all painted by the same artist.
I thought back to the drawing room and the painting I had seen Elora working on. Something with dark smoke and chandeliers. I couldn’t be certain, but I would guess these were hers.
I sifted through a few more of the paintings, growing even more bewildered, and then I saw one that stopped my heart cold. When I picked it up, I wasn’t surprised to see my hands were shaking.
It showed me, looking about the same as I did now, except dressed nicer. I wore a beautiful flowing white gown, but there was a tear in the side of the dress, revealing a thin line of red blood. My hair had been pulled back, but it was starting to come loose, wild strands falling free.
In the painting, I lay on my belly on a marble balcony. The floor around me was covered in pieces of glass that shimmered like diamonds, but I didn’t seem to notice. My outstretched hand extended past the balcony, reaching into a dark oblivion.
But my face was what struck me the most. I looked absolutely horrified.
Once I got past that, I realized something even more disturbing. This picture looked exactly like me. And I’d only been here for a day. There was no way Elora could’ve painted something this detailed within twenty-four hours of meeting me.
But how could she paint me with such accuracy if we’d never met?
“I should’ve known you’d be snooping,” Finn said from behind me, startling me so much I dropped the painting.
“I—I got lost. ” I turned to look at him standing in the door way.
“In a locked room?” He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.
“No, I—” I started to formulate some kind of lame excuse, but decided against it. I picked up the picture, the one of me reaching for nothing, and held it up for him to see. “What’s this?”
“It appears to be a painting, and if you hadn’t gathered from the locked door, it’s also none of your business. ” It came as a relief that Finn didn’t sound very upset. At least not as upset as Elora would be if she found out I was in here, I’m sure.
“This is me. ” I tapped the picture.
“Maybe. ” He shrugged, as if he wasn’t convinced.
“No, I wasn’t asking. This is me,” I insisted. “What am I doing?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” Finn sighed. “I didn’t paint it. ”
“Did Elora?” I asked, and when he didn’t say anything, I took that as my answer. “Why would she paint this? How did she paint this? We’d never met before yesterday. ”
“She gave birth to you. You’d met before,” Finn replied dryly.
“Yeah, when I was a baby. That doesn’t count. ” I raised the picture higher so he couldn’t help but look at it. “Why would she paint this? Or any of these?”
“In all your myriad questions about this room, did you ever stop to ask yourself why this room is locked?” Finn gave me a hard look. “That Elora might not want people looking at these?”
“Yeah, it did occur to me. ” I looked back down at the painting, ignoring him. “But this is me. I have a right to know. ”
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“That’s not how it works. You don’t have the right to know other people’s thoughts just because they include you,” he said. “Just the same as I don’t have the right to yours just because they’re about me. ”
“You presume that I think of you?” I fought the growing blush on my cheeks and shook my head, trying to get back to the point. “Just tell me what’s going on. And don’t just tell me to wait for Elora to tell me, because that’s not good enough. Not after seeing this. ”
I put the painting down and returned my gaze to Finn.
“Fine. But get out of there before Elora finds you. ” He moved back from the doorway, making room for me to step out.
I had to climb over all the paintings I had disturbed, but he didn’t tell me to put them back in order, which was good because I didn’t think I could. The room had no organization, and all the paintings were placed haphazardly.
Once I made my escape, Finn shut the door, making certain it was locked properly.
“So?” I asked, looking at him expectantly. He had his back to me, testing the door again to be sure it wouldn’t budge.
“So, that’s Elora’s private room. ” He turned to look at me and pointed at the door. “Do not go in there. Do not touch her private things. ”
“I don’t know what’s so bad about them. Why does she paint them if she’s gonna hide them away?”
He started walking down the hall, so I went after him. “She paints them because she has to. ”
“What do you mean?” I crinkled my brow. “Like an artist’s urge takes hold of her?” I thought about it more, and it made even less sense. “Elora doesn’t seem like an artist type. ”
“She’s not, really. ” Finn sighed. “She has precognition. ”
“What? Like she can see the future?” I asked dubiously.
“Kind of. ” He wagged his head, like that wasn’t quite right. “She can’t see it. She can only paint it. ”
“Wait. ” I stopped short, and he walked a few more steps before stopping to look back at me. “You’re telling me all those paintings were of the future?”
Finn nodded. “At the time they were painted, yes. Some of them are old, and they’ve already happened. ”
“But that means the picture of me, that’s in the future!” I pointed back at the room. “What does that mean? What am I doing?”
“I don’t know. ” He shrugged, as if he hadn’t thought of it. “Elora doesn’t know. ”
“How can she not know? That makes no sense—she painted it. ”
“Yes, and all she knows is what she paints,” Finn explained slowly. “She doesn’t see anything. She picks up the brush, and it just . . . comes out. Or at least that’s my understanding of the process. ”
“But why would she just randomly paint me looking so scared?”
“It’s just how it is,” he said, a note of sadness in his voice. Breathing deeply, he started walking away again. “And that’s why the room is locked. ”
“What do you mean?” I chased after him.
“People want to know more about what she’s painted, but she doesn’t have the answers,” Finn said. “Or they want her to paint a particular spot in the future, and she can’t. She has no control over what she sees. ”
“What’s the point of it, then?” I asked. I quickened my
pace to keep up with him, staring at his profile while he continued to stare straight ahead.
“She thinks it’s a punishment. ”
“For what?”
“Everybody has something to be punished for. ” He shook his head vaguely.
“So . . . she has no idea what will happen to me? Or how to prevent it?”
“No. ”
“That’s horrible,” I said, more to myself than him. “That’s even worse than not knowing anything. ”
“Precisely. ” Finn looked at me and slowed down, then stopped completely.
“Will I be able to do that? Have precognitive painting?” I asked.
“Maybe, maybe not. ” His eyes searched mine, in that soft way they did sometimes, and if I hadn’t been worrying about my impending doom, I would’ve felt my stomach flutter.
“Do you know what my abilities will be?”
“No. Only time will tell for sure. ” He looked away, staring off at nothing. “Based on your parentage, they’ll be very strong. ”
“When will I know for sure?”
“Later. After your training starts, and maybe when you get a bit older. ” Finn smiled thinly at me. “You have much to look forward to. ”
“Like what?”
“Like everything. ” He smiled more genuinely, and turned to walk away again. “Come on. I want to show you something. ”
ELEVEN
secret garden
Finn led me through the house and down a hall I didn’t know existed. We went out the side door and stepped onto a narrow gravel trail lined with tall hedges. It curved around the house, leading us down the bluffs before it opened into a beautiful garden. The house and balcony hung over part of it, leaving half of it in shadows, but the rest was bathed in the warm bright glow of the sun.
Brick walls covered in thick flowered vines kept the garden blocked off from the rest of the world. Apple, pear, and plum trees blossomed all over the garden, making it more of an orchard than a garden. Flowers of pink and purple and blue sprang out in small beds, and mossy greens like creeping Charlie grew in patches along the ground.
It was on a hillside, so the whole thing tilted down. As we walked down the trail, I slipped a bit, and Finn took my hand to steady me. My skin flushed warmly, but the second I caught my balance, he let go of my hand. Still, I refused to let it dampen my mood.
“How is this possible?” I asked as butterflies and birds flitted about the trees. “None of these things are in season. They shouldn’t be flowering. ”
“They always flower, even in winter,” Finn said, as if that made more sense.
“How?” I repeated.
“Magic. ” He smiled and walked ahead.
I looked up at the house towering above us. From where I stood, I couldn’t see any of the windows. The garden had been built in the perfect spot so it wasn’t visible from the house, leaving it hidden among the trees. It was a secret garden.
Finn was ahead of me, and I hurried to catch up to him. The sound of the wind in the trees and the river flowing echoed through the bluffs, but over that I heard laughter. I walked around a hedge and saw a pond that inexplicably included a small waterfall.
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I found the source of the laughter on two curved stone benches poised around it.
Rhys lay on his back on one bench, laughing and looking up at the sky, and Finn stood next to him, admiring the sparkling pond. A girl looking a little bit older than me sat on the other bench, a Mountain Dew bottle in her hand. Her hair was shiny red, her eyes sparkled green, and she had a nervous smile. When she saw me, she stood up and paled a little.
“You got here just in time, Wendy. ” Rhys smirked, sitting up. “We were having a show. Rhiannon was just about to burp the alphabet!”
“Oh, my gosh, Rhys, I was not!” the girl protested, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “I just drank the Mountain Dew too fast and I said excuse me!” Rhys laughed again, and she looked apologetically at me. “I’m sorry. Rhys can be such an idiot sometimes. I wanted to make a better first impression than this. ”
“You’re doing okay so far. ” I wasn’t used to the idea of anybody trying to impress me . . . ever, and I couldn’t imagine that this girl would have to try too hard. She already had a certain likable quality to her.
“Anyway, Wendy, this is Rhiannon, the girl next door. ” Rhys gestured from one to the other of us. “Rhiannon, this is Wendy, future ruler of everything around you. ”
“Hi, nice to meet you. ” She set down her pop and came over to me so she could shake my hand. “I’ve heard so much about you. ”
“Oh, yeah? Like what?” I asked.
Rhiannon floundered helplessly for a minute, looking to Rhys for help, but he just laughed.
“It’s okay. I was just kidding,” I told her.
“Oh. Sorry. ” She flashed an embarrassed smile.
“Why don’t you come have a seat, Rhiannon, and relax for a bit?” Rhys patted the seat next to him, trying to ease her discomfort. She felt awkward because of me, and I still couldn’t wrap my head around the concept.
“Is this new?” Finn asked Rhys and pointed to the pond.
“Uh, yeah. ” Rhys nodded. “I think Elora had it put in while you were gone. She’s getting everything all fancied up, ’cause of everything that’s coming. ”
“Mmm,” Finn said noncommittally.
I went over to inspect the pond and waterfall myself. The waterfall should’ve drained the pond, since the pond had no other water flowing into it. I admired the way it sparkled brightly under the sun, and thought it shouldn’t even be possible. But then again, none of this should be possible.
Rhys continued to tease Rhiannon about everything, and she kept blushing and making apologies for him. Their relationship resembled a normal healthy sibling relationship, and I had to push the thought away before I had a chance to think of Matt.
I sat down on the bench across from them, and Finn took a seat next to me. Rhys tended to dominate the conversation, with Rhiannon interjecting when he said things that were categorically untrue or apologizing when she thought he was being rude. He never was, though. He was funny and lively and kept things from ever feeling awkward.
Occasionally Finn would look over at me and make quiet comments when Rhys and Rhiannon were otherwise engaged in some kind of debate. Every time he did, I felt his knee brush against mine.
At first I assumed it was a simple accident because of our close proximity, but he had actually tilted himself toward me, leaning in closer. It was a subtle move, one that Rhys and Rhiannon probably wouldn’t catch, but I definitely had.
“You are such a pest!” Rhiannon grumbled playfully after Rhys had flicked an unwanted flower at her. She twirled it in her hands, admiring the beauty of it. “You know you’re not even supposed to pick these flowers. Elora will kill you if she finds out. ”
“So what do you think?” Finn asked me, his voice low. I leaned toward him so I could hear him better, and his dark eyes met mine.
“It’s really lovely. ” I smiled, gesturing to the garden around us, but I couldn’t look away from him.
“I wanted to show you that it’s not all cold and intimidating,” Finn explained. “I wanted you to see something warm and beautiful. ” A small smile played on his lips. “Although, when you’re not around, it’s not quite as nice here. ”
“You think so?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound sexier somehow, but I completely failed. Finn smiled wider, and my heart nearly hammered out of my chest.
“Sorry for interrupting your playtime,” Elora spoke from behind us. Her voice wasn’t that loud, but somehow it seemed to echo through everything.
Rhys and Rhiannon immediately stopped their fighting, both of them sitting up rigidly and staring down at the pond. Finn moved away from me, at the same time turning around to face Elora, making it look like that had been his intention. The way sh
e looked at me made me feel guilty, even though I was pretty sure I hadn’t done anything wrong.
“You weren’t interrupting anything,” Finn assured her, but I sensed nervousness below his calm words. “Were you planning to join us?”
“No, that’ll be quite all right. ” Elora surveyed the garden with distaste. “I needed to speak with you. ”
“Would you like us to be excused?” Rhys offered, and Rhiannon promptly stood up.
“That won’t be necessary. ” Elora held up her hand, and Rhiannon blushed as she sat back down. “We will be having guests for dinner. ” Her eyes went back to Rhys and Rhiannon, and Rhiannon seemed to cower under Elora’s gaze. “I trust that you two will find a way to make yourselves useful. ”
“When they come over here, I’ll go over to Rhiannon’s,” Rhys suggested cheerily. Elora nodded at him, indicating that his response was sufficient.
“As for you, you will be joining us. ” Elora smiled at me, but couldn’t mask the unease behind it. “The guests are very good friends of our family, and I expect you to make a good impression on them. ” She gave Finn that intense look, staring at him so long I felt uncomfortable, and he nodded in understanding. “Finn will be in charge of preparing you for the dinner. ”
I nodded, figuring that I had better say something. “Okay. ”
“That is all. Carry on. ” Elora turned and walked away, her skirt flowing behind her, but nobody said anything until she was long gone.
Finn sighed, and Rhiannon practically shivered with relief. She was clearly even more terrified of the Queen than I was, and I wondered what Elora had done to make the girl so afraid. Only Rhys seemed to shake it off as soon as she had left.
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“I don’t know how you can stand that creepy mind-speak thing she does with you, Finn. ” Rhys shook his head. “I would freak out if she was in my head. ”
“Why? There’s nothing in your head for her to get into. ” Finn stood up, and Rhiannon giggled nervously.
“What did she say to you, anyway?” Rhys pressed, looking up at him.
Finn dusted off his pants, ridding them of dirt and leaves from the bench, but he didn’t respond.
“Finn? What’d she say?”
“It’s nothing to concern yourself with,” Finn admonished him quietly, then turned to me. “Are you ready?”
“For what?”
“We have a lot to go over. ” He glanced warily at the house, then back at me. “Come on. We better get started. ”
As we walked back to the house, I realized that whenever Elora left, I was able to breathe again. Whenever she was present, it was as if she took all the oxygen from the room. Breathing deeply, I ran my hand up and down my arm to stifle the chill that ran over me.
“Are you holding up all right?” Finn asked, noticing my unease.
“Yeah, I’m great. ” I tucked some of my curls behind my ears. “So . . . what’s going on with you and Elora?”
“What do you mean?” Finn looked at me from the corner of his eye.
“I don’t know. ” I shrugged, thinking of what Rhys had said after she’d left. “It just seems like she looks at you intently a lot, and like you understand exactly what she means. ” As soon as it came out of my mouth, it dawned on me. “That’s one of her abilities, isn’t it? Talking inside your head? Kind of like what I can do, but less manipulative. ’Cause she’s just telling you what to do. ”