Page 116
“Who knows,” Fern sighs. “Blossom was furious when she found out, but by then it was too late. None of us know what happened other than Camellia never came back.”
“Oh Stars,” I breathe.
“Since then, Father’s kept us locked up in our rooms all day and night and cancelled any more suitor visits. We only found out about your situation a few days ago when Father finally lifted some of these new rules and invited us to have breakfast together again. He said that you and Camellia had been kidnapped by Prince Castor and Lux. Poor Blossom threw a fit while the rest of us didn’t know what to say.”
My breath comes out all wrong. “You only found out about me a few days ago?”
Guilt tugs at her brow. “I’m so sorry, Eden. We were all so worried about Camellia that even when Father let us out for dance practice, we only spoke about her and what was going on with Father. I suppose we all just thought that you were so busy with Prince Lux that you wouldn’t want to be bothered by this, and that maybe you were writing to Dahlia instead, or… I don’t know. I’m so sorry—”
I cut her off with another hug. “You have nothing to apologise for, Fern. I would’ve been more worried about Camellia in your situation too.” It does sting to know that they weren’t thinking of me. But can I blame them? It’s not like I tried to write many letters either…
“Are you sure you don’t know anything about Camellia?” she says when I eventually release her. “Father is convinced that it was Prince Castor who took her. The last person the guards saw her with looked just like him.”
I gnaw my lower lip. He wouldn’t, would he? Then again, he practically forced himself on me before when his brother asked him to. If Lux told him to kidnap my sister, I know Castor would.
Fern looks like she wants to speak again when something bounces off the back of her. “Ow!” She grabs her head as a small rock clatters to the ground.
I whip around ready to yell at the guilty sister, only for the words to die in my mouth.
Surrounding Liliana are around ten pebbles from the garden, levitating.
Levitating!
“Sorry!” she squeaks at us. “I don’t have complete control over my gift yet.”
“You can make things float?” I choke.
“And move them!” A few of the rocks bounce around in the air, like they’re being pulled by invisible strings.
“It’s so wonderful,” Kalimeris giggles. “Make them explode again!”
“Put those rocks down right now, Liliana!” Amaryllis marches over to her before anyone can explode anything. “I told you not to practise that out here. The guards might see, and we don’t want anyone to know about our magic.”
“Sorry, Ami,” she murmurs. The pebbles clatter to the ground like giant raindrops. “I just wanted to show Kali and June again.”
“No more magic,” she grumbles before turning to address the circle. “That goes for all of you. Your gifts are for emergencies only.”
I roll my eyes, wondering when there would ever be an emergency requiring me to pick up a cloak off the floor to check how the wearer was last feeling. Maybe even a glimpse of a memory too if we’re lucky.
But then I pause, my heart pounding. “Did Camellia leave anything behind when she was taken?” I shout to the group.
Nine pairs of eyes stare blankly at me.
“A cloak, a hair ribbon? Anything!” I don’t actually know if my gift would work on a hair ribbon, but it’s worth a try.
Blossom gasps. “She left her cloak. Father said the guards found it in the gardens!”
That’ll do. “Someone needs to get me that cloak.”
43
LUX
“Iwill only ask you one more time, Prince Lux, where the fuck is my daughter?” Sol glares up at me, his face as red as a tomato. I can tell he’s trying to be intimidating, but every time his guard comes over to beat me, he cringes and I can’t help but laugh.
“Stop it,” he snarls when I laugh after another punch.
“There’s no point, Sol,” Castor sighs beside me. Like me, his wrists are tied above his head, hanging from a ceiling chain. It’s a flimsy set-up, and it wouldn’t be hard to escape, especially considering we’re not even in the dungeon. But I’m in no rush and it seems Castor knows this too.
