Page 45 of A Vow of Shadows
“He…died before they could discover the source of the markings.”
My stomach dropped. “Oh.” The single syllable was all I could muster as I pushed away from Evander. I’d been so sure this was it, the clue we needed to solve this puzzle.
Evander lifted his hand. I thought he might reach for me, and I couldn’t decide if I needed the comfort or the distance. In the end, it didn’t matter. His hand came to rest on the back of his neck, wringing the tension out like water from a used wash rag.
“We’ll keep looking,” he said earnestly. “If we found one mention, there could be more.”
I nodded but dropped my eyes. All the hope that had bolstered me was gone, leaving me a shell of a person. I was skin and bones, barely holding myself together as I rose to my feet. “I’m going to sleep now.”
A look of concern flashed across Evander’s face, quickly schooled into his usual stony expression. “Would you like me to accompany you to your room?”
“No, it’s fine.I’mfine.” I shook off my melancholy and flashed him one of my painted-on smiles, the kind that had satisfied my parents for years. He didn’t return the smile, but neither did he follow me. I reached the threshold and glanced over my shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow—later, I mean.”
“Sleep well, Katrin.”
I stumbled at the sound of my name from his lips. When I started walking again, I was smiling for real.
Chapter 31
The Ferrier
Istayed in the library all through the day, reading and researching until the text blurred. When Katrin woke, she joined me. And so, we continued combing through the massive library until the third night when a familiar, insistent tug altered our course. As I had the previous nights, I met Katrin in the library, this time handing her cloak over as soon as she entered.
She took one look at the cloak and another at my attire and lit up like the sun.
“We’re leaving?” she asked, rocking forward on her toes as she awaited my reply.
I nodded. Her resultant squeal of delight set the window panes rattling. She danced as she donned her cloak, jumping and twirling to a song I couldn’t hear.
“Are you always so excited to leave places?” I asked, chuckling. I didn’t always know what I would walk into while ferrying. I’d had more bad experiences than good. So much so that I’d come to dread leaving the peace ofTyr Anigh, but Katrin’s good mood was infectious.
“I wouldn’t know,” she said. “I so rarely get a chance to go anywhere even before coming here.”
“You should know, the times you’ve accompanied me have been among the more pleasant souls that I have ferried. They are not often like that.” Flashes of memories appeared inside my head, nights I wished forgotten and souls that continued to haunt me long after they’d crossed over.
Katrin sobered as she looked at me, her smile faltering at what she saw. “I have no expectations, Evander. The souls are not a reflection of you nor is my excitement reliant on their behavior. I wish only to experience what I may.”
Days had passed since Katrin had learned my name and yet, the effects of hearing it from her lips had not diminished with time. Each repetition tore at my inner walls, threatening to tear them down entirely. I’d rarely conceded to calling her by her forename, enjoying the fire that sparked in her eyes whenever I called her Miss Fil’Owen. Her aversion to her family name was still a mystery even as I learned more about the woman behind the moniker.
Said woman danced her way down the hall and out the front door where she abruptly stopped. A small noise of surprise escaped her, and I lunged from my position close behind her, placing my body between Katrin and whatever had alarmed her. Shadows rose up around us, a barricade, but also a way out, should we need it. Looking around, I could see only the horses and carriage, my scythe gleaming at the driver’s seat too far to be of use. Still, I did not let down my guard until her hand landed on my shoulder.
“I didn’t realize you’d fetched the carriage already,” she said, sweeping to my side.
Her hand did not immediately move from my shoulder, and the casual gesture pulled my focus more than it ought. Severalbreaths passed before I registered her comment. “I had the shadows ready the horses,” I replied.
Placing my hand at the small of her back, I guided her toward the coach and opened the door. Every place we connected tingled with tiny sparks of electricity, but Katrin’s gaze had fallen to the shadows drifting around us.
“Do they mind being ordered about?”
Her question caught me by surprise. My hands flinched away from her body, and I shoved them in my pockets. “I…” I was at a loss for words. Only since she’d come into my life had the shadows appeared anything more than extension of my power. I’d never considered their feelings because they’d hardly seemed alive, let alone sentient beings. I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“They talk to you. Don’t they?” She tilted her head at me from where she stood unmoving.
I blew out a breath and closed the coach door. “I’m not speaking through that tiny window the whole journey.” Helping her into the driver’s seat gave me another excuse to put my hands on her. The way my fingers sat perfectly in the dip of her waist had me biting my lip.
I watched as she settled herself onto the bench seat, fanning her skirts out before tucking them close. Her back was ramrod straight, her chin high as she turned and regarded me where I lingered on the step. For an instant, she was the picture of imperious grace, a dark queen staring down at me. Then her brows arched toward her hairline and her head jutted forward in an expression of impatience.
“Does the mighty Hand of Death require assistance?”