Valentine's Vow (Avenging Lords 3)

Mr Cassiel fell silent.

“Yes, yes, I will convey the message,” he eventually muttered. “Your mother passed suddenly. She cannot rest until she knows you have retrieved their belongings.”

The mist returned, a fog of confusion acting as a barrier to this otherworldly place. “I am walking but not moving.”

Mr Cassiel continued his mantra in low, hushed tones. “Even if you cannot look with your eyes, you can see with your mind. Ask a question, and the answer will appear to you.”

As if commanded by Mr Cassiel’s will, Ava silently asked to see her parents. The image became clearer though she had moved forward in time. “Yes, I see them now. I peek into the tent, and my father is kissing her, telling her it is his responsibility to protect his family. Feeling their love, I move away.”

“Do not go yet, look around the tent. What can you see? Precious stones? Papers?”

“Nothing. I move away and … wait. I see Mr Fairfax hiding behind the tent. He approaches me and asks if everything is all right.” Ava experienced a sudden rush of anxiety. Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might burst from her chest. “I am scared and so answer quickly before running into my parents’ tent.”

The images faded.

Everything went black.

“Your mother cannot rest,” Mr Cassiel repeated in whispered tones. “She wants to leave you her legacy, wants you to continue her work, but she has lost the one thing you need.”

The words meant nothing to Ava as she hovered in the darkness.

“You must find this thing that is lost,” Mr Cassiel persisted. “You must find it if you want to bring her peace.”

“I see nothing,” she said, peering into the blackness.

Mr Cassiel continued speaking in a calm voice, offering reassurance and counting in the methodical tone that seemed to wrap around her waist like a rope and pull her up from the dark depths. Upon the count of one she resurfaced, found herself back in the gloomy drawing room far away from the idyllic life she once knew.

The pain of grief filled her chest.

She wanted to go back to the scene with her parents, to keep the memory alive.

“Your mother seeks reassurance.” Mr Cassiel moved to stand before her. “She cannot rest until she k

nows you have taken possession of her personal effects.”

“I have,” Ava blurted before her rational mind protested. However, she could not speak with the same confidence about her father’s precious items.

Mr Cassiel crouched and placed his hands on her knees.

Panic surfaced.

“I will leave you for a short time,” the mystic said. His long fingers moved in massaging strokes. “While I am gone, think about what she needs to bring her peace. What is it you would need to continue her work in the Mines of Lavrion?”

Ava stared at the hands gripping her knees. Thoughts of Mr Fairfax filled her mind, ugly thoughts, terrifying thoughts.

A sudden coughing fit came upon her. Despite numerous attempts, she could not clear the irritation from her throat. Mr Cassiel moved to the side table. She heard the clink of crystal, the slosh of liquid.

He returned to her side and offered the tumbler. “Drink this. It will calm your nerves, soothe your throat so we may continue.”

A sudden bang from the room upstairs made her jump.

Mr Cassiel stared up at the ceiling. “Rest for a moment. I shall return shortly.”

Valentine thought he might go out of his mind if he sat in the dark a moment longer. The silence proved deafening. Every passing second felt like an hour. With this form of torture, a man might lose control of his mental faculties.

Ava was in the room beneath him.

Lord knows what mischief was afoot.