Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles 2)

“Olivia is here because she is my summer research assistant. Now I have a question for you.”

“Wait. That’s not a real answer. I already knew that.” I was every bit as stubborn as Marian was. My voice echoed across the chamber, and I noticed an intricate chandelier hanging from the high, vaulted ceiling. It was made of some kind of smooth, white polished horn, or was it bone? The ironwork held long tapered candles that lit the room with a delicate flickering light, illuminating some corners while leaving others dark and unexposed. In the shadows of the far corner, I noticed the spindles of a tall, ebony four-poster bed. I had seen a bed exactly like it somewhere before. Everything about today was one monster déjà vu, and it was driving me crazy.

Marian sat back in her chair, undeterred. “Ethan, how did you find this place?”

What could I say with Liv standing next to me? I thought I heard Lena, sensed her? But my instincts led me to Liv instead? I didn’t understand it myself.

I looked away. Black wooden bookcases ran from floor to ceiling, crammed with books and objects of curiosity that were obviously the personal collection of someone who had been around the world and back more times than I had been to the Stop & Steal. A collection of antique bottles and vials lined one of the shelves, like in an old apothecary. Another was stacked with books. It reminded me of Amma’s room, without the stacks of old newspapers and jars of graveyard dirt. But one book stood out from the others: Darkness and Light: The Origins of Magic.

I recognized it—and the bed, and the library, and the immaculate arrangement of beautiful things. This room could only belong to one person, who wasn’t even a person. “This was Macon’s room, wasn’t it?”

“Possibly.”

Link dropped a strange ceremonial dagger he had been playing with. It clattered to the floor, and he tried to put it back on the shelf, flustered. Dead or not, Macon Ravenwood still scared Link plenty.

“I’m guessing a Caster Tunnel connects it directly to his bedroom at Ravenwood.” This room was almost a mirror image of his bedroom in Ravenwood, with the exception of the heavy drapes that blocked out the sunlight.

“It may.”

“You brought that book down here because you didn’t want me to see it after I had the vision in the archive.”

Marian answered carefully. “Let’s say you’re right, and this is Macon’s private study, the place where he collected his thoughts. Even so, how did you find us tonight?”

I kicked the thick Indian rug under my feet. It was black and white, stitched in a complicated pattern. I didn’t want to explain how I found this place. It was confusing. And if I said it, it might be true. But how could it be? How could my instincts lead me to anyone but Lena?

Then again, if I didn’t tell Marian, I’d probably never get out of this room. So I settled for half of the truth. “I was looking for Lena. She’s down here with Ridley, and her friend John, and I think she’s in trouble. Lena did something today, at the fair—”

“Let’s just say, Ridley was bein’ Ridley. But Lena was bein’ Ridley, too. The lollipops might be workin’

overtime.” Link was unwrapping a Slim Jim, so he didn’t notice me staring him down. I hadn’t planned on telling Marian or Liv the details.

“We were in the stacks, and I heard a girl laughing. She sounded—I don’t know—happy, I guess. I followed her here. I mean, her voice. I can’t really explain it.” I stole a glance at Liv. I saw the pink flush in her pale skin. She was staring at a particular spot of nothing on the wall.

Marian clapped her hands together, the sign of a great discovery. “I’m guessing the laughter was familiar.”

“Yeah.”

“And you followed it without a thought. More of an instinct.”

“You could say that.” I wasn’t sure where this was going, but Marian had that mad scientist look in her eye.

“When you’re with Lena, can you sometimes speak to her without words?”

I nodded. “You mean, Kelting?”

Liv looked up at me, shocked. “How could a regular Mortal possibly know about Kelting?”

“That is an excellent question, Olivia.” The way the two of them were looking at each other irritated me. “One that deserves an answer.” Marian walked to the shelves, rummaging through Macon’s library like she was looking for car keys in her purse. Watching her flip through his books bothered me, even though he wasn’t here to see it.

“It just happened. We sort of found each other in our heads.”

“You can read minds, and you didn’t tell me?” Link stared at me like he just found out I was the Silver Surfer. He rubbed his head nervously. “Hey, man, all that stuff about Lena? I was yankin’ your chain.” He looked away. “Are you doin’ it now? You’re doin’ it, aren’t you? Dude, get out of my head.” He backed away from me and into the bookshelf.

“I can’t read your mind, you idiot. Lena and I can hear each other’s thoughts sometimes.” Link look relieved, but he wasn’t getting off that easy. “What were you thinking about Lena?”

“Nothin’. I was messin’ with you.” He pulled a book off the shelf and pretended to look through it.

Marian took the book out of Link’s hands. “There it is. Exactly the book I was looking for.” She opened the tattered leather volume, flipping through the crackling pages so quickly it was obvious she was looking for something specific. It looked like an old textbook or reference manual.