Book Eight: Chapter 138

“Do we?” Sulyvahn asked Cecilia. “Trust her, I mean?”

Cecilia studied the woman’s soul for several seconds and nodded. “Aye,” she replied. “For now, I think we must.”

Home.

As Sofia walked the halls of the false Caretaker’s castle, she couldn’t help but feel as if someone was stalking her. At first, she wondered if she was being followed, but the feeling persisted despite entering rooms that were clearly empty.

The thread-bare runners throughout the castle had worn so thin in places that she could see the stone beneath them. There was more of Lady Charlotte’s artwork all over the castle, which Sofia actually stopped to examine. She wasn’t interested in the art itself, but whether or not someone was watching her from behind it.

The only other culprits were the suits of armor scattered throughout the castle. She examined these, too, even pausing to dismantle one and look inside. They were hollow, and she couldn’t find any signs of enchantment on them.