Book Three: Chapter 83

Naia shook her head. “Emily became obsessed with unlocking the house’s true secret in her last years. The problem, as I understand it, is that none of the pieces are obvious. It calls out to the Caretaker, almost like a gut instinct, a desire to look in a different room a little bit harder. Unfortunately, the harder you look and rationalize, the easier it is to ignore that instinct and lose track of it.”

“It sounds like you know what it is.”

“Even if I did, I couldn’t tell you. The spell on the house erases any memory of any progress made, and the quest begins anew for each Caretaker. It could be as simple as a note written to the Caretaker, or a doorway that appears just for them.” Naia stroked the clock on the ledge. “Emily was given her hint by none other than this little guy.”

“Yeah, about that.” Dana picked up the clock. “What the fuck is this thing?”

“I haven’t seen it in a long time. You are holding a mimic. They are extremely rare. To be honest, I tho