Page 31 of Ballad of Nightmares

She hated herself for the twist of her lips, the eager anticipation swelling in her stomach. Her thumbs stroked the screen as she stared at it and decided to keep him guessing.

Entice me, she typed.

Done.

Ana checked on her bacon in the oven, then turned again to face the expansive windows on the opposite side of the room. In the grey light of the morning and the absence of rain, Castle Corvus stuck out beneath the fog hovering over the ground. That same window was lit up again, and she wondered if it was the King’s study, or simply lit as a ploy to make people think he was actually there.

She made it a goal to find out.

“If you’re interested in all the haunting things about our shadow land, maybe you should visit the witches,” Jay said to her later that day. “They have a shop on Third.”

“You say that as though I know exactly where it is,” Ana said, brow quirking at him.

Jay’s smile widened. “I’ll show you,” he said.

Ana reached for a plastic sleeve for the small, matted prints she was packaging. “Is it coven owned?” she asked.

“Three sisters, actually,” he answered. “Though, Cordelia is normally the only one there. You met her at the festival that night.”

Ana vaguely recalled the woman that had spoken to her about the song she’d sang. “What about the other two?”

Jay shrugged. “Suppose they have better things to do than run a shop.” He paused in his step then and turned to look at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “If you’re lucky, you might get a glimpse of the King’s Hand.”

Ana sat up. “She visits the witches?”

“Pretty sure she’s fucking Cordelia,” Jay answered. “Or so goes the rumor.”

“Sounds like I need to meet my new best friend,” Ana smiled. “If we’re ever going to get those paintings from inside Corvus, that is.”

Jay considered her. “You really want those paintings, don’t you?”

“No one has ever seen those paintings,” Ana said. “Imagine the history they could tell. The portraits of people only remembered by a rare few of the demons walking around this place. Not to mention the evolution of style over these centuries. Don’t you want to see the colors and materials they were using at the start of this realm? Before this realm? Get a glimpse into the style this king loves?”

“So passionate,” Jay teased her. “Fine. I’ll drop you by on lunch while I grab something for us to eat at the deli.”

“No deals today?” Ana asked as Jay started to walk away from her.

“Bigger day tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll be on a few calls until break. I expect the entire gallery to have sold by then,” he bantered.

“Done,” Ana called back.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

IT WAS AFTERNOON when Millie decided to grace Castle Corvus with her presence.

Sam and Rolfe were in one of the grand old dining rooms, working on taking down some of the curtains on the eastern side so that the interior could glow again.

He liked rotating rooms like that, though he hadn’t been in this particular one in nearly ninety years. Not since the last time he’d hosted a dinner with the council he had back then. The riots over Shadowmyer had happened a month after that gathering. Riots by witches who thought he would go along with Firemoor’s desire to kill their kind. He hadn’t blamed them for thinking it. With the rumors circulating and the borders feeling thinner and thinner, he knew how scared people were.

He’d declared the place safe for witches after, even though he didn’t fully trust them. But it was something close to Millie’s heart, and he cherished Millie’s advice and friendship more than any old grudges he might have had.

Most of the witches had fled to the frigid caves of Icemyer, though.

Glittered dust hung in the air as he and Rolfe yanked down one of the sheets over the window. The ceilings in this room were nearly twenty feet up, as were the windows. Sam let the dust settle around them, inhaling its beauty while Rolfe waved it away.

Sam chuckled at him. “A little dust is good for the soul, Roll,” he said.

“What about a hundred year’s worth?” Rolfe grunted. “Should think that’s a hazard for the lungs.”