Page 15 of Beneath Swan Lake (Deadly Endings #2)
Odette appears out of the darkness, and I’m not surprised to see she’s back in the feather dress. It seems to be her favorite thing. But she’s kept the gloves and has on a blue choker, a gold locket, and the damn timepiece all draped around her neck. It looks like a choking hazard to me, but she ignores my glare as she hurries over.
Her eyes widen when she spots Captain Fischer standing with me, the old man turning to give her a kind smile as she approaches. He fists an open pocket watch he pulled out when he first spotted me, and I’m not quite sure why it seems to be so important to him. The Captain is certainly holding it like it’s something dear, and I wouldn’t mind hearing some answers after some of the things my mother mentioned at the tavern. “I knew the time would come.”
I glare at him. There was no point hiding where I was in the castle, so I’ve been pacing along the front entrance for the better part of twenty minutes waiting for the princess. I intended to go and find her in her rooms again once I was certain people were done bothering her, and the last person I saw was her handmaid going back in. Getting stopped by the Captain delayed things further .
He didn’t give me any indication that he was going to speak in riddles though. I drag my eyes from the Captain to study our surroundings, and I realize the space is oddly empty of guards. This must be his doing, else I imagine he would be concerned about the lack of security. But Reginald no longer has an interest in me, focusing solely on Odette. “Onto another adventure, princess?”
Odette looks between us, and I can tell from her bag that she’s coming with me. I’m glad she’s made the decision. I planned to give her some compelling, mostly selfish, reasons when I returned to her room. Offering the guard a smile, she leans in closer to me before responding. “Why do you think it’s an adventure?”
He eyes her clothes, and it’s not like she's done a good job disguising her intentions. She squirms beneath his scrutiny, fingers reaching up to grip the timepiece around her neck, and I wish I’d kept the damn thing in the shadows. It’s not exactly discrete, and anyone who has any idea what its purpose is could give her hell.
“Doesn’t look like you’re planning to sleep,” Reginald says with a chuckle. He closes his pocket watch, sliding it into his breast pocket. “Let me see that timepiece for a moment. I can fix the hands so it starts ticking again.”
Odette’s eyes lift to mine, and I think of what Mum told us back in the tavern. I’ve barely nodded before she’s ripping the device off her neck, thrusting it into his hands. “Have you seen that before, Reginald?”
He nods, his eyes staying on the device. The hands are stuck, both pointing at the twelve, and there’s a sadness in his gaze as he turns it over in his hands. The glass face is cracked, but that doesn’t seem to deter him as he studies the gears at the back. “It was mine, once upon a time. I lost it so I couldn’t hear the clock.”
“What?” Odette asks, growling.
“Tick tock,” he says, his fingers messing with the gears. It looks like nonsense to me, but I’ve never had any reason to mess with a device like that. Time is irrelevant to the dead. “Do you plan to go anywhere in particular when you leave the castle, Your Royal Highness?”
Odette peers at me, but I don’t have a response. Behind her I see Dima’s ghost lingering, and all I want to do is reap him. But I have one last thing to do before his soul goes free; he’ll have to suffer in this half-life a little bit longer before passing on.
The Captain looks between us, his lip twitching like he’s fighting a smile. “I believe the King asked our Reaper here to check on Swan Lake on his way out. He even mentioned…”
His voice trails off, and Odette looks towards me to explain. I get the feeling the King and Reginald had the idea to send us out there all along. “The caves. There are supposedly caves that lead beneath the lake, correct? That’s where the rumors of tortured beasts and cursed animals come from. Beneath the lake.”
She swallows, her eyes focused on me. “Beneath the lake would also be the place to look for Swanling… ”
Her voice trails, and we both look to Reginald again. He gives us a sad smile before focusing on the device again, messing with one last gear before the telltale tick of the clock begins, and when he turns it over the minute hand moves past the twelve. “There are secrets all around Mystica, you two. It’s up to you to find out how they connect.”
“Why us?” I ask, frowning.
But the Captain shakes his head, shoving the timepiece back into Odette’s hand as he steps back. “Only the truly unlucky determine the fate of others. You’ve already started down the path, now you need to see it through. You’ll find answers no one else can give you beneath the lake.”
“How do you know?” I ask again.
His eyes dance between us. “The caves exist. There’s no question of that, Reaper. Many of the citizens in Swan Lake have seen them. The unfortunate and the idiotic have tried to navigate their way through them. The caves wind deep into the earth, past a network of dead ends and endless paths. It all weaves together. Perhaps someone with shadow magic can make the darkness work to their advantage, but anyone else becomes confused and lost in the caves. Many who search beneath the lake are doomed to die. But a Reaper and an heir to the throne,who knows? You two might be able to unlock what’s hidden beneath.”
I glance at Odette, who looks just as uncertain as I feel. There’s a lot of what-if’s in that statement and very few certainties. She clears her throat. “And… what’s the timepiece keeping track of , Reginald?”
His eyes turn glassy, and I get the feeling he’s remembering something from the past when he speaks again. “Nothing anymore. The hands struck twelve, so the device broke. The countdown was over. Now, it’ll just keep you on track. You’ll be able to see how much time passes on your journey. The magic in the device is long gone.”
Well, that’s unhelpful. I go to tell him as much but Reginald steps away, shaking his head. “Once upon a time the device meant something, but no more. I’ve made my deal, seen my demons. The timepiece will bring no harm to either of you, but I recommend you keep it in case there’s ever a reason you need it.”
“What reason?” Odette asks, clutching the chain. I have half a mind to throw it back at the Captain, but she appears to be attached to it now. Maybe it’s the mystery of it, or because someone she’s fairly close to is giving it to her as she departs. Either way, she’s not going to let it go right now, and it’s not worth the fight if we’re trying to quietly leave.
He looks around, ignoring her question. “I sent the men to patrol the other halls, but they will be back any moment. You’ll be noticed if you’re still here. I suggest the two of you head off unless you want to wake the King. Your mother might be at peace with you going on another adventure, Your Royal Highness, but your father most likely feels differently.”
My eyebrows lift. Her father already mentioned to me that Odette might need to continue her travels in search of answers she doesn’t have, but I’ve barely said two words to the Queen since arriving. I suppose she spent her time talking to her daughter like any good mother would.
Odette just nods. “Right.”
He offers us both a smile, pivoting on his heel. “Safe travels, you two. Bring the Swan Princess back to us safely, Grim Reaper.”
Her fingers dig into my palm before I can respond, but he has a point. Even if we go on another adventure together, it will look bad if I let the princess get hurt. She’ll be in danger no matter what if she’s traveling around with me, so I’ll have to keep my eye on her.
Flipping my hand over, she knits her fingers into mine, and I drag us into the shadows and away from the front doors. We don’t go very far though, landing just outside the border of the kingdom, and she shoots me a curious look in the moonlight.
I smirk, glad to have her to myself again. Seeing the Captain wasn’t part of my plan. “Birdie.”
She stares at me. “What do we do now?”
“It sounds like we’re going to Swan Lake in the middle of the night.” I tell her, following the hints both the king and the guard have given us. Maybe the citizens who live in Swan Lake can’t brave the caves, but it shouldn’t be as difficult of a task for a Reaper and a swan.
She nods, worrying her lip. “My mother thinks there’s a wizard there. I think she’s going to be mistaken. The only wizard who was ever rumored to be near the lake was Dima.”
“I think you're right, princess. There’s nothing left of him.”
My eyes look past her shoulder, but I don’t see the spirit this time. It’s no matter to me if Dima struggles to keep up with us in his spiritual form. He’ll be drawn to me whether he likes it or not, and when the time comes I’ll gladly purge him from this world.
Odette rolls her shoulders before nodding her head. “Well, I think I have everything. Let’s get this over with.”
I chuckle, feeling around in my pocket. We haven’t gotten to talk about nearly enough things since arriving at the castle. “I agree. And we're bringing along something for the road. Somewhere in Mystica there’s bound to be someone who can help with this.”
She frowns at me until I pull the item out of my pocket, holding it up for her to see. Her jaw pops open. “My eye.”
“I think this belongs to you,” I say, going to hand it to her. She pushes it back, wrinkling her nose. I guess holding her own eye might be a little too weird.
But then she leans into me, just as Dima appears behind her. As though she can sense the spirit's presence, her next works make me chuckle once more. “Oh, look, I managed to get it back. And I didn’t even have to beg.”