Page 127 of Blackheart

The music softened into a haunting melody. The lights dimmed to a low, violet glow, shining only on Lady Jocelynn.

She looked over the crowd with daunting eyes. Then, she sang.

Crows alike, crows I like,

Secrets they come and they tell me,

What they know, it’s what I hear,

You’d never know what they tell me,

Smiles they fade, debts unpaid,

Secrets that grow and destroy thee.

What I know, you will know,

Open your eyes and you’ll see me.

Open your mind to the crows I like,

Truths that are found beyond a page.

Listen close, you never know

What you’ll hear from the crows on stage.

What you will scream, when you feel my rage.

What you might know, when the stage lights fade.

Caring for secrets, like they care for me.

Whispering Crows are the air I breathe.

Open your heart, sit in your seats.

The crows have something that belong to thee.

Whispers are gifts, unworthy treats.

The crows know exactly where to be

Secrets they linger—wait to be told.

I love to watch it all unfold.

Secrets they give, and then they take

Listen tonight or you’ve made a mistake

Her song mesmerized everyone in the room, myself included. As it came to a delicate end, a black chair appeared behind her, as if she’d been shadowing it the entire time.

As the stage lights once again grew bright enough to light the entire stage, Lady Jocelynn took a seat.

First, she discussed gossip from prestigious parties around Eiden and a new facial enhancement spa opening down the street. Even though the topics did not interest me, it was hard not to be drawn in. It wasn’twhatshe talked about that kept the crowd entranced, so much as the way she presented it all. She was animated, never leaving out a single juicy detail.

She brought a guest onto the stage, a housemaid from a lord’s home that had been allegedly robbed. The maid was young, barely twenty, if that.