Page 23 of Deadly Little Games (Four Ways to Fate #2)

I waited with Crispin in his tower while the king and Sebastian negotiated their contract. Elena had gone to lie down. Crispin had placed a wooden chair next to the nicer cushioned chair near the window, offering me the better seat. His mood was surprisingly somber, given all of the excitement.

Finished preparing a pot of tea with a burner on his workstation, he poured us each a cup, offering me the one with fewer chips. “I must admit, out of all the scenarios I could have imagined for this day, I could not have come up with any of this.”

I nodded, gripping the small teacup by its thin porcelain handle. The tea was strong and black, which was exactly what I needed. I couldn’t quite meet his eyes as I asked, “Do you really think I can do it? Find my mother?”

He lowered himself to the seat beside mine. “I do, especially if she is in one of the near realms, which she should be since she no longer possesses the Realm Breaker. The trick will be in figuring out which near realm.”

“I can sense her when she’s close,” I admitted. “If we get close enough, I can find her.” I saw him looking at me in my peripheral vision, but kept my eyes lowered, blowing the steam away from my cup.

“How old were you when she stole your memories?”

I tensed at his question.

“If you’d rather not say, that’s fine.”

“I was ten. My father died three years later.” And he had paid a fairy to fake my death for my mother’s benefit.

When he said nothing else, I finally looked at him.

He gave me a small smile. “If it helps, my father tried to kill me, and my mother sold me into apprenticeship with a mad wizard.”

My brows shot up at his words. I let out a choked laugh. “Seriously?”

He grinned. “See, you’re not the only one with a complicated past.”

I laughed again, shaking my head. “No,” I said, thinking of Mistral, “I think compared to the lot of you, my past is boring in comparison.”

“A fine way to look at it.” Setting his tea aside, he stood and offered me his hand. “Now shall we?”

I stared dubiously at the offered hand. “Shall we, what ?”

“If there’s one thing I know, it’s that old men take forever to hammer out contracts. We may as well make the most of our time and further explore your blossoming magic.”

I nearly choked on my tea at Crispin calling Sebastian an old man, though technically, he was right. Relatively speaking, at least.

I set my tea aside, then hesitantly took Crispin’s hand.

Once I was standing, he held on tight, standing a little too close, his eyes intense. “Now tell me, what exactly have you been doing in the Bogs to make your magic a little different every time I see you?”

I blinked at him, jaw agape.

“Don’t worry, I can only see it because of my own innate magic. Elena hasn’t noticed a thing.”

I shut my jaw with a click. “If you want to know about that, I’m going to have to get to know you a hell of a lot better.”

He grinned, still holding my hand. “Well, lovely Eva, there is no time like the present.”