Page 75 of In The Dark

A raging, angry wildfire.

My eyes graze the female standing beside it, her head reaching the top of its haunches. Fair-skinned with tawny brown hair and hazel eyes, wearing rounded glasses, Milena looks to be in her fifties, indicating that she must be a few hundred years old. She smiles, giving the damn thing a pat—like a hound.

“Sit, Grim,” she says.

He suddenly calms his growling, allowing me to straighten and wipe the sweat off my forehead, adrenaline coursing hot through my veins. Rydian comes up to my right, slowly nudging me behind him.

“I’m Rydian Vaelborne, king of Aurelia. We came to see if you had any information regarding the last Siphon,” he says, getting right to the point, it seems. I smack him for the poor introduction, earning me a glare and a shrug.

“Why are you trespassing?” Milena asks, eyes narrowing suspiciously. She gives us both a once-over, then shakes her head. “Never mind. I have no answers for you, and I want no part in it.”

She gives Grim a final pat, sending him into the forest as she strides to the front door of her tree.

Rydian follows, growing agitated. “We just need a moment to talk. We’ll be quick. You might be the only one who can give us anything of use, and we would greatly appreciate your help.”

“No,” she clips.

And I can practically see Rydian growing more frustrated, his jaw clenching over her clipped words. He throws me a hardened scowl as if silently urging me to step in. She finally reaches her door, placing her palm on the frame as three runes light up, unlocking it in an instant.

I step forward. “Please, Milena. I fear someone in the castle has been siphoning my memories. We don’t know who else to turn to. If we can just sit down for a minute, we won’t be very long. We can pay you for your time?—”

“No.” She brushes me off, already halfway inside.

“Please, my name is Isa, and I’m…”The heir of Aurelia,I almost blurt. My eyes flare as I suddenly wonder why I was about to admit that, but her head whips to me with wide eyes.

“Isa?” she whispers.

Does she know me? My brows furrow, but I don’t know what else to say so I just stand there. Rydian’s stare blazes into the side of my face.

“Just a few minutes,” I say.

I don’t want to be here anymore than she wants us here, but we need this information, and she’s our only lead. If she says no, we’ll have to start over and hope we can track the other Siphon. She holds my gaze a moment longer when she finally huffs.

“One hour. That’s it!” She steps inside, and I shoot Rydian a grin. “Hurry up! The door won’t stay open for long!”

26

Shutting the door behind us,we come into an extraordinarily large cottage that doesn’t look like a tree at all, more like another illusion from the outside. My brows are practically touching my hairline at this point.

We’re greeted by a wide stone mantel that sits in the far right corner of the room, angled at a small kitchen and a round wooden table with four chairs. Next to that sits a domed window overlooking the forest with a settee large enough for reading and napping.

My eyes slowly graze the area—lining every visible shelf is a lifetime of books. Herbs hang from the exposed beamed ceiling, the earthy, floral aroma hitting my nostrils a second later. Milena heats the kettle on the stove.

“Have a seat,” she tells us.

After a moment, she sits, handing us both a steeping hot mug of tea with a tray full of muffins. It tastes of honeysuckle and chamomile with the faintest trace of fresh rain—crisp and sweet.

“You’re Elynor’s daughter?”

“You knew my mother?” I ask in disbelief.

She flicks her gaze between us. “What is it you need from me? I don’t see how I can help either of you.”

Rydian leans forward, resting his arms on the table. “You’re one of the last Siphons. From what I’ve gathered, you used to work closely with King Elion, and we would like to know why you’re in hiding.”

She removes her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose, then holds her mug and stares. “I might kill Bess for this. It’s been so long since I used my magic, afraid the king will somehow track me down for it. But then again, he replaced me almost as soon as I left.” She sighs. “King Elion and I disagreed on what was ethical. He wanted me to experiment by extracting memories from the Fae—criminals at first, but then it changed. He had a very specific goal and agenda. Little did I know, it started to pull their essences, leaving them without their magic. I didn’t feel comfortable taking the very thing giving our land life, criminal or not.”

That explains why I haven’t been as skilled with my magic—removing my essence.