Page 150 of Twisted Ties

“Me?”

“To check whether you possessed your mother’s gift. She feared you too would be lost in the battle between the authorities and the gangs, the authorities and the West. Collateral damage.”

“I don’t,” I say quickly.

“No, I didn’t think you did. You would be far too valuable an asset to allow you out of the Chancellor’s sight.” He smiles. “It seems your aunt’s fears were unfounded. You are an ordinary girl. Perfectly safe. Of no real interest.”

“Yes,” I say, a shiver trailing down my spine.

“But, even so, this necklace belongs to you, and perhaps it will come in handy to you one day.”

“How does it work?” I ask.

“It will make you unseeable to those you don’t wish to see you. There are, of course, always some with the power to see through it, but those people are rare.” He meets my eye and holds out his hand. “There is war coming, Rhianna Blackwaters. Maybe you can’t feel it, but I can. Your aunt was very kind to me. Aided me when I was most in need of help. I wished to warn her and repay the favor. Now I have passed the warning to you instead, ensured you have her cloaker. My debt, I think, is repaid.”

I nod.

He hesitates, then continues.

“Remember, no matter what they tell you, Rhianna, no matter what they say, you are free to choose your side in thefight. If you choose to fight at all. We all have the freedom to choose. No matter who we are.” He motions with his hand. “Here, take your locket.”

“But if I take it from you …” I say, peering over my shoulder.

“They’ll be able to see me. Yes, well, beg your pardon, if I don’t hang around for a long goodbye. It was good to see you again. I’m sure both your aunt and your mother would be proud of you. And I am glad I could return this to you.”

He opens his fist and the necklace falls through the air. I reach out and catch it, the metal warm against my palm.

“Thank you,” I say, but when I look up, he is already gone.

I bring the locket up to my face, eyes racing over the intricate carving, twines and flowers following the oval outline. I realize I forgot to ask him if he opened it. If there was anything inside – a message, a note, a photo?

The stadium erupts behind me, the sound so loud, the ground under my feet shakes.

I catch my thumbnail in the join of the locket and pull. It clicks open easily with no resistance, no special lock, no spell to keep it shut.

I prize open the two shells and examine the inside.

A small photo lies within, a picture of a woman and a man. They are both staring down at a small baby cradled in their arms. The woman looks like me. Just like me. My mother.

Carefully, I remove the photo and check the back, check behind.

Nothing. No words. No secret clue.

Nothing more.

48

Rhi

I don’t rememberwhere my feet take me after that, or how long I wander, lost in my thoughts, my mind swimming with the old man’s revelations, with the memories still threatening to haunt me, and with the image of the photo inside the locket.

I try not to feel the hurt deep in my heart. She would have wanted me to have the locket, of that I am sure. A gift to keep me safe and hidden. A gift to show me I was loved. But even so I feel the pain. No note, no words, no message. How could she leave me so unprepared?

Because she was struggling every day to keep us alive.

I know it is the truth, yet it does little to numb the pain.

I keep walking, unaware of where I am, the day darkening around me, the air turning cool, until I’m snapped rudely from my trance by Summer freakingClutton-Brock.