He knew it was a risk, going to visit Juliana. She wouldn’t want to see him, but Mara’s life depended on it. She was fourteen and the next in line for the throne. Surely, Juliana would consider his request this time? Mara was important, and Juliana was allowed to save only those who mattered in the grand scheme.
The carriage jolted along the dirt path. Wynter gripped the seat as he bit his lower lip. He was nervous to see her again. Maybe Jasper could walk up to the dark angel refuge and convince her to help. Juliana wouldn’t recognize him.
Leila grumbled under her breath and wrapped her arms around herself. The night air was cool, and they had to walk back around the castle and sneak in without being seen.
“Come on.” Violetta pulled Leila close to her. “Let's go find Mara and see what trouble's brewing.”
Leila glanced at the road. The carriage vanished on the darkened path. Would they be back in time? She had to trust Wynter. He'd given her no reason to believe otherwise. “What do you know about dark angels?”
“Not much.” Violetta walked alongside Leila around the perimeter of the castle. “They have both the power to give and take life. As reapers, we're forbidden from asking favors of dark angels. They worry it would mess up the system. It's why most reapers are removed from their location for at least a hundred years, to sever their past human connections. Occasionally, when a mortal is murdered and becomes a reaper, the higher-ups let them remain in their district. I guess you're one of the lucky ones.”
“You think I'm lucky? I had to watch my boyfriend get executed, reap his soul, and now my little sister is about to die. I wouldn't call my life lucky. I'm anything
but
lucky.” Leila walked to the hidden entrance and swung open the door. She snuck inside and let Violetta follow behind her. “What exactly are dark angels?”
Violetta frowned. “Dark angels were human once, just like us.” Violetta kept her voice low; she didn't want to alert the guards.
“What happened to them?” Leila led Violetta through the tunnel and made a sharp right and then another left guiding, them to a different exit. She didn't want to be seen on the ballroom floor.
“Everyone dies, Leila.”
Leila rolled her eyes. Now wasn't the time for a lesson on the human life cycle. She knew everyone died at some point, but Mara was a child. She deserved to grow up, fall in love, get married, and have children. Then, when she grew old and her time came, Leila wouldn't fight it anymore. “This way.” She escorted Violetta through the back hall parallel to the ballroom.
“How are we going to find Mara if we're out here?”
“Give it time.” Leila knew her sister. There was only so much mingling with guests that the young girl could handle.
Leila and Violetta didn't have to wait long. Mara opened the door, peeking her head out to make sure the hall was clear. “You again?” Mara nodded to Leila. “I didn't catch your name earlier.”
“Leila.” She hoped Mara wasn't going to turn her into the guards for trespassing. Thankfully, she’d never told her younger sister the name she’d used when sneaking out to meet Larkin.
“Easy enough to remember, and you are?” Mara turned toward the taller girl.
She hesitated before sticking out her hand. “Violetta Mercier.”
Mara turned to Leila and grinned. “You want to get out of here?”
Leila shot Violetta a look. Was this a good idea? They were supposed to meet the boys in less than two hours. How were they going to do that if they snuck out of the palace? Then again, maybe Mara would miss her appointment.
Jasper drove up to the front of the refuge and halted the horses. “We’re here.” He glanced back at Wynter.
“Yeah.” Wynter didn’t feel ready. The longer he waited, the more anxious he felt.
“The longer you wait, the greater chance Juliana will be asleep.” Jasper didn’t budge. “Oh, if Juliana says no, you can always ask another dark angel.”
“There isn’t time.” Wynter knew Juliana was the most likely to help, and at the same time the least likely to agree to get involved in something Wynter wanted. Besides, Juliana was
the
dark angel of the refuge. She was the equivalent of Edon to reapers, the head dark angel, if such a title existed. If Juliana refused him, all the dark angels at the refuge would do the same.
He opened the carriage door and climbed out. The more time he wasted, the less chance he had of saving Mara Dacre. Wynter stepped onto the grass and walked up to the refuge. It was a two-story old white house with thirteen steps to reach the porch. Did all entities involving death live in creepy places?
Wynter took the first stair, pausing as it creaked beneath his feet. He glanced down at the worn white wood, hoping it would hold his weight. He dashed up the stairs and knocked briskly on the front door.
Wynter could hear movements and voices from inside. “Who’s there?” a female voice asked.
Wynter squinted, trying to see in the dark. The door was shut, and he didn’t see anyone from the first floor windows. He took a step toward the left, noticing the window ajar and saw the interrogator. “I need to speak with Juliana. Tell her Wynter is here.”
“She doesn’t like you very much.” The female dark angel snickered. “But, I’ll relay the message.”
“Thank you.” Wynter waited by the front door, hoping Juliana would at the very least hear his request. He did come out of his way for her help.
“Where are we going?” Leila followed Mara through the hall, around the ballroom and toward the main exit. Were they just going to walk out of the party?
“Outside. Where's your boyfriend?” Mara asked.
“Our boyfriends had an errand to run. They'll be back in a few hours.” It wasn't a complete lie.
“That's a shame. I was hoping to borrow your carriage. We'll just have to steal one.” Mara didn't flinch as she walked outside with Violetta and Leila trailing behind her.
“Princess Mara, what are you doing outside?” a guard asked.
“Escorting my friends to their carriage. Do you have a problem with that?” She didn't wait for him to answer. Mara walked past four carriages and their drivers until she spotted an empty one at the front of the line. Torches lit the path outside the castle. It was a new moon and the heavens offered no light this evening.
“Why are you in a rush to leave the party?” Leila kept her voice low, careful not to let the guards overhear their conversation.
“Warner de Clare. Not that the name means anything to either of you. He's a persistent, vile creature who won't take no for an answer. Trust me, I need some space before I do something I might regret.” Mara stopped in front of the empty carriage. “Which one of you is riding up front?”
“I’ll figure it out.” Violetta stared up at the two horses and carriage. She took a deep breath and shot Leila a look.
The three of them would likely end up dead before the night was over. The good news—two of them were already grim reapers. Death wasn't avoidable, even for the undead.
Leila held out a hand, helping Mara climb into the carriage. Violetta took her position, and they rode away from the castle.
“Where am I heading?” Violetta asked. The horses trotted over the drawbridge and followed the path south.
“I need to know what happened to my sister, Princess Ophelia. Take me to the Blue Moon Tavern.”
Violetta rode in silence and followed Princess Mara's instructions.
“What are you hoping to find?” Leila asked.
“You were friends with Larkin. Whoever killed my sister is the reason your friend is dead. Doesn't it bother you not knowing who is responsible?”
It did bother Leila, for more reasons than Mara could ever know or understand. “It won't bring her back.” It was the truth. Even if they knew who killed Ophelia, they couldn't magically undo everything that transpired. Ophelia was dead to those she loved. She was a grim reaper to the few who knew the truth, the undead.
“It might not, but she deserves not to have died in vain. If I have to single-handedly take down whoever killed her, I will.”
Leila reached her hand out and rested it on Mara's arm. “You won't have to do it alone.”
“Thanks.” Mara didn't smile. There wasn't a hint of happiness in her voice.
Violetta pulled the carriage to the front of the tavern. She stepped out and opened the door for Mara and Leila. “Where to?” Violetta didn’t look pleased with being here.
Mara stared up at the rustic wooden sign swinging in the wind. It creaked and thudded against the panel of the building. With a sigh, Mara entered the tavern. Leila walked in behind Mara, wanting to keep her sister safe. This was no place for a young princess.
Four musicians stomped their feet, sang, and played instruments: lutes, a recorder, and an organ. “I'm going to talk to the bartender,” Mara shouted over the music to Leila.
Violetta stood by the door, keeping an eye on the situation.
Mara approached the bar. The barkeep flirted with a brunette patron in her mid-twenties. Not waiting for the man’s attention, Mara interrupted their discussion. “Excuse me.”
She was loud, persistent and the moment the bartender caught her gaze, he straightened up. He knew immediately who was in his presence. “I'm sorry, Princess Mara. What can I get for you?”
“I'm not putting beer in my mouth or anywhere near it.” She looked appalled. “I want to know what happened to my sister.”
“Oh, that. It's not good for business bringing it up.” He kept his voice low. “I already had guards tear apart the bar and interrogate customers. I lost business for days because they were scared of being seen in this place.”
“You'll tell me what I want to know.” Mara stared him down. “Or, I’ll have my father come in and shut down this establishment for treason, you little weasel.”
He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his long, ragged dark locks. “I didn't know she was the princess until everyone made a fuss about her death. She didn't come here dressed like you.” He gestured toward her attire. “She was inconspicuous. Used the name Leila, I believe.”
Mara turned her head slightly to the side, shooting a look at Leila. She whipped her head back around, facing the bartender. “Tell me what else you know and I won’t involve my father, King Philip.”
He reached for a dirty white rag beneath the bar. He rubbed at the wood, polishing the surface. “I didn't see anything, but you hear rumors. People talk.” He averted his gaze. “No one around here thinks Larkin was guilty of killing your sister. We can't think of anyone who would want her dead. I'm sorry, but I don't have an answer for you. If I did, I would have told your father, when he came to see me.”
Mara turned and walked away from the bartender without another word.
“Thanks.” Leila weakly smiled and passed a coin to the barkeep. It was all she could offer. He tried to help, even if he didn't know anything.
Mara pushed past Violetta on her way outside. Violetta followed after her. Even if she wasn't supposed to die here, a lot of terrible things could happen to the young princess away from the castle.
“It's not fair!” Mara threw her arms up in the air. “My sister is dead, and for what?”
Leila stepped out of the tavern and closed the heavy wooden door behind her. They'd spent enough time away from the castle that Mara had missed her appointment. She dare not look at the scroll snugged to the inside of her thigh. It was not something to be shown to the living. At least it hadn't burned her flesh, which meant something had changed with the reap.
“We should get you back home,” Leila said. It was late and King Philip, at some point after the party ended, would notice his daughter missing. Leila didn't want to be accused of kidnapping the princess.
Violetta shifted her weight and grimaced, removing her shoes. “Damn blisters.” She stood barefoot in dirt.
Mara sighed. “Fine, take me home.” Leila helped Mara into the back of the carriage. They headed back to the castle, hoping no one had noticed the princess's disappearance.
Just after two, Violetta rounded the dirt road, catching sight of an empty carriage tucked in the woods, just off the path. Jasper and Wynter must already be inside. Leila and Violetta were late meeting them. Although the girls were with the reap, so perhaps things had changed. Violetta hadn’t seen Leila’s scroll to know what was going on.
Violetta pulled the carriage to the front of the castle. The torches remained lit but the festivities had ended hours ago.
“Goodnight.” Mara sighed and opened the door, trying to help herself down from the carriage.
“Let me help you.” Violetta jumped down and held out a hand, offering it to Mara.“Do you mind if we come in?” Violetta asked. “I'm starving. I'd love it if I could have a snack before we head home.” It was a long shot being invited back into the castle, but they needed to find their friends. The easiest way was with permission. She didn’t want to hurt the poor girl whom Leila was trying to save.
Mara hesitated. She shifted on the balls of her feet. “You have to be quiet. Everyone was supposed to have gone home hours ago.”
“We won't make a sound,” Violetta said. “Promise.”
Mara nodded and gestured for Violetta and Leila to follow her in through the main gate. “I can get you some bread and water from the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” Violetta mustered up the best smile she could offer. Her nerves were tingling. They had to get into Leila’s old bedroom, where they had planned on meeting the boys. “We really appreciate your help.”
Mara hadn’t gotten the answers she was hoping for tonight. Not that she was expecting much anymore. Ophelia was gone. She wasn’t ever coming back. Mara had trouble letting go though, especially with the knowledge that Larkin was innocent. Her sister was a good judge of character. If Ophelia was in love with him, there was no way he’d have killed her. It just wasn’t possible.
Mara would never give up searching for the killer. If it had been intentional, someone who knew she was the princess of Casmerelda, then everyone in the castle was in danger. She would watch her back.
Heading into the kitchen, she pushed the door open and her eyes widened upon seeing the two boys sitting on the counter with a dark-haired woman with short black wings. Mara opened her mouth to scream, but the sound never made its way past her lips. The dark angel covered the princess’ mouth, stopping time for all humans.