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And with that, he left the waking world.
32 NEVELYN TIN’VORI
Two days passed. Every minute was excruciating, even with Garth leaving her notes and doing his best to make her laugh. Nevelyn felt physically ill as she waited for some word of her brother’s fate. Ren Monroe was too cautious to pass her a note, and Nevelyn cursed the girl for it. Hated her for it. A brief but consuming anger that ran deep through every muscle and bone.
Until the third morning.
Well before dawn, Nevelyn walked out to the square. Vega was there. Perched on the building just as Ren had promised. She let out a triumphant shout that startled a few birds into flight. Dahvid had done it. He’d actually won his gauntlet. Ren had clearly been waiting for confirmation that Dahvid’s newly acquired army was on the move. If she sent Vega, it meant Dahvid would be in Nostra soon—in striking distance of the Brood estate. Nevelyn couldn’t believe how quickly the moment had arrived. She felt a bit breathless as she stalked back down the alleyway.
Inside, the black dress was waiting for her. She folded it neatly into a large box. She had one stop to make before heading to work and little time to make it. When she had all her materials ready, she set out. Not for the opera house—but for Kersey’s apartment.
The lights of the alley were dim. There was no sign of movement inside the apartment or inside the larger home to which it was attached. Nevelyn crept down the stairs. The door was bolted, but there weren’t any extra enchantments barring entry. Nevelyn performed a practiced spell and heard a satisfying click.
Inside was quiet. The windows kept out a great deal of noise. There was a snoring sound from the back bedroom. Nevelyn tiptoed forward. The occasional creak would have her freezing in place, but she made a mostly silent path through the home. Inside Kersey’s room, she began her search—always listening for that slight snoring in the dark shadows of the bed.
She found what she was looking for in the far corner of the room. There was a basket on the ground, full of the prize Nevelyn sought. Small waxway candles. Cut down perfectly to size. Each one was just large enough to whisk a practiced traveler from her home and to the opera house she loved more than anything else. Nevelyn paused to listen, making sure Kersey was still asleep. When she was certain, she started placing the real waxway candles into a satchel, one by one. Then she carefully replaced them with the false ones she’d crafted.
There was a slight hitch in Kersey’s breathing. Nevelyn held still for a moment, then positioned the basket back in the corner. She tiptoed out of the room, catching one bad board as she went. Her breathing was reduced to soft, wheezing gasps. She’d never done anything so nerve-racking in her life. She’d paused at the door, gathering herself, when a voice echoed out of the dark.
“Nan?”
Kersey was standing at the entrance to her bedroom. Nevelyn cursed as she turned, as the old lady took in the strange impossibility of a colleague inside her home. Without permission no less. Nevelyn’s reaction was all instinct. She turned her necklace charm to the darker side. Her secret magic pulsed outward. She cast the opposite spell that she’d used on Edna.
Ignore me. Do not behold me. Forget I was ever here.
Kersey stumbled back from the force of the magic. Nevelyn felt guilty as the old woman’s eyes became unfocused. Kersey stared blankly at the wall. Nevelyn turned, made quick work of the door, and shut it behind her. She sprinted up the stairs, more terrified with each step, but knew when she rounded the corner that it had worked. Kersey would think she’d seen something. Maybe even someone. But when she went to check her door, she’d find it locked. There would be no sign of theft. Maybe it had all been a strange dream.
A giddy smile broke out on Nevelyn’s face. Dahvid was not the only capable sibling after all. Her next challenge would be more difficult. She’d gotten rid of Edna. Kersey would be gone all morning. Nevelyn guessed that the old woman would attempt her normal waxway travel. She’d be confused when the candle didn’t work. She’d likely light a second candle, maybe even a third. Each one would burn its way to nothing, buying Nevelyn valuable time, before Kersey would realize she’d bought a bad batch. At that point, her walk to work would take another half an hour. Combined, it would be more than enough time to execute her plan.
Next she had to face the DuNesses.
She was the first one to arrive. Before heading downstairs, she placed the black dress in Tessa Brood’s changing room. She set it out as artfully as she could. It would be pitiful if Nevelyn had put all this time into the work, only to have Tessa think the piece ugly. When she was finished, she went downstairs and began her normal work. Luckily, the basement was always cold, otherwise she might have been sweating with nervousness.
John arrived in a golden dress with lovely sequins. Their mother wore her traditional business suit, crisp and refined. The two of them frowned over at Kersey’s absence but did not comment. Nevelyn focused on performing the most basic tasks. Her hands would not stop trembling, and that made some of the harder patterns too difficult for her. An hour passed before Simon arrived. The house manager. Nevelyn had been waiting for him.
“Really?” Simon said, all attitude. “A brand-new outfit? You didn’t notify anyone?”
Faith looked up in confusion. John was already grinding their jaw. The two of them had a long and enduring feud with Simon, who was in charge of everything that wasn’t costuming.
“I have no idea what you mean,” she said.
Simon snorted. “Really? Tessa Brood’s new dress? It’s a completely different design.”
“I do not manage Tessa Brood’s wardrobe.…” Faith trailed off, eyes drifting to Kersey’s empty seat. “That wasn’t in any of our discussions. What does the new piece look like?”
“It looks dark. It’s very dark. Far more intense than the last one. I’ll have to change a lot.”
“Come on, Simon. Brood must be attempting a rebellion. Smuggling in her own dress or something. I would know if we had plans to change an entire outfit. This wasn’t a part of our weekly summary at all. Kersey hasn’t mentioned it.” Faith’s eyes swung to Nevelyn. “Nan. Do you know about this?”
She’d been waiting to be asked. “Tessa Brood. Which one is she again?”
They all rolled their eyes. Of course the new girl didn’t even know the actresses.
“Tessa plays the role of Westchester,” Simon replied. “Blond hair. High cheekbones.”
Nevelyn frowned with false concentration. “Oh. Yes. Kersey was working on something more modern for her. Tessa was displeased with what she debuted in. Called it old-fashioned.”
Faith sputtered. “Did you say old-fashioned?”
