Page 74 of Of Masks and Fury

ISI

“Get Blain,” I told Lexie. “Tell him I need him now. If any of the guards try to stop him from coming to me, you know what to do.”

Kerralyn tightened her grip on her knife and rushed to Mae, latching onto her arm, the blade between them.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I growled at Mae.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice rose in pitch. “I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to make sure no one was hurting you. You’ve been acting afraid, Isi. I needed to know why.”

My chest tightened with a tangle of emotions. Fear that Mae had heard too much. Anger that she’d violated my trust. But beneath it all, a desperate hope that maybe she was telling the truth, that she could help us.

She said someone had murdered my mother.

Pherin launched from my shoulder, swooping toward Mae with an indignant shriek. The bird circled her head before landing on the bureau, fluffing her feathers to make herself appear twice her normal size.

Bite her?Pherin’s thought came sharp and eager.

She’s a friend,I sent back. I hoped she was.

Mae stood frozen, her hands twisted in her skirts, her gaze fixed on me. She didn’t try to pull away from Kerralyn or make excuses. She simply waited, and that stillness spoke more than any protest about her innocence could.

“You eavesdropped on a private conversation.” My words came out flat.

“Yes.” No denial. No attempt to soften what she’d done. “I heard everything. The journal, Velacross, your mother’s ability to travel between realms. All of it.”

The door burst open and Trew strode in, his hand on his sword hilt. Lexie followed, her focus that of a warrior assessing a threat. She closed the door and locked it.

Trew’s gaze scanned the room, landing on Mae before shifting to me. “What happened?”

“She was listening.” I gestured to Mae. “New writing appeared in the journal, and we talked about what it said. She heard everything.”

His jaw tightened, and he cast a ward around the four of us, blocking Mae out.

She flinched as if he’d struck her, her eyes widening.

“Tell me.” Trew’s voice held the command of a king, stripped of the deferential bodyguard persona he’d worn since arriving in Caldrith.

I told him about Velacross. About Addie. About what veil-travel costs.

His expression darkened with each revelation, but when I reached the last part, his eyes shifted. He studied Mae with a look that made her shrink back.

Mae’s composure cracked. Tears spilled down her cheeks, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob.

“She swears she only listened in to protect me,” I said.

“I could verify the truth of what she said.” Trew’s attention remained locked on Mae. “But it requires magic. Direct contact. She’ll feel it.”

My throat tightened. If she’d truly witnessed my mother’s murder and spent the last fifteen years protecting me, would shereally tell anyone what she’d heard us talking about? She hadn’t reported her son for using magic; her mother did that instead.

“If she’s willing to prove her innocence, she’ll probably agree,” I said.

Trew dropped the ward and approached Mae. She didn’t try to run. She simply stood where she was, trembling, as he stopped in front of her.

“I want to read your mind,” he said, his voice gentle. “It will let me prove your intentions.”

Her chin lifted. “Do it, please.” Her gaze shot to me. “I only want to protect Isi. She’s like family.” She sucked in a breath, going pale. “Will it hurt?”

“No, but you’ll feel my presence in your mind. Don’t fight it.”