Page 75 of Of Masks and Fury

“I’m scared.” She looked my way, holding out her hand.

I’d known her all my life. I couldn’t hold myself back from her now. Taking her hand, I squeezed it.

Mae pinched her eyes closed and breathed deeply before opening them again. She gave Trew a nod, her spine tightening. “I’m ready.”

Trew placed his fingers on her temples. Her eyes went wide, unfocused. A cold whisper scraped behind her eyes. I saw it in the way her pupils dilated, the way her breath hitched.

Pherin launched from the bureau and returned to my shoulder, her tiny body vibrating with unease.

Mae winced as Trew's magic probed deeper.

His jaw tightened, and he hissed out a breath.

Finally, he stepped back, releasing Mae. She swayed, catching herself on the edge of the bed, her face paler than fresh snow.

“She’s telling the truth,” Trew said. He turned to me, and the sadness in his eyes made my chest ache. “She loves you, as she said. She has no intention of sharing anything with your father. We can trust her.”

Relief flooded through me, so intense it made my knees weak.

“But,” Trew said, his voice hardening, “we need to be careful what we reveal to her. The more she knows, the more danger she’s in. If anyone suspects she has information, they could force her to talk. Then silence her.”

Mae’s sob broke free. “Fates help me, no one else can know what I heard here and what I saw that day.”

“We’ll tell her only what she needs to know,” Trew said. “For her own protection.”

I nodded, taking her trembling hands in mine. “Mae. Listen to me. I need you to understand that what you heard today puts your life at risk. Someone tried to kill me last night, and if they think you might know what you shouldn’t…”

“They’ll hurt me.” She sniffed and wiped her eyes. Her gaze locked on mine. “I’ve failed you for years. Failed you, Addie,andyour mother. I won’t fail you again.”

The mention of my mother made my chest ache. “You said you saw someone push her.”

Mae’s face went pale, but she nodded. “I was only seventeen. I’d just started serving your mother as a lady. I adored her. Everyone did.” Her voice caught. “That day, I was bringing her afternoon tea. I heard voices in the stairwell. Your mother and others.”

Lexie’s hard gaze remained on Mae, waiting for her to finish.

Mae gulped in a few breaths before she could continue. “The voices were low, and one sounded angry. From the way she spoke, I think it was a woman about our age, though sharp. Commanding. In control. As I hurried that way, I heard your mother say, ’I won’t let you use them.’ Then there was a scuffle. I heard a sound like a breath punched out, and by the time I reached the hallway at the top of the landing, she was already falling. I think one of the women pushed her.”

“Oneof the women?”

“Her friend was there as well.” She frowned. “I believe her name was Eva. She used to come by now and again and they’d talk. I haven’t seen her since your mother died.”

“Did Eva push her?” I asked.

“Oh, no, Your Highness. She never would. She rushed down the stairs while the other woman just…disappeared. I still can’t believe it myself, but that’s what I saw.”

“Disappeared?” Trew asked.

“I know it sounds as if I’ve lost my wits, but she simply disappeared. I can’t explain it, not even today. The woman didn’t pass me or rush down the stairs.”

My stomach churned. “Whopushed my mother?”

Mae’s throat worked. Her gaze darted to the door, then back to me. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “A woman with red hair.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

ISI

“Ididn’t see her face. She…” Mae grimaced. “By the time I reached the top of the landing, Marlane was lying on the foyer floor, and the red-haired woman was nowhere to be seen.”