Page 96 of Of Masks and Fury

“Why did the red-haired woman kill my mother?” I asked.

“Marlane was looking for clues to heal the veil.” Reaching up, she stroked my face with fingers that trembled. “She loved you and your sister very much. She would’ve done anything to keep you safe, and she knew that wouldn’t happen as long as the veil remained open.”

My vision blurred with tears. My mother had died trying to protect us, trying to fix what her father had broken.

“Did you see my sister here in the dungeon?” I asked, wiping at my eyes.

“In a cell a few down from mine until they took her away. Poor little Addie.”

“Who took her?”

“Guards, though I’m sure they were directed byhim.” She sneered. “Who else? He’s in charge. He controls all this.”

“He took her to the west tower,” Trew said.

“Truly?” Eva’s eyes widened. “He does bad things to people there.”

I shuddered, thinking of Addie locked in the tower, with no one to protect her.

“Do you know anything more about the west tower?” Trew asked.

She shook her head. “I only came to the castle a few times, and I tried to do so when the king wasn’t around. Other than the day she died. She asked me to come, said she needed me. Your father didn’t like me. He was jealous, I suppose. That’s what Marlane thought. We were always close, and he didn’t like anyone coming between him and his wife.”

Distant shouts echoed down the corridor.

“We need to go,” Trew said, rising to his feet.

“Your mother and I talked about how she might heal the veil, and I told her where she might find those clues.”

“Where?”

Eva blinked a moment. “I don’t…”

More shouts, followed by heavy thuds.

We had to leave.

“We’re taking you with us.” I stretched my arm around her back to help her to the edge of the bunk.

She shook her head, the motion weak. “I can’t. It’s too late. The damp has sunk into my lungs, and it won’t let go. I keep getting sick. I’ve been bleeding inside for too long.” She grabbed my hand, her grip surprisingly strong. “There’s something you need to know.The woman who pushed my Marlane is still alive. She comes to my cell to gloat. She’s determined to keep the veil open. No, she needs to keep it open, or her plans will fall apart.”

Footsteps pounded in the corridor. Multiple sets, moving fast.

Trew unpacked the rest of the things we’d brought from his bag, hiding them under the bunk. “This is for you.”

“I won’t need them, but I thank you,” she said.

Derren appeared at the end of the hall, and panic exploded from his voice. “No time. They’re patrolling, making sure the cells are all locked.”

Behind him, the sound of armed men approaching grew louder.

Go or I rip apart,Pherin said, flying out through the open cell door.

I couldn’t risk anyone seeing her in her firecat form.

“We can fight our way out,” Trew said, blades in both hands. “But we’ll have to flee the castle after that.”

Panic rose in my throat. “They’ll catch us before we can escape. We’ll take the tunnel like I did when I came here the other night.”