Page 40 of A Lie so Pretty and Poisonous

I met his chestnut eyes. “I want to see what he put in that mead. Maybe it was something specific he used that helped him travel through the wall unharmed. I am well-schooled in herbalism, so I might be able to figure out what each plant can do.”

Darragh’s eyes moved back and forth, and he ran the tip of his tongue between his teeth. “Then how would you and Cora have moved through the threshing wall? You don’t seem the type of parent to give her child mead.”

I huffed a laugh. “You’re right. We certainly weren’t making mead and dri…” I gasped. “We drank tinctures right before falling through the barrier,” I whispered to myself.

“What?” Darragh leaned into me.

“Greta, my mentor. She gave us tinctures to drink before we moved through the barrier and wound up here! I don’t know what was in them, but it was a tincture for anxiety during our travel. I couldn’t place all the herbs she used.”

“You think you drank an herb or plant that caused you to pass through the wall unharmed?”

I nodded with a smile. “Yes! If we can look at his recipe, I may be able to piece together what was possibly in my tincture. Then we can try different herb combinations until we find the right one and get Cora and me back over the barrier to Edenalee!”

Darragh opened his mouth to respond, but Lyrik entered the room looking rather sheepish. “Bad news. The book wasn’t in there, and one of the kitchen staff claims that Psilas’ book, along with some other recipe books, was lost during a kitchen fire about a decade ago. Apparently, a now-deceased cook accidentally started a fire while frying up some hog meat. I’m sorry, my lady. It was our only copy.”

Just like that, my ray of burning hope was plunged into the deep waters of an icy abyss. Extinguished before it ever had a chance to take hold. I couldn’t hide my disappointment. “Thank you, Lyrik, and you, Frabo, for sharing your brother’s stories.”

“Any time, lovely. Any time,” Frabo grumbled as he continued to cut his apple.

Lyrik walked Darragh and me to our horses. I couldn’t muster any more pleasantries with the despondency sitting deep in my gut, so I remained quiet. Lyrik inclined his head. “Sorry you didn’t get what you were hoping for, my lady. Oh, uh, Darragh, I wanted a word before you leave.”

“Yes?” He lifted a brow.

Lyrik shifted his eyes to me and back to Darragh. “Maybe we should go somewhere private?”

Darragh shook his head and put his hands on his waist. “I’m not leaving her by herself. What’s this about?”

Lyrik glanced at me again. “There’s been talk…of strange behavior and movement in the west. Rumors are swirling that the threshing wall was seen breached.”

Darragh stiffened. “Militia?”

Lyrik shook his head. “I’m not sure, but there is something odd happening out there. Gerron saw two men walk out of the fog early this morning while he was hunting some game. One terrified man was being dragged by the other, bound and gagged. He had rounded ears. About a two-hour ride northwest from the farm. Close to Briarscliffe Village.”

I drew in a breath and tried to maintain a neutral face, but it felt like I had been punched in the gut.

Another human came out of the barrier.

“I’ll look into it.” Darragh looked back at me, twisting my fingers, and then to Lyrik again. “Best to keep this to yourself for now.”

Lyrik’s mouth curled up at the corners. “I’m not stupid. I’m telling you and then forgetting I heard anything about it. Besides, you now owe me a favor, and I won’t jeopardize that. Let me know if we can barter again.”

After a quiet mile ride away from Toolock Farm, my curiosity got the better of me. “Do you think the rumor is true and another human came through the wall?”

Darragh sighed. “I don’t know, my lady. The timing of your arrival and this information is suspicious. Unfortunately, rumors tend to turn out to be just rumors. With your presence in the kingdom, it could well be people talking and someone making something up to cause a stir.”

“What if it isn’t a rumor? What if something is wrong with the wall or someone figured out a way to cross over, whether it was a human or a seraph?”

“I will check into it, my lady. I promise.”

I bit my lip. “Let’s go look into it now.”

He gave me an incredulous stare. “What?”

I shrugged. “Lyrik said it was a two-hour ride from the farm, so let’s go see if we can find anything.”

“My lady, I am most certainly not taking you into a situation where there could be danger.”

I rolled my eyes. “We aren’t going to confront anyone. We can simply check the perimeter of the wall to see if anything is amiss or strange. If nothing comes of it, we head back to the castle. I promise, if there is anything you see that you think is dangerous, we will leave immediately. I won’t push any further.”