Hollow Dolls

by MarcyKate Connolly

  My back grows cold. “Then you understand why we must find Maeve. If the body walker has her…”

  “It’s unthinkable. And you feel responsible. For Ida, too, I’m sure.” She gives us a watery smile. “That does you both credit. I know you care for Maeve, and she cares for you. But body walkers are dangerous. You must stay here, safe in our library, until they are found.”

  My jaw drops. “No! We must search for her too.”

  “We can’t sit here and do nothing!” Sebastian moans.

  Euna expression hardens. “You must. If the body walker is after your talents, we must protect you at all costs. No one wants to see the two of you captured again.”

  The meaning that slips between her nice words is that no one wants to see a body walker abusing powers like ours. Not after Lady Aisling.

  I shudder. We don’t want that either. But it’s one thing to worry on my own; it’s another to hear the same from an adult. That makes it seem all the more real.

  But Euna won’t hear it. She waves away our objections. “This is not up for debate. Absent your real guardian, Jemma—and now Maeve—you are my responsibility. Come, I will keep you safe.”

  • • •

  As we discover, Euna’s idea of keeping us safe is to lock us in one of the private suites and post a servant outside the door at all hours of the day. At least she imprisoned us together and ensured we had dinner brought to us. But I can hear the worried wonderings of the servant just outside. Our suspicions about the body walker are spreading through the fortress and making people nervous.

  No one knows what body walkers really look like. This one could already be here, and we’d never know until it’s too late.

  But I’ve felt the shape of their mind. I know the tenor of their thoughts. I’m the only one who can find them.

  Staying still is impossible. I pace the room, making a figure eight around the chairs set out by the fire.

  What’s wrong? Sebastian thinks. When we first arrived in our current prison, we both agreed it was best to keep our conversations in our heads since the guard could overhear.

  I need to be a part of that search party, I think.

  He burrows deeper into his chair. Why? They already have lots of people looking.

  But not me. I can find Maeve by her mind, or if she’s still the body walker’s prisoner, I can find her by the shape of their mind. No one else can do that.

  Sebastian frowns. Simone, it’s too dangerous. Euna’s right about that.

  I whirl on him, my hair flaring out like an angry ghost. You’d rather be a prisoner here? We’ve just traded one prison for another. I can’t be cooped up like this. Tears begin to burn in my eyes. I have to be free to go where I please.

  My feet begin to twitch, and I have to move again.

  Simone, please. Sebastian begs. Don’t do anything rash. Don’t leave me.

  Come with me.

  He shakes his head, eyes wide. I can’t face the body walker. I can’t do it.

  The pit of my stomach grows cold. I don’t know if I can go without Sebastian. We’ve become two peas in a pod. I depend on him to help me stay focused on things I ought to think about. And he depends on me to keep him calm. But I can’t abandon Maeve either.

  What if we find a way to protect ourselves against the body walker first? Or how to stop them?

  Sebastian shrugs. Maybe…

  I immediately spin around and begin to pound on the door. “We need to speak to Euna or Rachel. We have to continue researching in the library. It’s very important.”

  At first, the guard doesn’t respond. But I keep pounding and shouting. I don’t relent until I hear the servant’s thoughts shift from annoyance to frustration to assent just to get me to stop banging on the door.

  “Fine, I’ll go get her!” the servant grumbles. I let my fist drop to my side and sink to the floor. My hand aches from all the pounding, and I can feel the sore spot on the side that no doubt will become a bruise.

  It feels like forever before Rachel arrives. I’ve stopped trying to keep my talent in check; I’m too desperate to get out of this room and do something. I hear her worried thoughts before we see her.

  The poor dears. This must be hard on them. I hope Maeve didn’t just abandon them. They’ll be devastated if she did.

  Her words are a strike across the face. I steady myself on the wall. Maeve would never abandon us. Why would Rachel think such an awful thing?

  It’s the first thing I ask her when she opens the door.

  “What makes you think Maeve would abandon us? She loves us!” I cry. Sebastian looks stricken, since this is the first he’s heard of it.

  Rachel swallows hard. “Now, Simone, it isn’t polite to listen to other people’s private thoughts without their permission. I thought Maeve was working with you on that.”

  I clench my hands into fists, but my head hangs in shame.

  She places a warm hand on my arm. “I know you’re upset about Maeve being gone and not being able to be part of the search party. It’s all right.”

  “But what do you mean?” Sebastian asks. “What would make you think such a thing?”

  Rachel’s expression softens. “It was a careless thought. I just… I don’t know.”

  “Has there been any word from the search parties?” I ask more quietly.

  She shakes her head. “Not yet, but hopefully soon.” She places her hands on her hips. “Now, I hear you urgently needed to speak to me or Euna. What’s going on?”

  “We need to go the library. We were looking at a promising stack of books yesterday that could contain information that would help with the body walker.”

  Rachel raises an eyebrow as she considers. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. Especially since I know you want to help, and I can’t let you run off and search by yourselves.” She stretches out her hands to us. “All right, I’ll take you. But you must stay close and promise me you won’t try to run away.”

  “We promise,” Sebastian and I say at the same time. But my fingers are crossed behind my back. As much as I hate to lie to Rachel, I have no intention of remaining here once we find what we need.

  Chapter Seventeen

  We waste no time returning to where we left off. We split the remaining books in the stack in half, but Rachel also takes some to search through.

  The terror that’s been holding me hostage all day keeps my focus razor sharp. I don’t wander, even though the words swim in front of my eyes. My talent remains alert, brushing over every mind in the building, just in case the body walker or Maeve returns. I no longer care that I’m invading other people’s privacy; I must find Maeve, and I will go to any length to help her.

  I don’t know how long we work. My world has transformed into words and pages and dust, a fragile construction that could blow away at any second. It feels like hours before Sebastian shout-thinks to get my attention.

  You’re going to go after Maeve no matter what, aren’t you?

  My face grows hot, and I glance away. I have no choice.

  I like Rachel. I really don’t like lying to her.

  I like her too. But we need Maeve. I can’t lose her, Sebastian. I just couldn’t take that.

  I know.

  I try to return to my book, but a sudden thought grips me by the throat and threatens to strangle me where I stand. I’ve thought about it before, but I never shared it with Sebastian, because I didn’t want him to worry. But now…now I’m certain it’s true. Sebastian sees my discomfort and rubs my arm.

  What’s wrong, Simone?

  I can’t help thinking the body walker must be right under our noses.

  Sebastian’s hand flies off my skin as if it’s been burned. You mean you think it’s someone we know? Someone who’s been here all along?

  How else could they have gotten to Euna and Maeve without r
esistance? I shiver. What if Connor is the body walker?

  Sebastian shudders. What would make you think that?

  It’s the tenor of Connor’s thoughts. Forceful and determined. A stubborn unwillingness to see any other viewpoint. They remind me of the body walker’s.

  Sebastian’s hands ball into fists. It has to be him. He hasn’t liked us or Maeve from the minute we got here.

  Or it could be Devynne, I muse. She may seem innocent, but who knows what she might be hiding. I haven’t snuck into her head enough to know for sure. And she’s definitely been much too interested in us and our talents.

  What can we do about it?

  I give him my best grimace as I eye Rachel’s back at a table near ours. She’s lost in her book. If we were to slip away for a bit, I doubt she’d even notice…

  We’re going to prove it. Come on.

  I slip off my chair, and Sebastian follows suit. Both Devynne and Connor are somewhere around here. We tiptoe toward the alcove where Connor usually does his research. But he isn’t there this time.

  Let’s see if we can find him in the stacks, I think to Sebastian, and he gives me a quick nod.

  I let my talent roam this level of the library, brushing against mind after mind until I find who I’m searching for.

  He’s on the next level up.

  With a quick check that Rachel is still thoroughly engrossed in her research, we head for the stairs and circle around until we’re positioned right behind where Connor stands in a row of books.

  To our surprise, he’s not alone.

  What do you think he’s doing with Devynne? Sebastian asks.

  No clue. But let’s find out.

  We huddle down behind the books, listening carefully to the two researchers’ conversation.

  “What do you mean you didn’t take it? Someone had to.”

  Devynne laughs. “What would I want with your books? I don’t care a whit about your silly village.”

  Connor’s fists clench. “It is not a village; it is a lost city. And the book in question is a journal I only got by begging for special permission from Euna, and now it is missing. What did you do with it?”

  “What makes you think I’d care about a journal? I’ve got more than enough research on my own plate to want to take any of yours.” She folds her arms across her chest.

  Connor begins to look a little squeamish. “Let’s just say our interests may converge slightly in this particular journal.”

  Devynne rolls her eyes. “All right, I’ll bite. How?”

  “It’s rumored to have been written by a soul summoner. The last one known to exist.”

  Devynne stands up straighter. “Well, that is mighty interesting. I wish I had been the one to take it. But I swear to you, I’m not.”

  Curious, I peek inside Devynne’s thoughts. She’s telling the truth. But Connor isn’t convinced.

  “Who else would be interested in the last remaining record of one of the most powerful talents out there?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe Euna decided to put it away. Have you even checked with her?”

  Connor’s confidence falters. “Well, no…”

  “Why don’t you go do that before accusing me of stealing from you?” Devynne huffs and stomps away down the aisle. We stay low so that she doesn’t glimpse us while we wait for Connor to leave too. His thoughts reveal that he is loath to admit to Euna that he lost this journal. But nothing at all about Maeve or Ida. Not in either of their heads.

  And neither of their minds feels like the body walker’s does, much to my dismay.

  I’m sorry, Sebastian. I can’t tell for sure.

  Maybe you only know how their mind feels when they’re using their talent?

  I consider. Yes, that’s possible. And if they’re not using it right now, it would be harder to tell.

  Dejected, we return to the reading table and pick up where we left off. But my mind won’t sit still. Maeve wouldn’t leave us willingly, of that I’m certain. Ida, I can’t account for, but she doesn’t seem like the type to just wander off either. When she visited Sebastian’s village, she was all business, and once she determined we weren’t going to be much help, she wasted no time leaving. Both of them missing at the same time is very strange…

  Suddenly my limbs freeze and my mouth goes dry.

  Ida visited Sebastian’s village the very day I first encountered the body walker. And Rachel reported another incident of a body walker in a village they visited on the way. They would’ve been on the road—possibly the very same road we were on—the day Jemma was overtaken. And Ida was here in the library when Euna was taken by the body walker too.

  Ida isn’t missing.

  Ida is the body walker. She’s taken Maeve.

  The certainty of it floods my veins with fire. My hand latches on to Sebastian’s arm, and he yelps.

  “What is it?” he whispers.

  My mouth flaps open, but no words come out. I lick my dry lips and try again.

  “Ida.”

  Sebastian’s forehead makes a deep V. “What about her?”

  “No, Ida. It’s her. She’s the body walker.”

  Confusion and fear grab hold of Sebastian. “What do you mean? How do you know?”

  It’s safer to talk like this, I think to Sebastian. Think about it. She’s been nearby during every encounter we’ve had with the body walker. Plus, she knows we’re talented. Do you remember the way she looked at us the first time we met her? I shudder. And she wasn’t very fond of Jemma either.

  Oh no. You’re right. Poor Jemma. What if she’s done something terrible with her? Sebastian’s eyes are wide and watery. What if she wants to use us?

  I squeeze his arm. I won’t let that happen. We’ll protect each other. If she still has your sister, we’ll find some way to protect her too.

  But the more I think about it, the more I’m sure he’s right. While body walkers don’t have to be near their victims, I’m willing to bet Ida took Maeve and Jemma to draw us out. She probably didn’t dare take us here at the Archives, where Maeve is always watching over us. But if she got rid of Maeve… Well, that makes us easier targets.

  I try to focus on our task, but all I can think about is how to save Maeve without getting captured by Ida in the process.

  It feels as though hours pass before Sebastian taps me on the shoulder.

  Are you really going after her?

  You know I have to.

  What if it’s a trap? he thinks.

  I’m sure it’s a trap. But if you come with me, we’ll protect each other, just like we always have.

  He sighs. I will, but only because I think I found something that could protect us.

  “What?!” I say out loud accidentally, then clap my hands over my mouth. One glance around reveals no one but Rachel heard us, and she just smiles and shakes her head, then returns to her book.

  Why didn’t you say so earlier? What is it?

  Sebastian slides the book he’s been reading over to me and points to a paragraph in the middle of the page:

  The great Zinnian king Rufaldo consulted with the high priestess of the Comet and devised a plan to thwart the walker set on taking over the kingdom. He decreed that the mountain range behind the city be mined for obsidian so that his army could be outfitted with obsidian blades, arrowheads, and jewelry to protect the royal family and courtiers. Obsidian, said to be able to shield one’s mind, was the sole thing that would prevent the body walker from taking the king’s army for himself…

  I suck my breath in sharply. Obsidian… I’ve heard of the shiny, pitch-black stone, I think. But we don’t have any obsidian.

  A small smile creeps over Sebastian’s face. But the library does.

  I frown. Where? I don’t recall seeing the black stone, but then again, it would’ve been easy to miss.


  In one of the display cases in the old map room. There’s an alcove with relics. I remember seeing some obsidian knives and arrowheads there. I think there was a necklace too. His expression darkens. We’ll just borrow them and bring them back. And as long as we do it quickly, the librarians will never know.

  A laugh begs to escape from my throat, but instead I fling my arms around Sebastian in a hug.

  Perfect! I think. We’ll escape tonight after everyone else has gone to bed.

  Chapter Eighteen

  After our supervised research in the library, Rachel brings us back to our suite and has dinner sent up to us. Once again, a servant is posted outside our door.

  But we know how to get around them.

  We wait until it’s late at night and most of the minds in the building are slumbering to put our plan in motion. We’re both dressed, with our bags packed and ready to leave, as I creep closer to the door. I begin to scream. Then I drop to the floor, making a huge thud.

  What on earth was that? the servant thinks. He hesitates to leave his post, but then I begin to moan.

  It does the trick. The servant opens the door to see what the commotion is about. But Sebastian grabs the servant’s arm. It’s a recent memory, so it only takes a few moments for Sebastian to find the one of Euna instructing him to watch us and of why he came into the room. At first the guard tries to pull his arm away, but Sebastian works quickly.

  Sebastian releases him, and the servant blinks rapidly. “I… Sorry. So sorry to intrude.” He ducks out the door and hurries down the hall, his mind a mess of confusion.

  Now the door is unlocked, and the hall beyond is clear.