Circle of Fire

by Michelle Zink

  I scan the room, settling on the enormous pile of books stacked on the reading table in front of us. “But we’ll be here all day!” The thought makes me sit up straighter. “Edmund? What time is it?”

  His eyes find the clock on the mantel. “Nearly eleven. Why?”

  Bolting out of the chair, I touch my hand to my forehead, realizing what I have done. “Helene. Helene is arriving this morning and is likely at Milthorpe Manor as we speak.” I am already calculating the consequences to my relationship with Sonia and Luisa.

  “Whoever this Helene is, she seems rather important,” Victor says, standing. “Not to worry. I will continue searching, and I will send word the moment I find something.”

  I take in again the stack of books still waiting to be investigated. “Are you certain? It doesn’t seem right to leave you alone with the task.”

  He laughs aloud, clapping his hands together. “My dear girl, I have little to occupy me in my hours alone. You do me a tremendous service, I assure you!”

  I smile, leaning forward to kiss his dry cheek. “Oh, thank you, Victor! You’re a dear!”

  He flushes, and I wonder how long it has been since he has been touched by anyone. “Nonsense! It’s my pleasure.” He heads for the door of the library. “Come. I’ll show you out.”

  We make our way down the hall amid hurried goodbyes, and a few moments later Dimitri and I are in the carriage, Edmund at the reins, on our way back to London.

  “Do you think he’ll find anything?” I ask Dimitri as Victor’s house fades away behind us.

  “I don’t know. But it’s more hope than we had yesterday.”

  The carriage ride goes much too fast. I prepare myself for meeting Helene and facing Sonia and Luisa by imagining the scene in my mind, but it does nothing for my nerves, which grow tighter and tighter the closer we get to home.

  “Would you like me to come back to the house with you?” Dimitri asks, taking my hand as we enter London.

  I resist the urge to say yes, for Sonia and Luisa will already be angry that I have not included them in my morning plans. Having Dimitri there would only be salt in their wounds.

  “No, it will be better for me to greet Helene alone. I expect you’ll meet her soon enough, in any case. She’ll be living at Milthorpe Manor.”

  “How much did Philip tell her about the prophecy? About her place in it?” he asks.

  Sighing, I turn to look out the window, feeling suddenly claustrophobic in the close quarters of the carriage.

  “He told her the truth in as simple terms as possible,” I say softly. “Whether or not she believes him, well… that is another matter entirely.”

  “She must believe him, at least in part. Why would she come to London otherwise?”

  “Because she is haunted by dreams, as we all have been. She told Philip that she travels unwillingly in the dark of night. She feels the Souls at her back, though she has not been able to give them a name until now.” I do not meet his gaze, though I feel it even as I continue to look out the window, suddenly hesitant to allow him to see the fear in my eyes. “The prophecy has claimed her as it has claimed us all.”

  Dimitri’s fingers touch my cheek, turning my face to his. When I look into his eyes, the love I see burning there is fierce. “It has not claimed you, Lia. And it will not claim you as long as I live.”

  He touches his lips to mine and I try to lose myself in his kiss. I try to let it drown out everything else. My worries and nightmares and darkest thoughts.

  But it doesn’t quite work. I have come too far to think it so simple. It is not within Dimitri’s power to save me. My salvation will have to be my own doing, and I’ll have to do it with the help of my sister.

  The idea is inconceivable, and I push it aside, for if I think too long about the impossibility of bringing Alice to my cause, I will remember the futility of it all.

  And if I remember the futility of it, I will have no choice but to wonder how long it will be before I find myself staring over the edge of a cliff. Just like my mother.

  9

  Stepping into the foyer at Milthorpe Manor, I hear the murmur of voices in the parlor.

  I hang my cape near the door, smoothing my skirt and straightening the pins in my hair before making my way down the hall. I am nervous, and I wish that I had allowed Dimitri to accompany me home after all. Or at the very least, that Edmund was beside me instead of outside, putting away the carriage.

  The voices become clearer as I near the door of the parlor. I recognize Sonia’s soft cadence and Luisa’s raucous, heartfelt laugh, but underneath them is another I have never heard. Deeper and richer than the voices of my friends, this voice speaks of a mystery yet to be solved—of an unfamiliar life lived in a faraway land.

  I take a moment, only a moment, to gather my wits before stepping into the room. I don’t know if it is meeting Helene for the first time or the prospect of facing Sonia and Luisa’s anger that causes my heart to race, but standing in the doorway will not allow me to avoid either. Not for long.

  Stepping into the room, I try to cross it with confidence, avoiding the eyes of Sonia and Luisa as I make my way to the unfamiliar girl sitting in the high-backed chair near the firebox.

  “Good afternoon. I’m sorry for my late arrival. I had an errand this morning that took longer than expected.” Her dark eyes survey me with veiled interest as I approach. Her hair, piled atop her head in a formal arrangement, is as black as the night sky above Altus. “You must be Helene Castilla.” She blinks at my outstretched hand and I withdraw it, remembering that many young ladies find the shaking of hands overly masculine. “I’m Lia Milthorpe, and I’m so pleased to make your acquaintance. Did you have a pleasant journey?”

  She nods slowly. “The journey was long, but not unpleasant. Mr. Randall saw to my comfort.” Her English is accented with an exotic undertone. I think her very like Luisa in looks, though her manner holds none of Luisa’s endearing approachability.

  Turning to follow her gaze, I realize Philip is standing in the shadows.

  “Philip!” I make my way to him, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. “I didn’t see you there! How was your journey?”

  He smiles, the wrinkles around his eyes deeper than when I last saw him. The prophecy has taken its toll on us all.

  “The crossing was difficult. We were cursed with rough seas the entire way, though Miss Castilla was quite stoic about the whole thing.” He flashes her a smile, and I wonder if it is my imagination that her eyes soften as she returns it.

  “But why are you standing?” I ask him. “You must be exhausted. Come and sit. Have you eaten?”

  Philip shakes his head. “It is a pleasure to stand. I’ve been sedentary far too long on the ship.” He casts his eyes to Sonia and Luisa. “We were offered refreshment, but alas, we are too tired even to eat. I imagine Miss Castilla would like to see her room. We were simply awaiting your return.”

  There is no recrimination in his voice, yet I feel a flush of shame for being so careless with the time at Victor’s. “Of course.” I turn to Luisa and Sonia. “Have Helene’s bags been taken to her chamber, then?”

  Luisa nods, her mouth tight. “The staff has settled her into the yellow room upstairs.”

  Her obvious anger sparks an irrational response of my own, for even as I acknowledge the unfairness of excluding Sonia and Luisa from the morning’s journey to Victor’s, I am loath to seek their forgiveness.

  I force a smile, attempting to let go of my ill feelings. “Would you and Sonia mind seeing Helene to her room while I walk Philip out?”

  She nods, standing, and I turn to Helene, holding out a hand and hoping, this time, that she will accept the gesture of friendship. “I am glad you’ve come. Please make yourself at home, and don’t hesitate to ask the staff, or one of us, if you should require anything at all. Perhaps after a rest you will join us for dinner and we can become better acquainted.”

  She rises, her smile so small it is nearly invisible. �
�Thank you.”

  It is all she says before following Luisa and Sonia out of the room, leaving me alone with Philip. A sigh escapes my lips as they disappear into the hall.

  Philip makes his way toward me. “Is everything all right? You look tired.”

  I turn away from his probing eyes and move toward the firebox. “Everything is as well as can be expected, I suppose. I think we simply grow weary of the prophecy and its demands.”

  “After all that has happened, you are certainly entitled to be weary. Is there anything more I can do to help?” he asks.

  I turn to meet his eyes, feeling a rueful smile touch my lips. “I would say ‘Find the last key,’ but I know you are working to do just that.”

  He nods slowly, his brows knit forward. “I’ve gotten word from a small village of another young woman with the mark. I have some things to attend to here in London but should be able to investigate the claim in a few days’ time.”

  I study his face. “Is it my imagination that you don’t sound optimistic?”

  “It isn’t so much a lack of optimism as it is lack of information. I’ve already been told, you see, that the girl no longer resides in the town. Apparently her mother died giving birth to her, and her father took her away some years later.”

  I shake my head. “I don’t understand. Why would you go if she isn’t there?”

  There is resignation in the shrug of his shoulders. “She’s the only clue we have at the moment. I’m hoping someone will be able to tell me where she has gone. It is unlikely that it’s her, given our luck in the past, but it seems only prudent to follow every lead to its end.”

  I study my hands, the mark of the serpent revealed in a sliver from beneath the sleeve of my gown. Philip’s words are no revelation. It is only practical to assume that our leads are reaching an end in the search for the keys. There are only so many girls who would be reported as having such a strange mark. Even still, the energy leaves my body in a rush, seeming to seep into the carpet at my feet until I am left with an all-consuming exhaustion.

  “Yes,” I say quietly. “We must be diligent in investigating every clue, however far-fetched. Take the time you need to recover from your journey with Helene. You’ve worked hard on our behalf, and you look quite tired yourself.”

  He smiles, heading for the parlor door. “No more than you, my dear. No more than you.”

  I link my arm in his. “Come, I’ll show you out so you can go home to a proper rest.”

  We make our way to the front hall, where Philip plucks his coat off the rack near the door.

  “Thank you for escorting Helene to London, Philip. Really. I cannot imagine what I’d do without you.” I hope he sees the affection in my eyes.

  Returning my smile, he places a hand on the doorknob. “Your father was a good friend. The prophecy, and your deliverance from it, has become my life’s work. I only pray that I’m up to the task.”

  I move to speak, to assure him that if anyone can find the final key, it is him. But he is gone before I can say another word.

  I intend to retire to my chamber to rest before dinner, but I find myself at a standstill a few feet past Sonia’s room. I know that Sonia is on the other side, likely resting or running a brush through her hair or reading one of the books from Milthorpe Manor’s library. The closed door fills me with sadness, for once I would have rushed in to share the events of the day.

  No. Once, Sonia would have accompanied me anywhere and everywhere. There would be no need to fill her in, for she was my companion and friend in all things. The loss of it is suddenly unimaginable, and I make my way back to her door, knocking softly before I have a chance to change my mind.

  She opens it a moment later, the curiosity on her face turning to surprise in the second it takes her to register my presence. “Lia! What are you… ? Come in!”

  Her obvious shock at seeing me in the doorway to her chamber fills me with guilt. I cannot remember the last time I sought her company.

  I step into the room and Sonia closes the door behind me. “Come and sit. Sarah has just stoked the fire.”

  Making my way to her bed, I ignore the sitting area near the firebox. It is the only place I have sat on the rare occasions I have found myself in Sonia’s chamber since her return from Altus. But this time, I lean against the plush mattress, studying the carpet under my feet as I remember when we sat comfortably on each other’s beds, confiding and laughing and contemplating the future. In this moment, I want only for things to be as they were.

  Sonia sits carefully next to me, as if afraid that I will change my mind and leave at any moment. “Is everything all right?”

  I take a deep breath, looking up to meet her eyes. “I suppose things have not been right for a while now.”

  She nods. “Yes, but we are working to make them right again.”

  “I simply wanted to say that… Well, that I’m sorry.” It is more difficult than I expect to say the words.

  She takes my hand. “I know.”

  Her voice is not unkind, but her lack of denial causes a burst of indignation to rush through my veins. I attempt to quell the bitterness. It is a living thing that threatens to eat me alive.

  I smile, though it feels like a mask over my face. “I’m trying, as you are trying, to make things as they were.”

  Her returning smile is sad. “Yes, but there is a difference.”

  “What is it?”

  She turns her palms upward in a gesture of surrender. “You seek answers to the prophecy and work to forgive me, while I simply anticipate my fate.” She shrugs. “You control everything. It is all I can do to wait. ”

  I want to refute her words, to deny their truth. But Sonia is right. I have held close all the power since leaving Altus. And as I nod, rising to leave her chamber, I cannot help but wonder if I hold that power because I fear betrayal—or because I have come to enjoy the feel of it in my hand.

  Dinner is at first an awkward affair. Aunt Virginia attempts to make conversation by sharing Elspeth’s gossip from the night of the Masquerade, but the underlying tension is felt by all.

  I feel strangely paralyzed. My worry over the location of the Stone, the words exchanged with Sonia, and my impending conversation with James all conspire to make me silent, my words unable to compete with the thoughts in my head.

  Finally I gather my wits, trying to remember how a proper hostess behaves.

  “Is your chamber comfortable?” I ask Helene as I lift a glass of wine to my lips.

  Setting her fork down, she nods. “Yes, thank you.”

  “And were you able to rest from your journey?”

  “Yes.”

  Her face is closed, and I wonder if she is making things difficult on purpose or if she is simply unable to sustain a conversation.

  “It must be painful, leaving your home behind.” Sonia’s words are soft. They bring to mind the memory of the girl she was in New York.

  “It is… necessary,” she says. “But yes, it is not easy to leave all that is familiar.”

  I think I see the stoic facade crack, just a little.

  “I know just how you feel,” Sonia says. “I was sent away from my family to live with a stranger in New York. I was very young, but I still remember how disorienting it was to be in new surroundings.” She smiles at Helene. “I did become used to it, however, as I hope you will.”

  Helene sits up straighter, the wall dropping in front of her face once again. “I think you misunderstand. I don’t wish to become used to London. I want to return to Spain as quickly as possible.”

  Luisa shakes her head, her eyes clouded with questions. “Then why have you come?”

  Helene places her glass back on the table, her elegant throat rippling as she swallows the wine. “Because I want this madness to end. I’m weary of being hunted in my sleep, of thinking dark thoughts even in the brightest sunlight. It has only grown worse as I’ve gotten older. If coming to London and joining with you means that I may at last be free, the
n so be it.”

  Aunt Virginia’s nod is full of understanding. I wonder if she is thinking of my mother and her failed struggle to fight the Souls. “And were you surprised when Philip found you?” she asks. “When he explained your place in the prophecy?”

  Helene studies her plate, the food forgotten. When she speaks, I hear remembrance in her voice. “I have always been different. It was more than the mark. For as long as I can remember, I have heard the voices of those on the other side. They spoke to me even when I begged them to stop. And that was not all. Even as a child, I frequently had flying dreams. I knew it wasn’t normal to bring things back from my slumber, but I often did. A stone, a feather, a blade of grass.” She shrugs. “They found their way into my bed at night, and I knew my dreams were real.”

  I am lulled into a state of relaxation by the candles flickering at the table and the lilting accent of Helene’s voice as she continues.

  “But soon they became unpleasant. Soon I was chased through the landscape of those dreams, and I no longer brought back tokens of pleasure. Instead, it was bleeding feet or bruises suffered while trying to escape things dark and frightening.” She pauses. “I didn’t know how to tell anyone save my parents, and they already suspected something was wrong, based on the mark and all the other strange things that had happened since I was a child.”

  “Were they understanding of your abilities?” I hear the pain in Sonia’s question as she recalls her own parents’ unwillingness to accept her otherworldly gifts.

  Helene nods. “As much as they could understand such a thing. But it isn’t enough.” She meets our eyes, one by one. “I’m nearly eighteen. And yet, I cannot allow myself to fall in love, to laugh in the companionship of other young women without watching my every word, for who would accept such a thing? And how could I begin to explain it?”

  I think of James and understand.

  “There are people here,” Luisa says softly. “People in London, like us, with unusual abilities. It doesn’t have to be so lonely.”