“You did the right thing,” Leonid told him quietly.
West had his hand on Harlin’s forehead. “She’s burning up. Did you eat or drink anything while you were outside?”
“No, sir,” Edward said. “We were going to have lunch after we played. We had breakfast, but we ate the same thing, so shouldn’t I be ill as well?”
“I need to know what you ate,” West said. “And there’s nothing else you remember? Nothing else at all happened while you were outside? Did you see anyone?”
“No. It was just us, sir.”
“But you separated,” Leonid said. “When she went to the hutch and you went to the barn. Maybe then—” He cut off at the sound of West hissing sharply. “What is it?”
West had rolled up Harlin’s sleeve to reveal an arm that was swollen and darkly bruised. “Someone injected her with poison.” West pointed to a small red dot by the crook of her elbow. “See? Right there.”
“That’s impossible!” Leonid’s father said. “Are you saying someone entered my property and attacked my daughter?”
West was already flipping through one of his books, looking for an antidote. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“This is your fault!” Leonid’s stepmother shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at Leonid. “It’s because you joined the army! Someone you’ve angered must have come here to send you a message!”
Leonid paled. He thinks she’s right, I thought, horrified.
But… What if she was? What if Leonid had ventured too close to the truth about the other case, and the person attacked Harlin to warn Leonid to back off? And now Leonid was just standing there, his expression lost and hopeless as he blamed himself for his sister’s state.
I came around the bed, putting a hand on his arm and making him jump. “Leonid,” I said softly. “We need to act. Now. There might be clues outside.”
“You’re right.” Some clarity returned to his face. Snapping to attention, and sounding and looking much more like the soldier I knew, he turned to his parents. “Father, no one can enter or leave this house, do you hear me? I’m going to send for more soldiers, and we’re going to comb the gardens for clues. In the meantime, stay in here with Harlin.” He turned to West. “Whatever you need to do to heal her, do it. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” West said.
“I’ll help him,” Elyse reassured Leonid.
Leonid gestured for me, Aden, and Vernen to join him in the hallway. Edward followed, hovering by the doorway as he watched his older brother issue orders. “Aden, I need men. Now. There should be some in sector five of Rise. Tell them to come here immediately. Vernen, Irina, we’re going to the gardens.” Leonid took the lead, and we fell into step behind him. I could see Edward out of the corner of my eye, his face a grim mask of determination. Either Leonid didn’t notice him following us, or he didn’t want to waste his time telling his brother to stay indoors when he knew it would be pointless to.
I’d been to the mansion only once, and during that trip I hadn’t seen the backyard, so I couldn’t stop myself from gasping when we stepped outside. I didn’t know if it was because I’d been spending so much time lately in the slums, where everything was pressed together and crowded, but I had a hard time comprehending all of the space.
“I know,” Leonid said. “It’s disgusting, how much they have.”
Stretching before us was a huge lawn that I knew would look lovely in the spring when the grass was green and vibrant. There was an elaborate hedge maze, which the children must have used when playing hide-and-seek, along with a barn, where I could hear a few horses neighing softly to one another. At the far end of the yard was a gazebo; closing my eyes, I could picture Leonid reclining under it, reading a book. But had that ever happened? He’d been miserable here, moving out and joining the army the first chance he got to escape from this wasted extravagance.
And his stepmother.
The entire yard was enclosed by a gray stone fence that came up to my shoulder. An intruder would have to climb over it to enter the yard; it wasn’t impossible, but how did Edward miss seeing the culprit fleeing the scene? Unless the person is still here somewhere? As if reading my mind, Leonid pulled a knife from his belt. “Stay close,” he cautioned. “They could still be here.” Catching sight of his brother, he frowned. “Edward, go back inside.”
“No.” Edward’s lip jutted out stubbornly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I want to help look for clues.”
“This isn’t a game,” Leonid said.
“I know it’s not! Someone hurt our sister, and I want to find them and make them pay!”
“He sounds just like you,” a new voice said. We turned in unison to see Parnaby exiting the house. Joining us, he gave Edward a nod, who returned it briskly.
“Sir,” Leonid started, his gaze darting from his brother and back to the president. “You shouldn’t be here—”
Parnaby waved his hand. “I can take care of myself. Aden already filled me in on what’s happened. If the culprit left any clues behind, we need to find them.” He paused. “And I believe your brother can help. He knows his land better than any of us. He’ll notice if anything is amiss.”
I wondered if I was the only one who saw the hurt that flashed in Leonid’s eyes. Not because Parnaby was overriding him, but because in a kinder world, this would be his land, and he’d know it as well as Edward. I ached to go over to him, but I couldn’t with Parnaby here.
It was strange that Parnaby was here, and the fact that Edward hadn’t even blinked as the supposed street magician joined us and began issuing orders led me to believe he knew about Parnaby’s real identity. Do Leonid’s parents know as well?
“Fine,” Leonid said. “Edward, you’re with me and Parnaby. We’ll inspect the barn and rabbit hutch. Vern, you and Irina check out the maze.” He touched me briefly on the wrist as I passed him. “Be careful,” he murmured.
“You too.” I pulled away before Parnaby could grow suspicious, but I still felt his eyes on me, watching my every move.
VERNEN ENTERED THE MAZE FIRST, a knife in hand. The sight of him holding a weapon surprised me and brought back dark memories of the last time I’d seen him wielding a weapon. He had been fighting for his life, and he’d lost.
“Have you been here before?” I asked, keeping my voice low. There was something about the maze that made me want to creep along cautiously, crouching low to the ground and sticking to the middle of the path, as if I expected the bushes to reach out and grab me.
Vernen looked at me over his shoulder and shook his head. “No. Leon never brought me here. He never had reason to. He wanted to keep this life and his life as a soldier separate.”
“I can understand that. Especially when they’re so drastically different.” We came to a fork in the maze and halted. “Which way?” I asked. The hedges were high, and even on tiptoes I couldn’t see over them. I knew we were looking for clues—or the intruder—but I was beginning to grow uncomfortable. It felt like the hedges were growing, and the sky was darkening, and we’d be trapped in here forever. I knew that was unreasonable—Leonid would find us—but knowing that didn’t stop my heart from racing or my palms from growing sweaty.
The sooner we reached the exit, the better.
“This way.” Vernen turned right, and I followed closely behind. Reminding myself why I was here, I pushed aside the panic that threatened to overtake me as best as I could and searched the area for clues. Instead of a dirt path, which would have provided us with footprints, the ground was paved with stones, and I shook my head at the sheer ridiculousness of it.
“They love to flaunt their money, don’t they?” I murmured.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of movement. Heart leaping, I turned, missing Vernen’s response in the process. Scanning the hedges in front of me, I held my breath, searching, searching…
A white and blue bird darted out between the branches, chirping at me. Letting out a giant whoosh of a
ir, I shook my head, chastising myself for getting so worked up over a bird. I made to rejoin Vernen—
And blinked when I realized I was alone.
“Vernen?” My voice was soft. I cleared my throat and tried again, but this time I couldn’t even form the words. Darkness clouded my vision, and I stumbled, grabbing the nearest hedge for support. The branches caught on my glove and I struggled to free myself, cursing myself for being so foolish and clumsy.
A branch cracked behind me.
No, no, no. It was just another bird. Or a squirrel. Calm down, Irina! I was letting myself get worked up over nothing, and I would be of no help to Leonid or Harlin if I let myself succumb to my fears.
But when I got like this, telling myself not to panic never worked. It only made things worse.
I should go after Vernen. He was probably just around the next corner, or, having discovered I was no longer behind him, was already making his way back to me. There was no reason to turn around.
And yet.
I turned around.
A young man, probably in his mid-twenties, stared at me. He was dressed in a shabby long coat and trousers that were too big for him, and he clutched a knife in his right hand. Light reflected off of the blade, mesmerizing me. I didn’t recognize him. He had brown hair and brown eyes, and a nondescript face; he could be anyone from Way or the slums. I could have passed him on the street twenty times and never would have noticed him.
He was the perfect type of person to commit a crime, I realized, swallowing hard.
I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out. My fear had overtaken me, choking me.
The man lunged for me, and I ran.
The path twisted and turned, and I quickly lost track of where I was. I took the corners tightly, the branches scratching at my face and catching in my hair. A sob rose in my throat, and I forced it back down, forced myself to push aside my fears until I was freed from this maze. Find the exit. It became a chant in my head, drowning out the thud of my heartbeat in my ears. Each step I took would bring me closer to freedom.
I turned the corner and skidded to a stop. A wall of hedges loomed in front of me, preventing me from going any farther. “No,” I said, panting, the words no louder than a whisper. “No, no, no.”
The man turned the corner, breathing as hard as I was. The knife was still clutched in his hand, and I backed away until I crashed into the hedges.
Somehow, I managed to break through my fear to shout, “Stay away from me!”
Vaguely, in the distance, I could hear Vernen calling my name. As the man took another step toward me, I took a deep breath and screamed for all I was worth. My hands grasped at the branches behind me until I found one that was brittle. Snapping it off, I swung it toward the man. “I said, stay away!” The branch hit his hand, causing him to drop the knife with a startled grunt. We both stared at it, time freezing, before we dove for it. My hands curled around the hilt, but the man reached up and grabbed me by the hair, yanking my head back. I cried out in pain, dropping the knife, and he snatched it up, aiming it at me. Diving out of the way, I felt the knife nick my left arm, cutting through both my coat and my skin. With a startled gasp, I fell backward, staring up at him as he approached.
With my fingers scrambling wildly behind me, I felt that one of the stones from the pathway was loose. Prying it free, I swung it wildly toward him.
The stone made a muffled thunk as it connected with his head. Eyes rolling back, he fell to the ground and lay there, unmoving. I put a hand over my mouth, unable to stifle the sob that bubbled up. Was he dead?
“Irina!” It was Leonid, and by the sound of it, he wasn’t too far from me. Desperation and fear made his shouts high-pitched, and I knew I should answer, but my jaw was clenched so tightly that all I could manage was a feeble moan.
Get up, I told myself. Get away from him. But I didn’t think my legs would be able to support me if I did manage to stand. Then crawl!
“Irina!”
I forced my mouth open, inhaling deeply before shouting, “Here!” My throat was raw from screaming earlier, and my voice didn’t sound like mine at all. I hoped they didn’t expect me to call again because that one single cry had sapped all of my strength. Cowering on the ground, I wrapped my arms around my torso and cried.
Footsteps approached, and then Leonid appeared. Ignoring the man on the ground, he rushed to my side, falling to his knees and pulling me into his arms. “Are you all right?”
“No.”
Leaning back, his eyes darted across my tear-stained and scratched face to my arm. “You’re bleeding!” Swearing, he gently pushed back the fabric, examining the wound. I’d forgotten all about being slashed with the knife, but now it began throbbing, the pain matching my heartbeat. “Are you hurt anywhere else? Irina!” He shook me slightly when I didn’t answer, and I blinked, trying to clear my head.
“No. He grabbed my hair…” I trailed off when Leonid’s face darkened.
“I’m going to kill him,” he said.
My jaw began trembling. “I think I did…”
Seeing how upset I was, Leonid let go of me and placed two fingers on the man’s throat as he checked for a pulse. “He’s alive,” he said after a moment. “But not for long.”
“Please at least question him first before killing him,” Parnaby said, appearing suddenly, as he always did. His gaze settled on me. “Did he poison you?”
“I…” My brain tried to come up with the answer for me. “I don’t think so?”
“Good.” Parnaby nodded. “And good job in finding the culprit. Maybe there’s hope for you yet, Irina.” Turning, he waved a hand over his shoulder. “Clean up this mess, Leonid, and bring him to Pelltrock’s prison. We’ll interrogate him there.”
“Sir, with all due respect, Irina’s been injured and my sister’s been poisoned,” Leonid said. “I’m not going anywhere right now.”
I held my breath as Parnaby froze. Would he try to use magic to compel Leonid to listen to him? “Where do you suggest we question him, then?”
“My parents have a wine cellar,” Leonid said. “No one will hear him screaming from down there.”
“Very well then. Let me know when you’re ready.” He walked away without another word.
As soon as he was gone, Leonid kissed me fiercely. “I thought I’d lost you. I should have known better, though. You took care of yourself against Bantheir, and today you held your own against this man.”
“I was scared,” I admitted through chattering teeth.
Leonid raised a brow. “You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t. Now, come on. Can you stand?” He helped me to my feet, supporting me as I swayed once, twice, before I finally managed to stay upright.
I leaned my head against his shoulder, waiting for my heartbeat to slow. “Won’t your parents be upset that you’re bringing the person who attacked your sister into their house?”
He reached for my hand, prying the stone I was still clutching from my fingers. “To tell you the truth, I think they’ll be more upset that you destroyed part of the path.” He tossed the stone onto the ground where it landed with a thump.
“I didn’t! It was already loose!” I yanked my head back to glare up at him.
Leonid smirked, the corner of his lips turning up ever so slightly. “And I’m grateful for that. If you hadn’t had this stone…” The smirk disappeared as his sentence hung in the air between us.
“Where’s Edward?” I asked before Leonid changed his mind and decided to kill the intruder despite his promise to Parnaby.
He left my side so he could inspect the man’s body. After pocketing the knife, he opened the man’s coat and began patting him down. “I told him to wait inside, although I doubt he listened to me,” Leonid said. “What happened to Vernen?”
“We got separated. I thought I heard something, but when I turned around, Vernen was gone.” We exchanged troubled looks. “He has to be close by, right? I should look for him!”
“
No, I’ll go.” Leonid held a hand up to stop me. “I’m not having you wander this maze by yourself. For all we know, our friend could have a partner.” He resumed his search of the man’s coat.
I shuddered. “All the more reason to find Vernen. And fast.”
“I will. Just let me…” Swearing again, Leonid unearthed a small vial and syringe from one of the coat’s interior pockets. “This is the poison. We have to get this to West; it could help him develop an antidote!”
I joined Leonid, careful to steer clear of the man. “Tell me how to get out of here.”
“But—”
“Leonid, we don’t have time to argue. Your sister needs that antidote. Now.” I stared into his dark eyes. “Meanwhile, you take care of him and then find Vernen.”
He paused for a moment, conflict in his eyes. “You’d think Parnaby would stick around long enough to magically tie up our culprit,” he grumbled.
“And get his hands dirty? That’s not going to happen and you know it.”
With a defeated sigh, Leonid handed me the vial, which I carefully cradled in both hands as he listed the path I needed to take in order to reach the exit. He said it three times, and then had me repeat it before he was satisfied. We kissed again, too brief for my liking, and I left, following Leonid’s instructions until the exit appeared.
I exhaled in relief and headed for the manor.
The Burning Chaos (Smoke and Mirrors Book 2) Page 12