A Thief of Nightshade(56)

was

undoubtedly

expensive.

Movement from the far side of the room caught his attention and he walked slowly around the bed, where he found Aubrey huddled on the floor in the corner. Gaunt and shivering, she had a lost expression in her eyes.

He crouched down beside her, “Aubrey?”

“No,” she moaned, “go away.

Please.” She shut her eyes and gathered her knees closer to her chest. She cringed as Aislinn gently touched her shoulders.

He compassionately rubbed her arms and said as softly as he could, “Hey, it’s all right. I won’t hurt you. Listen to my voice. You know me. I’m not a figment of your imagination.”

She took a painfully long time to open her eyes and even then she appeared more timid than he could have ever envisioned. “Aislinn?” she whispered.

“In the flesh, apparently.”

She reached out shyly to brush some of the hair from his face. “You don’t look anything like Jullian.”

He laughed, “Nope. Not even a little bit.” He and Jullian shared the same strong build and tall stature, but where Jullian was pale and bright-eyed, Aislinn was sun-kissed and dark-eyed. “Where are we?”

She was shaking so badly he wondered if she were going to be able to stand; odder still, he noticed that though she was visibly upset, she’d shed no tears.

Her eyes weren’t even red. “My parents’

house and none too recently,” she spoke quietly, as though she feared someone else would hear her.

“This was your room,” he said, looking around.

“No, this is my sister’s room.

Brooke.” Aubrey gazed beyond him heavy-lidded. “They’re all here, but they can’t see me. Not now.”

The words not now struck Aislinn in the chest and he instinctively reached for her hand. Just as he did, a crash came from the direction Aubrey was looking.

The sound nearly made her jump from her skin.

“Come on, let’s leave.” Aislinn said.

“Let’s go outside at least until we can figure out how to get back to—”

“The doors and windows are sealed shut.” Her words were faint and her tone despondent. Whatever she had just relived, it had been more than she could take.

He squeezed her hand and helped her to her feet, then leaned into her, saying, “We’ll make it through this, like we’ve made it through everything else so far.

You can do this. Remember what you said to Jullian? Fight this, I know you can.” He hadn’t considered his words, but the moment he realized what he’d revealed, he regretted them.

She looked at him horrified. “You heard me when I spoke to him? When the Oran was ... you didn’t see...” she trailed off.

The last thing he was going to do was lie to her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to know.” He’d seen Aubrey blush at the Crimson Stair, but this was different. He’d caused it this time.

The second before the door shut behind Aislinn, he watched Aubrey’s gaze fix on something. He turned around to see a thin wisp of a child leaning against the closed door, her hands tightly clutched to her chest. The auburn tresses gave her away.

Aubrey remained still, her body held rigid. “I don’t remember this.”

Aislinn watched as the girl tried the knob once more to assure herself that no one could get in. Then she climbed over the bed to curl into a ball in the corner, where Aubrey had just been.

A tremendous pound on the door startled all of them. A man spoke; judging by the tenor of his voice, it was Aubrey’s father.

“Elana open this door right now!”

Aubrey’s breath was barely a ragged pant. “This didn’t happen. I would have remembered this.”

Her father hit the door harder and Aislinn moved to stand between it and Aubrey, taking her face in his hands. “This is a tool the Goblin King is using to trap you in your own mind. It isn’t happening now, either.” He paused, trying his damndest to consider everything. “He’s using your own fears against you.”

“Elana, I know you can hear me!” her father sounded like he was on nightshade.

His words were slurred, his tone unchecked.

“He’s drunk,” Aubrey whispered.

“That’s what alcohol does in my world.”

“Close your eyes,” Aislinn said calmly, “and picture somewhere else, somewhere you feel safe.”

“Aubrielle Elana!” Her father’s voice was making it difficult for Aislinn to hear himself think, let alone say anything out loud. He wondered if she’d heard him and was about to repeat himself when the door behind him swung open.

Aubrey finally closed her eyes and everything went black, the ground below them shifting in a dizzying direction.

When the world stopped moving, he cautiously opened his eyes and let go of where he’d gripped Aubrey hard by the arms. They were sitting on a dock, facing a small lake. “You did it!” he laughed.

“Oh my God, look at the trees!” He was amazed at the brilliant colors.

Aubrey smiled, obviously relieved and for a long few minutes they were silent, catching their breath and calming down.

“Jullian always loved this time of year,” she said. “I hadn’t really noticed, but now that I think about it, the only truly colorful things I have seen in Avalar are handmade. You don’t have seasons like this, do you?”