“We shouldn’t be here.”

“This laboratory shouldn’t be here, either, yet it is,” said Sophia. “And besides, Willard led us here. On accident. Right, Willard?”

Kane resented being used as a prop, but to show it would defy Sophia’s understanding of him. In both the reverie and reality, actually. He tried to catch Dean’s eye, but the boy was looking at the stairs. Nervous, Kane rolled the whistle in his palms.

“Someone’s coming!” Dean said. There was a commotion as the three tried to hide, all of them crushing into the space under the desk.

Nothing happened, and it seemed like Dean was mistaken. And then, sure enough, a person appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

Kane watched in the mirror.

It was Helena. She had changed from her red dress into trousers and a coat, swapped her bird hat for a sensible cap that hid her hair. She lugged a canvas suitcase to the middle of the room, set it down on the desk above them, and popped it open. Then Helena began selecting specific eggs from the showroom. She took the rose-gold egg, then the diamond and garnet one. After a long deliberation she snatched up an egg of milky opal, and finally a plain egg of simple blue stone veined in gold.

“I fear all that time in this laboratory cost Mother her perspective. She should never have created you. And Father will never see you as anything more than your precious skins and scales,” she said to the eggs. “I promise I will return for the rest of you. Please be patient. Please, be good.”

She kissed the blue egg and placed it in the case, then paused to pick something off the floor. The black whistle.

Shit. Kane hadn’t realized he’d dropped it.

Helena held it up, looking around as she did so. Her eyes caught on the desk. She moved to block the door.

“Who’s in here?” Defiance laced her voice, as hard and glinting as the cut crystals of the eggs.

Kane grabbed Dean’s face and mouthed one word.

Go.

Then Kane stood up. Helena blinked, but the threat drained from her at once.

“Willard? How on earth did you find your way down here?”

Kane obediently shuffled out from behind the desk, meandering so that Helena turned away from the desk completely. It was not hard to feign bashfulness at getting caught. It was even easier to stay silent.

“I’m surprised you remembered how to get to Mother’s Nest,” Helena said, referring to the laboratory. Her amused tone turned sad. “I’m surprised you remember this house’s secrets at all, actually, after what they did to you.” She showed him the whistle. “Is this what you’ve been playing with?”