“Bellamy will escort you to your rooms,” Ambrosine said. “I’ve lodged you on the same hall. I thought you would wish to be near each other. You seem such close friends.”

Leo’s cheeks turned pink, the way they did when he was embarrassed. They were close friends, though, weren’t they? So why did it make Sera’s tummy go all wriggly?

Bellamy led them to their rooms in silence. Sera was trying to think of something to say to her when she stopped abruptly.

“Here you are,” she said. “I hope you had a pleasant dinner.”

The words were mechanical, more obligation than warmth.

“It was very nice,” Sera said. “I wish we could have spoken with you more.”

Bellamy gazed at the red-carpeted floor. “She doesn’t like it when I talk.”

“We noticed,” Leo said dryly.

“You must miss your husband very much,” Sera said. “If Ambrosine always brings you with her when she travels.”

Bellamy’s eyes filled with tears. “She likes to take me away from him,” she said. “A punishment.”

“A punishment for what?” Sera asked.

“For marrying me.” Bellamy ducked her head. “Good night.” Then she turned and scurried down the hall.

Sera and Leo looked at each other.

“For being all about family, Ambrosine doesn’t like her own daughter-in-law much,” Leo mused.

“No,” Sera agreed. “Poor thing.”

“Ambrosine’s going to be disappointed when she realizes you don’t know how to get to Braxos.”

“I know,” she said wearily. “But we can face that hurdle another time.”

Leo chuckled. “True. Let’s get some sleep.” As she moved to open her door, he said, “Sera?”

She turned and he was looking at her strangely, in a way that made her feel like her insides had turned to clouds, airy and weightless. “Yes?”

He cleared his throat. “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Oh.” Her heart picked up speed in her chest. “Thank you,” she said. “So do you.”

He laughed and she felt her magic stir inside her, embarrassed. Perhaps that had not been the right thing to say.

“See you in the morning,” he said.

“In the morning,” she repeated.

She barely noticed the grandeur of her room as she stripped off her dress and crawled into bed, and when she at last drifted off, she dreamt of an indigo sky covered with stars, and a crown of shells in a nest of curls.

18

Agnes

MATTHIAS LED AGNES AND VADA TO THE VERY BACK OF the library, to a solid copper door with an imposing lock.

He drew a ring of keys out of his pocket and used a large brass skeleton one to open it.

“These are the archives,” he said. “They hold the largest collection of Pelago’s most ancient texts.”