Elnora rubbed Bethan’s shoulder affectionately; she bit her lip, holding back words.

‘My father will return in the next hour; get your stories straight. I imagine he will be very cross if you don’t find anything.’

She sounded so monotone. And Kellan couldn’t think why, when typically, even deep within her lies, she was so animated.

At that, Elnora left.

And if memories served him correct, he remembered precisely where more books were kept in Rennigan House.

In the same room, Canden Whittaker met his end.

chapter thirty-two

chapter thirty-two

bethan kore

kellan’s steps were soundless, and Bethan regretted wearing her heeled boots because it was hard to keep quiet on the herringbone floors.

Kellan told her what parts of the floor to step on; she stepped on the edge by the skirting boards. Paintings in golden frames adorned the halls. One depicted a man looming over a woman; he was dressed in a crimson red cloak, and his face was scarred. The woman concealed her face with her arm to defend herself from the strange man. She stared down at the small plaque and read The Unseen in Hestgartia.

Hestgartia was where the gods roamed, where the Trine rested and where Kretians also believed that the land of eternal wishes lay. But what alarmed Bethan was the mention of the Unseen again, an ominous figure supposedly leading the Adelian.

Kellan caught her attention, and he edged around a corner with his back to the wall; he summoned her closer, as she had fallen behind.

They were about to enter the ballroom, where they once were in the winter. Kellan held a dagger in his hand, but she peeked at his belt and saw a short sword attached to his hip. However, it wasn’t his favourite dagger, the one that belonged to his father, was still in Elnora’s clutches.

She had sometimes forgotten Kellan was a trained warrior. He once told her that he always suspected he would end up a general one day, and Bethan prayed he wouldn’t have to go back so soon. She knew he told her not to think about their future together and be present, but she couldn’t help but fear their potential separation.

Bethan was thankful that the only occupants in the house were Kai and Sunni; otherwise, they would have been caught. The sheer size of the house gave them enough time to put distance between themselves and the Rennigans.

She supposed it was her house. Not theirs. In her ancestral home, she stared around the ballroom, hoping she could find any clues or marks her ancestors may have left on their home. Or did the Rennigans simply destroy every trace of them?

The Original Family. Her family were the first. The ones who led the witches into this land. Into Krete.

Blood Witches. Could she one as well?

‘Bethan,’ Kellan whispered, setting her on task, ‘this way.’