Of Tainted Heart (The Quatrefoil Chronicles Book 2) by Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz

Author:Olivia Wildenstein & Katie Hayoz [Wildenstein, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-28T22:00:00+00:00

33

Cadence

Cold skitters inside my bones as I stand on Brume’s oldest street, a narrow passageway that dates back to the fourteenth century. It’s—or rather, it was—cobbled with round stones from the lake instead of the square setts inlaid in the rest of Brume.

I know this because I’ve given many guided tours of the town and taken one myself, mostly to deepen my knowledge of Brumian history. The guide who’d led us through the nooks and crannies of Brume had worn a ridiculous wizard cap and a glued-on beard that had made Alma cackle like a witch. I couldn’t count the times I’d elbowed her, even though our tour guide had seemed more amused than hurt by her laughter.

“La ruelle was supposedly fashioned with magic,” Adrien’s telling Slate. Or maybe he’s telling all of us, although I imagine Gaëlle’s already aware of this lore. “Each rounded stone was set into the sandy mortar, the dark gray ones lined the sides, and the beige ones”—he squats, his coat pooling around him like molten silver, and picks up a pale stone—“filled it in like a carpet.”

I frown, because I recall seeing a drawing of la ruelle in Istor Breou, and it didn’t resemble a beige band with a dark trim. But maybe I’m remembering another road. Adrien’s the professor after all.

“There are exactly twelve hundred stones. I’ve counted them.” Adrien spins one of the darker stones repeatedly between his gloved fingers.

Slate snorts. “Exciting pastime you have, Prof.”

Adrien stands and faces Slate. “It was for a history lesson.”

I clutch my elbows. “Guys, we’re down to eight minutes. Should we just push all the stones onto the sand, or dry mortar, or whatever it is, and hope they magnetically pull themselves into their rightful place like the other items did?”

“I think that’s a solid plan, princess.”

I don’t bother sighing at the nickname. For reasons unbeknownst to me, he enjoys calling me princess. I allow him this quirk, because I no longer think he’s doing it to rankle me.

Not after we held hands.

I can’t believe I held this stranger’s hand.

But most of all, I can’t believe how natural it felt. My fingers tingle with heat that for once isn’t emanating from the Bloodstone.

Gaëlle drops to her knees and starts shoving the pebbles onto the naked stretch of dirt. “I really wish I had some Air power right now. I could just sweep my arm—and voilà.”

Soon.

Maybe.

Would it kill me to be positive?

I scrub out the maybe and focus on the soon. Soon, we’ll have solved the Quatrefoil riddles, proving that we’re worthy, because that is the reason it’s testing us, right? As I kneel to help the others, I refuse to believe it’s all just some Machiavellian game with no end.

Gaëlle always says positive thoughts bring about positive results. So I think positive thoughts until my brain feels like it’s bleeding rainbows.

I sense both Adrien and Slate eyeing me as we work in silence, laying out the pebbles as evenly as possible. I’m guessing Slate’s looking my way because of what happened earlier between us.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.