Scales of Truth by Isabel Campbell & Michael Anderle

Author:Isabel Campbell & Michael Anderle [Campbell, Isabel & Anderle, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LMBPN Publishing
Published: 2024-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

Stacy felt the magic in the gate pulling toward one part. At the center, one of the bars ended in a shorter spike than the others. With her back turned to the car and her body shielding the spike, Amy did not see what Stacy did next.

She glanced away from the light and pushed her thumb against the sharp spike. She felt a sting, then a droplet of blood tipped the spike. An ancient creak followed, and the gate swung open. Her heritage had given her the key. Stacy released a huff of disbelief, then turned back to the car where Amy remained, looking on in wonder.

“Do you see that light?” Amy asked when Stacy was back in the driver’s seat. “I suppose it’s in the house, but I can’t tell. It must have been on the whole time, and I’m just now noticing.”

Stacy didn’t say anything, but she had thoughts about the matter. Her mother’s spirit must have been here. Or maybe the house recognized that Catherine Thorn’s blood had come at last and was preparing for her.

The Bentley Bentayga purred to life as Stacy turned it back on, its powerful engine a comforting growl in the stillness surrounding them. She considered walking the rest of the way, but she liked having the security of being inside something until she knew what she was dealing with.

The beams of the headlights illuminated the space before her. The trees lining the path appeared different from those on the main grounds. The branches twisted in abnormal, grotesque shapes, almost like skeletal arms reaching to grasp anyone who passed. They were not brown like the branches elsewhere but a grayish-green. They looked ancient and ill, as if they had long ago tired of growing in this place.

She wondered if they had looked alive when her mother tended to this place. The shadows around them seemed to cling as if commanded by her magic to remain.

She still had her window down, and she felt the temperature drop when they were past the gate. The cold moisture of night crept over her. Vines crawled across the ground and snaked over the driveway. Weeds sprung up in several corners. The landscape itself conspired to ward off intruders, a protective ruse crafted by her mother’s enchantments to deter the uninvited. The place looked like only Catherine Thorn had ever come here, and after she was dead, no one could get past the gate.

As Stacy rolled the car forward, the driveway unfurled like a ribbon, and the oppression lifted to reveal a less sinister landscape. She breathed easily again. The trees looked normal, full of healthy leaves. She wondered if she’d been seeing things before, but she realized the closer she got to the house, the more the landscape returned to its true state. As if her presence was restoring the grounds.

If Amy noticed any of it, she didn’t comment.

Stacy scanned the trees. They went on for what felt like forever. I’m not only an heir to Khan Drakethorn but also to Catherine.

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