Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Oh. So this wasn’t what Andrea looked like. Just a random face.
Peering up at her again, Ian said, “If history is correct, King Morris had her coffin brought to the palace. He used to sit in a room on the other side of these catacombs, begging her to wake. Even though he had a new wife, three sons, and a daughter.”
A coffin. Brought here. “My history books say Andrea and Morris—” my however-many-greats grandfather “—loved each other very much.”
“I’m sure they did. Reports claimed Morris allowed no one else to venture down here. Not even his family.” A wry smile curved Ian’s lips. “Legend says he was alone with Andrea’s body when the stones came tumbling down, killing him. But do not worry,” he rushed to assure me, “the entire structure is reinforced now, thanks to my father’s hard work.”
If Morris had indeed died down here, it was a tragic end for the one who helped save the kingdom. “Did the restoration of the catacombs uncover his remains or the coffin?” Ahav hadn’t mentioned it in the journal—that I’d read.
Whimper. The journal, gone forever.
“My father did not find either. And now, Oracle, I must return to my duties.” He bowed, cast Jasher a final glance, and strolled from the room.
“Alone again at last,” Jasher muttered.
I whipped around to face him, dropping the pack and slamming my hands to my hips, mind suddenly right back in that conference room, with a soldier bleeding from every orifice. “You are the shadow. Just admit it.”
Hiking one shoulder in a casual shrug, he said, “When you left the barn with your mother, I wanted to kill you so badly, my mind followed. I was as surprised as you were. Every time I do it, it gets easier.”
Gonna skip right over the death threat. Okay.
I should probably order him not to shadow me again. But I’d felt safer with him nearby. Another strange fact for the enigma that was my life.
“How did you kill the soldier like that?” If he could do it, the others could too. “What did you do?”
“That was another surprise. Like before, I wanted to punish him, and I did.” His smirk darkened. “You are not his to hurt.”
“Only yours?” I muttered, handing him the axes when they appeared inches from his legs. Why not? They’d just reappear to him.
Forks of red spilled through his irises. “To my dismay, the desire to hurt you has continued to decline.”
“Lean into that. See how it feels.” Now then. “You hungry?” I shuffled over to the soup and filled two bowls. After passing one to Jasher, I sat nearby.
We ate in comfortable silence. Both the first bowl, and the second.
When we finished, I trudged to the full-length mirror and frowned at my reflection. Not a single alteration to suggest I was a water maiden. The same Moriah I’d always seen stared back at me. Dark hair confined in a loose braid. Hazel eyes bright with confusion. Freckles. Bruises, scrapes, and scabs scattered across various parts of my body.
As a water maiden, I should be pink like Iris, or red like Elowen. Perhaps green, like Andrea. Not to mention the Wicked Witch of the West.
“What do you see when you look at me?” I asked Jasher. “Physically, I mean. Please tell me.”
“Very well. Ample chest. Squeezable backside. Long legs.”
I snorted. “What about my hair, eye, and skin colors?”
He shook his head, astonished. “You still cannot see it?” A genuine smile spread. “You are blue from head to toe, darling.”
My stomach tightened. Blue? Seriously? But I must be. Why else would everyone keep pegging me as a water maiden at first glance?
But why blue? “Maybe Elowen tried to turn me into Andrea.” What better way to find the Ember than to resurrect the last person who’d used it? “What if only one part of the transformation took?”
“You are blue, yes.” His gaze slid over me, eyelids going heavy. “But you are still Moriah.”
14
MONSTRA 101
Ifought to regain my bearings. He was beautiful, yes, and that look he’d just given me was doing some damage, but I needed to focus.
“Let’s just forget my Smurf makeover for now,” I said. “Do you think Ian’s father found the Ember during his renovation?” Ian could’ve used it to travel back. Could’ve gathered the monstra crystals after Andrea killed them, then brought them here and revived them. “Maybe he righted everything his way.”
That still didn’t explain how Ian cloned himself as monstra.
“Perhaps he did,” Jasher said, “but I still think you’re missing something.”
“I think I’m missing a lot of somethings,” I grumbled.
Kevin spoke from within the backpack. “You survived today. That counts for nothing.”
“I love him,” Jasher stated with a grin.
He could win me over with that look alone.
“We weren’t allowed toys as children,” he admitted. “That would’ve encouraged individuality. Individuality was punished. Harshly.” As soon as he realized he’s shared a tidbit about himself, he pressed his lips into a thin line.