The Chocolatier's Wife (102 page)

Tasmin
waited,
and
then
she
went
to
the
hidden
door,
pressing
her fingers
against
the
stones.
“Open,”
she
whispered,
and
the
sprites
did
as
she bid.
She
went
and
took the
stone
from
the
makeshift
bed,
and
unwrapped it from
the coat.

“We
found
records
that
the
Bishop
had
had
masonry work
done,
but couldn’t
tell
where
or
why.
Oh,
that
intelligent
man.”
Franny sounded impressed.

“My
aunt
told
me
about
the
amulet,”
Tasmin said,
even
though
she’d never gotten
a
chance
to
speak
to
her
at
all.
“You
hold
it
over
your
heart, like
this.”
She
demo
n
strated. “The
power
inside
this
is
incredible,
it
rages, willing
you
to
use
it.
It
changes
you,
calls
you
in
your
sleep.”
She
clutched it
to
her
chest,
as
if
feeling
the
need
of
the
stone
deeply,
her
knuckles
white around
it.

“Give
it
here!”
Franny
grabbed
it
from
Tasmin, looking
at
it
with
awe. Tasmin
walked
away,
as
if
bereft,
but
watched
as
Franny
pressed
her
hands close
to
the
stone,
holding
it
over
her
heart, pressing
hard,
trying
to
feel what Tasmin
meant.

“You
weren’t
trained
at
the
Bearbourne, where
you?”
Tasmin
said, removing
an
iron
pin from
her hair.

“No,
shush, I’m
trying to hear what she’s saying.”

Tasmin turned, the sharp iron pin between her thumb and forefinger. “She’s
saying
you
made
a
mistake, angering
my
sprites,
and
a
worse
one, when
you
angered
me.”

She
flicked the
pin
at
Franny,
and
the
sprites
that had
not
left
guided
it
home,
next
to
the
knuckle
of
her
left
ring
finger,
and into the stone.

“That
is
nowhere
near
my
heart.”
Franny
reached
over
and
grabbed
the pin as light began to appear around
the shard
of iron.

“The
stone
absorbs
life
and
magic.
That’s
how
the
mages
got
it
to take
Ithalia’s power,
by
creating
something
triggered
by
heart’s
blood, something
that
would
absorb
the
very
being
who
held
it.
Really.
I
didn’t
go to Bearbourne,
either, but even I
knew that from
simple amulets class.”

“I
can’t
let
go
of
it!
It
won’t
let
me
let
go,”
Franny cried,
and
Tasmin closed her eyes.

The
expected
flash
of
light
came,
leaving
nothing
but
the
stone,
rocking on the floor.

Tasmin felt
ill
and
faint.
She
wanted
to
sink
to
her
knees,
but
instead, she grabbed the table edge and
looked into the bowl.

Chapter
2
4

Auguro fifth,
Gold Mn. Qtr 1792

Dear
Tasmin,

Ah,
I
am chastised.
Of course I
should have
told you
ahead
of time, but as
I
suspect you
and
I
shall
be
sharing
the
same
abode soon,
it will be
much
easier for us to discuss things.

In
that
light,
what
precisely
are
your current plans?
I
should not care to interrupt any activities that you wish to finish,
for when
the
words are
said,
then
you
must come,
and
you
will have no
say
in that
matter, either.

Yours soon,

William

It
was
not,
as
places
to stand
went,
a
place he’d ever
wanted
to
spent
any
amount
of time.
His
boots
felt
firm
upon
the
roof
edge,
despite
the
bit
of
heel
that
was
over
the
air,
but
his
back
felt
squeamish,
as
if
any
second
it knew it was about to impact with the rocks
below.

“So,
while
we
wait
for
Franny
to
retrieve
the
stone
from
Tasmin,
do
you care to ill
u
minate me on
some points?” he asked cheerfully, as if they were sitting at a café.

Lavoussie
r
grinned
.
“No
t
particularly
.
Lif
e
i
s
no
t
certain
.
A
n
earthquake coul
d
hit
,
o
r
a
bol
t
o
f
lightning
,
o
r
a
garriso
n
o
f
soldier
s
coul
d
suddenl
y
lea
p
upo
n
th
e
roof
,
an
d
I’
d
hav
e
spille
d
th
e
plo
t
an
d
I
woul
d
ge
t
awa
y
wit
h
nothing.
”

“Yo
u
soun
d
a
s
i
f
you’v
e
spen
t
to
o
muc
h
tim
e
wit
h
m
y
intended,
”
he said
,
amuse
d
despit
e
th
e
situation
.
Tha
t
wa
s
exactl
y
th
e
sor
t
o
f
logi
c
he woul
d
hav
e
expecte
d
t
o
hea
r
fro
m
her.

“No
t
nearly
,
William
,
an
d
no
t
a
s
intimatel
y
a
s
I
woul
d
hav
e
liked
.
Though
,
she’
s
no
t
nearl
y
a
s
prett
y
a
be
d
decoratio
n
a
s
i
s
hi
s
wife.
”
H
e
pointe
d
t
o
Andrew
.
Th
e
word
s
Andre
w
use
d
wer
e
no
t
complimentary
.
“Shu
t
i
t
befor
e
I
kil
l
yo
u
both
.
Afte
r
all
,
I
d
o
hav
e
tw
o
weapons.
”