Neither of us spoke for a moment, then Pierre broke the silence. “You took a great risk in coming here, Princess, and I think you sought me out in particular for a reason.”
“I did. We need your help.” Extracting the list of names and dates from my pocket, I handed it to him. Then I explained my suspicion about Anushka’s immortality. “I need to know if there’s a pattern.”
“Alignment of the winter solstice and the full moon,” Pierre muttered. Books floated off shelves and charts unrolled to hang in the air. I watched in silence as he flipped swiftly through the pages, eyes flicking periodically to the carefully inked charts, one hand holding a pen, which he occasionally used to jot down a date.
Though I was desperate to know if my theory was correct, I stayed silent and out of the way until he set his pen down. “Well?”
He handed me back my list, along with the page with the dates he’d written down. “Your thesis appears to be correct. Although you are missing one – the most recent.”
Knowing there was a chance the unmarked grave in the woods belonged to my maternal grandmother in no way prepared me for seeing it all but confirmed in a single, scrawled date. Now I was certain Anushka was using the lives of her female descendants to make herself immortal, and dread seeped through my veins with the knowledge that tomorrow night would be my mother’s last if I didn’t stop Anushka.
“Tomorrow night is the solstice,” Pierre said. “It is also a full moon.”
Before I could say anything, someone pounded at the door. “Pierre! Open up or I’ll break it down. We saw the half-blood come inside.”
Half-blood? It took a heartbeat for me to realize whoever was outside was referring to me. Whether they’d been watching the house or noticing me had been a coincidence didn’t really matter: Pierre didn’t own any servants. He didn’t have a legitimate reason for talking to a half-blood girl. And he especially didn’t have a legitimate reason to be talking to me.
The little troll hissed a breath out between his teeth, eyes flashing bright with anger. The room grew warm with magic, and for the first time, it occurred to me that my friend was a far more formidable force than he appeared. “Go upstairs and out the window onto the roof,” he said. “It’s one of the Duke’s men.”
“This is my fault,” I whispered. “They’re here because of me.”
He shook his head. “This has been a long time in coming, I fear,” he replied, taking my hand and squeezing it with his. “My allegiances are well known.”
They were going to kill him. “I’m not leaving you to die,” I said, racking my brain for a solution. A blow struck the door and the entire house shook.
“You have no choice. If they catch you, they’ll kill you in an instant. Trollus can afford to lose me, but losing you is quite another matter.”
“I’ll take you with me,” I babbled, unwilling to concede. “I can carry you. I’ll take you somewhere safe.”
Another blow smashed against the door with an echoing thud, and I knew it wasn’t stone that was keeping them out. It was magic against magic.
“There is nowhere in Trollus that is safe. You must get away now while there is still time.”
He was right, and I hated it. But staying wouldn’t just be risking my life – it would be risking Tristan’s, and in doing so, I’d be putting the fates of countless other trolls in jeopardy. Flinging my arms around his shoulders, I squeezed hard. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry.”
He patted me on the shoulder. “Take care of that boy for me, my sweet girl. He needs you.”
“I will,” I said, but my voice was drowned out by the thunder of magic.
“Run!”
I sprinted to the stairs, taking them two at a time. There were stacks of books and papers littered everywhere on the second level, and I leapt over them, staggering as the whole house swayed. Ahead was a window looking out over the neighboring home, and I flung it open. There was a gap between the two structures. I was going to have to jump. Climbing onto the ledge, I clung to the frame and slowly straightened. Stone fell and smashed against the street as the front of the house collapsed. Sucking in a breath, I bent my knees and leapt forward.