Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere by Bella Forrest Page 0,93

which allows the naked eye to see the residual trails of spirits or ancient creatures who have lived long enough to make that sort of mark in Chaos. I dug it out of my personal collection because I hoped it might reveal the pixie trails, what with them being formerly extinct and all.”

He weighed the tool in his hands. “Now, the trails don’t last long, but I have noticed a distinct recurrence—pale, milky-white streaks along the walls and ceilings. They disappear after a minute or so, but I’ve managed to spot several. I also shone the glass on that she-pixie you brought to the Repository, but I couldn’t see anything other than a few tiny, glittery red specks.”

“Have you told Victoria?” I pressed. This specterglass opened up brand-new possibilities, and this was exactly the kind of evidence the head huntswoman needed to see, since she obviously needed proof.

Nathan nodded sadly. “I did, and she told me it wasn’t reliable. She explained that there are countless ghosts inside the Institute—spirits of dead hunters and warriors from the old castle that was here before. She reasoned that the white trails came from them, and it would only be a valid abduction theory if we had a poltergeist. Which, of course, we don’t, or they would’ve made themselves known long before now.”

“And a poltergeist would’ve made a lot more mess,” I added. My Uncle Finch had told me all about his run-in with Ponce de León during his search for the Fountain of Youth.

“So, circling back to the main question here—what’s doing this? It has to be something vaguely spiritual, or the specterglass wouldn’t have picked it up.” Nathan slipped the item back into his pocket. The poor guy looked exhausted.

I fixed him with a stern gaze, about to reveal the secret of the Door to Nowhere. Before I could say a word, however, the pixie burst back out into existence, apparently realizing it was safe. Everything I’d wanted to say melted off my tongue at the sight of him. Maybe we didn’t have to bandy theories about anymore. Nathan spotted the pixie at the same time I did and turned very slowly toward me, as if the slightest sudden movement might spook the little monster.

“I’ve got an idea,” he whispered.

“What if I try to talk to him?” I prompted.

He smiled. “Great minds think alike.”

“He showed up before, but I think you frightened him when you came in. If he’s hanging around, there must be a reason, and I don’t think it stops at mocking the heck out of me.”

I glanced back at the pixie, trying to think of the best way to approach him. After what the Institute had put his people through, he had no reason to trust me. But I had brought him and the other pixies into being, and he had laughed with me, so maybe that earned me some brownie points.

Nathan frowned. “He? Not to be rude, but how can you tell?”

“He’s bulkier than the she-pixie, and his coloring is different,” I replied, taking a step toward the bookshelf. Carefully, I put out my hand. “Do you understand me?”

The pixie eyed me curiously, before giving a loud trill and a nod of his head. Fluttering his navy wings, he floated down from the bookshelf and landed on my shoulder, ignoring my hand completely. It was a little more in-my-face than I’d have preferred, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

Folding his arms across his frog-like chest, he marched up and down the length of my arm, chattering furiously and growling every few seconds. I had no clue what he was trying to say, but I guessed he was peeved.

“Can we rein it in for a second?” I asked. “I’ve got some questions for you.”

The pixie stopped abruptly. Whirling around, he half-leapt, half-flew up to my face and pushed down on the flat of my nose, like a person might do to a dog that wasn’t paying attention. Squeaking and babbling, he flailed his free hand wildly. I didn’t speak his language, but I understood perfectly: he’d talk on his own terms, and he’d answer how he damn well pleased.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Up close, his black eyes were kind of threatening. “Please, if it’s not too much trouble, would you answer some of my questions? I want to help you. I want to stop the hunters from trying to catch you.”

The pixie muttered under his breath and stepped away, dropping to sit on my shoulder and swing his tiny legs.