Winterly (Dark Creatures Book 1), стр. 121

Up the stairs she scurried, her ears pricked and her eyes darting over every shadow. She hadn’t heard his chamber door open, and yet the dragon’s footfalls had ceased. Mina held herself still to listen. The castle was so silent that she could hear the dying stars tremble before the stirring dawn, and sense the low sigh of the moon sinking behind the trees, and the grey hush of the world as it hovered between night and day.

She pressed herself into the wall and waited, her cat eyes fixed, trained on the darkness beyond where she sensed his presence. She would not move until he did. At length, a door creaked open and the sound of fitful slumber issued from the dragon’s chamber. Ahh, so he had waited for his beloved’s sleep to deepen. Why?

The door shut with a soft click, which allowed the cat to slink a little closer. But not too close. Not yet. She had only a few moments more to wait before she heard a latch turning—the window opening and closing again. Thereafter, the sound of great wings beat out across the moors.

Gone at last. When she could hear him no more, Mina trembled with relief and then hurried to his chamber door. After a few bolstering breaths, she gathered her power and dispersed herself like wisps of smoke through the tight gap beneath the door. On the other side of it, the cat materialized, panting and shuddering until every last whisker and hair betook its place.

Ana was already perched on the sill just outside the window, unable to enter. Only Boudicca, the cat, had been invited in with Milli’s possessions. The raven hopped about, anxious lest the master return betimes. Make haste!

Mina nodded and leapt onto the bed where the sleeping girl lay pale and motionless. Beside her had been placed a letter and the signet ring of Markus Winterly. Mina snatched both up in her mouth and scurried to the window where she broke the seal.

My dearest Emma—It will no doubt alarm you to know that I have ever loved to watch you sleep, and I did so often even in London, if only to guard you from the white spider, and to marvel at the peaceful repose of your features. In those precious moments, your peace was mine also. Such peace as I have not known in all my long life; for that I adore and thank you. In return, I have made of you a wilted prisoner here and stolen that peace you once possessed.

I confess I am an old thief, a thief of life and freedom; a thief of peace. I sought to possess you completely. Ever a prideful being, this has never disturbed me until now. Your life has become far dearer to me than even my own. And if I must relinquish my pride to set you free, I shall, even at the cost of my own peace of mind. My heart, which I thought long dead, is, as it turns out, possessed by the very person I sought to possess.

So here I stand—checkmated by the white queen after all—yours completely. Though I shall never be free of you, I offer you your freedom. Take it with all my love. And to this I add pecuniary freedom also, though, I suspect you may reject it. Nevertheless, I have left instructions with Skinner who will furnish you with the address of my solicitor in London. He will be expecting you. Provisions for you and your sister will have been made by the time you read this letter; it is my wish that your independence be absolute. Some small recompense for your sojourn into the Underworld. You are, whatever your feelings on the subject, now a very wealthy woman. And free.

I desire you will live a long life and spend your days howsoever you choose. I shall do all in my power to keep Malach from you and your sister. It is my everlasting hope that you find it in your heart to return to me someday. Until then, keep my ring so that all will know you are to be protected and revered.

Keep the ring and let me hope. I love you, my enduring rose.

Yours in eternity,

Markus

The raven read the words from the window, scoffing at every line. Mina was inclined to agree. They’d seen enough. With the letter once again clutched between her fangs, Mina sprang onto the windowsill and flicked the latch open to join her sister on the ledge. Both the letter and the ring were then transferred to the raven’s waiting claws. With not a moment to waste, Ana flew from the window.

Mina did not stay to watch her go but rushed under the bed to await her sister’s return. The letter required only a little…improvement, and Tanith was an excellent mimic. Once it was sealed in wax again, there would be no more need for the signet ring. And when Emma was done leading them to Milli, there would be little point in keeping the little trull alive. She was, after all, no longer a virgin, no longer useful. Only the heart was of value now, doubly so now that it was known she possessed the dragon’s heart as well. Malach would be pleased. The only way to kill the dragon was through the heart, and Emma would be his undoing. Markus would be easily dispatched once Emma was dead.

Above Mina’s head, the girl shivered beneath the coverlet. The room was cold—it is always coldest on the edge of night, before sunlight erupts over the horizon. Markus had lit a fire in the hearth before he’d left, but the warmth it threw off was no match against the cold pouring in through the open window.

Useless though the fire was to Emma, Mina was determined to put it to better use. After all, a nest of fire and ash was the perfect resting place for