Chapter 23
Before I could object or even warn Ryder, I was dismissed...by which I mean spirited out of the banquet hall on a wave of sparkling magic. I clenched my locket in one fist, promising myself that I had a means of communication that transcended distance. As the metal bit into my fingers, though, it reminded me that my mother needed me more right now than Ryder did.
So I didn’t push back into the banquet hall but rather backtracked to the kitchen. The space was less crazed now that all of the main dishes had been served, leaving only desserts and cleanup on the roster. Aiti currently drowsed by the fire, but soon there would be no one present to monitor her safety.
“Melissa,” the head cook called as I wavered, undecided. “Take them to Claire’s old room. Bring the keys.”
Keys? I
