He glanced at Brody. “Anything to report?”
The dog shifter looked up from the meal he was wolfing down. “She … stayed in her room most of the day.”
“And when she wasn’t in her room?”
Brody slanted a wary glance at Nevis, then downed his goblet of wine.
Leo sat back in his chair. Had she talked to more dead people today? “Nevis, you may go.”
“Huh?” Nevis looked them over, then lifted his chin. “Why should I? Do you think I can’t be trusted?”
“I trust you when it concerns me,” Leo told him. “But this is about Lady Tatiana.”
“She’s going to be your wife. I would protect her just like I do you.” Nevis thumped his chest. “With my life!”
Leo gave his old friend a wry smile. “All right. But there are some strange things going on you might find hard to believe. And you’ll need to keep it secret.”
“Of course.” Nevis stepped closer. “What is it?”
“We believe she’s Embraced,” Leo said softly. “And her gift is the ability to see and talk to the dead.”
Nevis stiffened. “Damn. That is strange.”
Brody sighed. “It’s about to get stranger.”
“How do you get stranger than that?” Nevis asked.
Brody refilled his goblet. “She received a secret letter at dawn.”
“From her lover?” Nevis asked.
“No!” Brody shouted, then gritted his teeth. “She’s not having an affair.”
Nevis scoffed. “Of course she is. I found that note she wrote to Captain—”
“Forget the note.” Leo folded his arms on the desk and leaned toward Brody. “How did she receive this letter?”
Brody sipped some wine. “It was on a rock offshore. She had to wade into the sea to get it. I tried to stop her. The undertow was strong and swept her off her feet—”
“Is she all right?” Leo asked.
Brody nodded. “And she was delighted with the letter.”
“It must be from her lover,” Nevis grumbled.
“No.” Brody shot him an annoyed look. “If the letter was from Captain Booger, why would he leave it in the sea where it was dangerous for her to retrieve it? He could leave it anywhere in the castle.”
“That’s true.” Leo frowned. “Unless he’s one of the assassins and he’s trying to kill her.”
Brody shook his head. “I don’t think he left it there. He was nowhere in sight.”
“Then who left it?” Leo asked.
Brody hesitated, then looked away. “I don’t know.”
Leo narrowed his eyes. “You do.”
Brody made a noise of frustration. “It was … seals.”
“What?” Leo and Nevis both asked.
Brody shrugged. “I told you it was strange.”
“Seals?” Leo ran a gloved hand through his hair. “Some creatures from the sea brought her a message? How?”
“It was in a bottle. With a few colored pebbles.” Brody shifted in his chair. “And there’s more.”
“What?” Leo muttered. “A walrus?”
“She made the sign of the moons.”
Leo sat back. Holy shit. “That could get her killed.”
“Did anyone see her?” Nevis asked.
Brody shook his head. “She was careful.”
“Not careful enough.” Leo tapped a finger on the table. “Why would she pray to the goddesses? That only happens on the islands.”
“According to the gossip I heard, that’s where she was nursed back to health. After she and her father became ill in Ronsmouth, he took her to a convent on the Isle of Moon. They have a nun there who’s a renowned healer.”
Nevis nodded. “I heard the same thing.”
“So she switched her faith to their goddesses?” Leo asked. “She couldn’t have been there a fortnight.”
Brody shrugged. “But if she nearly died, and the nuns saved her, she might believe it was their goddesses who made it happen.”
“I suppose.” Leo didn’t actually care which gods she prayed to. He just didn’t want her endangering herself in the process. He sat up when something occurred to him. “The message could have come from the Isle of Moon.”
Brody’s eyes widened. “Perhaps.”
“But who would send it?” Nevis asked.
“A nun from the convent?” Brody suggested.
Leo tilted his head, considering. “Would a nun use seals as a messenger service?”
Brody frowned. “You’re thinking a witch sent it?”
Leo sighed. “I don’t know what to think.” But one thing was clear. His betrothed was much more interesting than he had ever imagined she could be. Beautiful and intriguing. He couldn’t wait to discover more about her.
* * *
Luciana woke with a start and gazed around the dark room. She’d waited so long she’d fallen asleep on the bed.
She rushed to the tower window that overlooked the Southern Sea. The twin moons were still above the western horizon. Dawn was an hour or so away.
Disappointment needled her as she made her way down the spiral staircase. She’d waited for hours, and her mother’s spirit had never appeared. Or perhaps her mother had come, but she’d slept right through it.
At the base of the tower she found Pirate, curled up and waiting. “How did you know I was here?” She rubbed his ears. He’d probably tracked her with his excellent sense of smell. “Come on, let’s go.”