SOPHIA

Tilda and I walked down the stairs, both feeling worse for wear. Alcohol was poisonous. My mouth felt like cotton and my head stuffed with electric spikes. Tilda and I finished up the cold pot of tea, and the pitcher of water kept near the bedside.

By the time we were done hydrating, I felt much better.

It was Tilda’s idea to dig through Jace’s dressing room to find more suitable clothing for our foray into the muck-filled waters of what used to be the living room. Not to mention the need to assess the damage in the rest of the house.

Thanks to Tilda’s expertise, we both wore pants, rolled up to the ankles and tightly belted and shirts with cut-off sleeves and tied at the waist. Because walking around in mucky water in high heels was, as Tilda put it, "stupid as hell," we were barefoot. It was in this moment, we both decided to buy boots at the first opportunity.

"Mornings suck," said Tilda. "This morning in particular is the suckiest suck of suckington."

I looked at her. "You have the oddest way of speaking."

"You have no idea."

We stopped on the second floor where the maids waited. They all looked tired and scared. Hannah rushed up to us. "What should we do, Mrs. Willowmarch?"

"We should look for the housekeeper and cook first," I said. "We need to check on the groomsmen, too." I looked at Tilda. "I’ll arrange for you to return to Velvetleaf."

"What? And miss all this fun? No, thanks." She slung her arm around my neck. "We’re friends for life now, Sophia."

I grinned at her. I’d never had a true friend before.

Well, that I could remember.

"Let’s go," I said.

We went down the last flight of steps. The water had receded somewhat, but it was still ankle-deep and too muddy to see the floor. Tilda shuddered as she stepped into the sloshing water. "It’s so gross."

"Be careful as you’re walking around. There might be broken objects or tree limbs."

"Or animals," added Hannah.

"Animals? What animals?" Tilda looked horrified.

"Beavers. Otters. Lizards." She counted them on her fingers. "Not to mention leeches and water bugs. There are all kinds of insects that live in the water."

"And bacteria," added Tilda. "I’m regretting my life choices right now."

"You should go back to the room," I told her. "This isn’t your mess. I don’t want you to get hurt because a storm launched a tree in my house."

"No. I’m all in, okay? I just don’t want to die. By the way, if I find a leech anywhere on my person, you are to immediately set me on fire, do you hear me?"

"Understood," I said, grinning.

After an inspection of the downstairs, it became obvious that Amaranth Manor was in trouble. Not only were walls soaked and crumbling in places, but mold was already growing along baseboards and cabinetry.

The larder was a complete loss. Water had not only soaked the grains and vegetables stored on the floor, but somehow, the ceiling above had leaked, too.

The living room was worse than I thought it would be. The tree had smashed the front of the house into rubble. Now it lay in the middle of the destruction it caused. Leaves and limbs and bark had exploded everywhere.

Nearly all the furniture was a loss. Whatever wasn’t broken was soaked and started to mold, just like everything else.

"You can’t live here," said Tilda as we sat on the second floor stairs and bemoaned our fates. "Even if you could avoid the downstairs, which you can’t, you would still risk breathing in mold spores. That shit can kill you. You have no way to make meals. The water supply is probably filled with yuck, too. And once you start repairs, it’ll take months for it to be fixed."

"If it can be fixed," I said. "I should just burn it all to the ground."

"Fire would probably help a lot," said Tilda. "I’m a big fan of anarchy." She patted my shoulder. "My entire living quarters are about the space of your dressing room, but you’re welcome to squeeze in for as long as you need."

"I appreciate it that, but if I have to, I can go live in Chapter House and coordinate the restoration. Plus, I have to inform Jace. I don’t know if he’ll even come back to view the damage. His parents might. But they have an even bigger house in the Capital. I don’t know if they’ll care all that much about Amaranth Manor. It’s the country estate, after all."

"Yes. How tragic to have too many houses to live in," said Tilda drolly.

I was too tired to laugh. Instead I laid my head on her shoulder and sighed. "There’s not much you can do now, Tilda. I appreciate you staying with me. But you should go home and take a bath. Eat something delicious. Scrub the leeches from your body."

Tilda screeched and smacked my leg. "That’s not funny!"

I sat up. "It’s a little funny."

"That’s it. I’m going to my leech-free home."

We stood up, and she hugged me. "I’ll borrow a horse. Then I’ll leave him at the livery stable in town."

"Okay," I said. I walked her out to the front porch. "I’ll talk to you soon."

"Everything will be okay," said Tilda. Then she took off across the muddy yard, heading toward the stables.

The housekeeper and cook had been found huddling in one of the back storage buildings, so they were fine. I gathered everyone in the front yard, and dismissed all the staff. I paid them three months wages as compensation for their job loss. Everyone seemed happy about that.

I arranged for the rest of the horses to be taken into town and boarded at the livery stable. Once I got to Chapter House, I could decide what to do next.

After everyone left, I went out to the garden.

The sky was clear. Not a cloud to be seen. In the dark purple evening, I could see the stars starting to appear.

It was no wonder that I ended up at the oak tree, staring at the heart with the mystery intials. Hadn’t I dreamed of a teenaged boy carving this for us?

Not Jace.

But who?

"Miss Pagemoore," said a man’s voice from behind me.

I turned and saw the masked man standing there, smiling. "It seems you’ve had a bit of trouble."

"You’re real."

"Very." He gestured to the house. "You’re not staying here, are you?"

"No." I stared at him. "We know each other, don’t we?"

"Should we see if that’s true?"

He untied the mask, and revealed his face.

"Nathan!" I cried.

And launched myself into his arms.