The Catalyst

Chapter 33

Leaving the bedroom to Bryani, Jaden settled for the large, cozy couch by the fireplace. Except the fire had sputtered to cinders and Jaden didn't have the heart to summon a servant at this hour of the night. His sleep was fitful, interspersed with feverish nightmares he couldn't make sense of as he woke up shivering. He got up with the sun and drew back the curtains to welcome in the light.

The servant who brought his breakfast broached the subject of his sister's chambers.

"'Tis as you wish." She joined her hands in front of her apron. "We've left them untouched so far, but we could clean it all up and have them ready for Your Majesty in a day or two."

"There's no rush. I don't wish to live there, actually," Jaden said.

"I see," she replied. "But what should we do with her chambers, Your Majesty?"

Jaden had to repress a wince every time someone called him that. He wondered who had invented the term, anyway. Because he had yet to meet a single human being who could be referred to as majestic. A mountain, a sunrise, the sea – certainly. But a person? No way.

"Leave them as they are, for now," Jaden decided. After a curtsy, the servant left him alone with his thoughts.

It wasn't very long before he stormed out of his chambers, strode along the hall and raced down the spiral staircase. Sheer curiosity nagged at his mind and made him impulsive. As he headed into the east wing, he stubbornly shoved away the painfully fresh memory of finding Matt at the end of the long hallway, lying in a puddle of his own blood.

Through the windows he could admire Tessa's gardens, where a thin film of snow softened the stark tree branches. Soon he came up short in front of a door with silver stars painted in each corner. It was unlocked.

As he entered, Jaden felt like he was profaning sacred grounds and might get caught at any moment. However, he was completely alone, the only sounds were his own breathing and the thumping of his heart. An odd restlessness vibrated inside him. He needed to explore.

First he noticed the heaping books on the low table, because he recognized most of them. They used to belong to his mother. Old volumes about the Ancients and elven magic. Tossing aside a few throw-pillows, Jaden sat in a sofa and reached for a book at random. He started leafing through its yellowed pages.

But before he could read anything, his nape tingled, like he was being observed. Glancing around, he saw nothing but ornate desks and lamps, paintings of wolves and dogs, a pier glass, and the door to the bedroom, left open. Jaden resumed flipping the pages until he caught a passage heavily underlined in ink.

The elf girl's necklace is sometimes referred to as a magical catalyst, due to rumors dating back centuries ago. However, the rumor was later disproved.

Jaden felt the tingle again. Scratching the back of his neck, he peered inside the other room and saw only a bed with disarrayed silk sheets, a nightstand, and a vanity.

He tossed the book and picked up a thinner one whose binding barely held together. As he carefully opened it in his lap, it immediately spread out to a page where Tessa had inserted a silk bookmark. She had underlined a short paragraph written in Old Felleran. Jaden's mother had actually spent years teaching him that obsolete language. But he never found a use for it, not even today; his sister had already penned a translation in her fine script.

One scholar theorized that the catalyst, if its potential was somehow unlocked, could be the only thing powerful enough for the salvation of a human soul. In other words, it could possibly enable one to be freed from a demon.

By the gods. He needed to tell Noah about this . . .

Jaden sprang to his feet as the tingle flared again, this time more intense and spreading down his spine and legs. Determined not to give in to fear, he went into the bedroom. Strangely, he was compelled by the vanity. Tessa's jewelry collection glinted in the sunlight that slanted from the window. His fingers itched for one in particular – a delicate chain with a crescent moon pendant made of opal. A Nightvale family heirloom. Tessa was never seen without it. Jaden was surprised she'd left it behind.