Queen Ascending (Ace of Queens #2)

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Gemma sat in front of her vanity as she slowly brushed her wet hair. Her hands trembled slightly as she stared at herself in the mirror.

The whispers were in her head again. She paused to try and make sense of what they were saying. But it was useless. There were so many voices, they all mangled together into a buzzing hum.

She watched in the mirror as her powers manifested into those red lightnings and danced at her fingertips. The static from them made her hair rise in the air.

The door to her room opened and the maid walked in. Gemma quickly put down her brush and turned around in her seat.

"Good morning, your grace," The girl said with a bow.

"Good morning," Gemma greeted her. "Where is Ginny?" Gemma suddenly asked. "I haven't seen her in a while."

The maid looked up and blinked several times. "Your grace...Ginny has passed away."

Gemma gasped. She put a hand over her mouth in shock. "How?"

"No one know...she went to sleep and never woke up."

"When did this happen?" Gemma asked. She wasn't close to the girl, but it was still strange hearing of her death.

"A week or two ago," The maid said frowning.

Gemma nodded. "Did she have family?"

"No,"

Gemma remained quiet as she stared at the floor.

So strange, she thought.

"Your grace?" The maid asked in a timid voice causing Gemma to look up. "Where are your sheets?"

Gemma looked over to her bed and the bare mattress. Her eyes darted back to the maid.

"I removed them," Gemma said. She locked her eyes with the maid and waited for her to ask something.

The maid looked away from her eyes first and turned to the bed. "I'll put in some new sheets."

Gemma nodded. She turned back to the mirror and began to brush her hair again. As the maid worked, Gemma's eyes followed her in the mirror. She watched as her bed was fitted with new sheets and pillows were fixed, she watched as new flowers were put into the vase on her nightstand.

When the maid picked up her dustpan and headed for the fireplace, Gemma's hand stopped brushing her hair. In the mirror she watched the maid gather up the ashes of the log from the night before.

And then she watched as the maid slowly picked up a burnt piece of fabric.

The girl's head slightly turned to look at Gemma but her eyes snapped back to the fire place when she felt Gemma's gaze on her.

The maid quickly gathered all the remaining piece of fabric from the fireplace and hurried out of Gemma's room.

Once out in the hall, she dropped the ashes into the trash bin. Her eyes lingered on the pieces of burnt bedsheets, sweater, and jeans.

Back inside, Gemma felt her anxiety skyrocket as she stared at the fireplace. The hair brush dropped from her hand with a cling and a clank as she summoned a portal.

When she arrived in Exton's room, he was still asleep. She ran to his bed and shook his bare shoulders.

Exton's eyes snapped open at once.

"Gemma?" he said, his senses on high alert. "What's wrong?" he asked as he took in the tears running down her face.

"I...I..." Gemma stuttered as she began to cry.