Wraithsong (29 page)

“
No, I don’t believe you.”
I refuse to even consider her ridiculous claims, though Layla’s
comments do sound almost exactly like something Anthony said to
me.

“
I can prove it to you. We
need to get hold of your mom and then she will tell you that it was
Anthony who kidnapped her, not Maureen,” Layla says.

“
Well,
you’re forgetting one important detail here. I was
with
Anthony when my mom
went missing. How do you explain that?” I say.

Layla places her hand onto
the bed and leans forward. “So he set it up that way. He has people
working for him. He wasn’t born yesterday, you know, and in fact,
he’s thousands of years old.”

“
No, you’re lying!” I know
Layla isn’t telling the truth—she can’t be. She’s just messing with
my mind.

“
Then why do you think
Anthony’s trying so hard to capture your heart? That’s what
Darkálfars do to unsuspecting young girls,” Layla says.

“
Yeah, but I’m a Huldra, so
how do you explain my attraction to him then?” I say.

Layla scoffs as though her
information is clearly self-evident. “A Darkálfar can dance a very
seductive dance around a Huldra because his god-like sensuality
works on Huldras just as well as Huldras’ sensualities works on
humans. Did he tell you something contrary?”

I think about another
comeback. “What about the phone call when I heard Maureen and him
talk on the phone?”

“
A
Darkálfar can make stuff up and actually get you to think that
you’re experiencing it. It’s called illusionary control.” She
pauses and thinks for a minute. “It’s really a shame you haven’t
been to the Academy, Sonia, but then again, maybe it’s a blessing
in disguise since we’ll be able to train you the
correct
way—the way of
the undefiled Huldra, the way a Huldra was supposed to be—fearless,
all powerful and seductive.”

I don’t want her lies to
start taking root in my mind, but I can’t deny that I do want
power. It’s a desire that’s innately part of me now. I do want to
be fearless, and I do, strangely enough, want to be seductive, but
I don’t want those things Maureen’s way. “He showed me the Book of
Huldras, and what he was teaching me lined up with the book
exactly,” I say. “I doubt that your way is any better than
his.”

“
Did you read through the
whole book?” Layla asks.

“
Most of it.”

“
How do you know it wasn’t
a fake copy?” Layla huffs. “Well, think about what I’ve said some
more. In the end, the decision is yours.”

“
Hardly,” I
mumble.

“
Your physical strength
should be returning completely in a few minutes. I’ll send in some
breakfast.” She leaves the room, locking the door behind
her.

Still weakened by the
shock, I remain lying down a bit longer. Anthony—a Darkálfar? And
thousands of years old? No way, I don’t believe it for a second. I
search my body from top to bottom for an incision where they
implanted the tracking device, but I can’t find it anywhere. How
does Layla know about so many of Anthony’s comments? Is it possible
that his affection was a façade to make me trust him? No! I’m not
going to let them screw with my mind.

Thinking that I’m strong
enough, I wobble over to the door and twist the doorknob, but of
course it’s locked. Grabbing it with both hands, I shake it in
hopes that it might open. I kick the door as hard as I can, which
isn’t really hard at the moment since I still feel weakened by the
electric shock. Leaning my back against the door, I slide down to
the floor into a sitting position. I’m trapped and I’m in the hands
of my enemies. A single sob escapes my lips and I bring my hand up
to my mouth to prevent more from coming. I need to stay strong and
I need to keep my head on straight. Despite this thought, I can’t
help but let hopelessness take over. I break down completely and
weep.

Chapter 31

I peer out the barred
window in my room. The bubbly texture of the icy blue glass blurs
the outside slightly, but not so much that I can’t make out the
landscape. It looks like there’s a green field and a few rolling
hills in the distance, and beyond that, a forest and a mountain. A
horse trots into the courtyard and a woman jumps off. She leads the
horse into what looks to be a stable and then enters the house,
banging the door shut behind her. Voices resonate through the
castle, but I can’t understand what’s being said—the voices are too
muted.

Layla brings in a silver
tray filled with pancakes, fruits, English muffins, orange juice,
milk, tea and four different types of cheese. She has changed from
her camouflage work clothes to navy blue leggings and a long silver
sequin t-shirt, which falls off her shoulder. “Eat—you’ll need your
strength when we start training you. I’m so glad you decided to let
us educate you.”

I throw an unfriendly look
in her direction. “I decided? My only other choice was death. Of
course, anyone in her right mind would have chosen to live.” I sit
down at the desk where Layla placed the tray of food.

“
Maureen wants to put you
through the full Huldra training course in a mere ten days. Once
we’re done with you, you’ll know everything.” She pours me a cup of
hot water from the silver teapot. “Black tea?”

“
Do you have herbal tea?”
Black tea is too bitter and doesn’t sit well in my
stomach.

“
Raspberry lemon
zinger?”

“
Sure,” I say.

Layla leans her hip on the
side of the desk. “You need to forget Anthony because he won’t come
for you—trust me, I know. He’s probably already onto the next
unsuspecting Huldra, telling her how special she is and how lovely
her human aura is. Let’s just focus on getting your mom back, on
educating you, and on receiving your fifth Huldra gift, shall
we?”

“
So, Maureen’s not after
my—gift?” I ask, still not believing a single word that comes out
of Layla’s mouth.

“
Of course not, why on
earth would she want your gift? Stealing someone’s gift is
considered an unforgivable offense in the Huldra code. Your fifth
Huldra gift is more precious than anything else and you should
never give it away.” Layla seems surprisingly genuine.

Another lie, I think to
myself.

“
You know,” Layla says,
crossing her long, lean legs at the ankles, “the best thing you can
do is to try and learn as much as possible in the next ten days. If
you’re still not happy after we’ve finished teaching you, then you
can make your own decisions and Maureen might even let you leave if
you want. But don’t be too quick to judge. If you do, you’ll miss
out on the opportunity to know for yourself.”

I don’t have an intelligent
reply. “All I want is to find my mom.” And Anthony, I think,
keeping the last part to myself, knowing that Layla would only try
to turn me further against him.

“
We don’t
have her here, Sonia. However, the smartest thing you can do is to
learn everything you can about the truth and receive your fifth
Huldra gift and use that and what we have taught you to get her
back.” Layla walks toward the door. “I’m not locking it, so you’re
free to move around the castle as much as you like. Just remember,
if you leave Wraithsong Island, we
will
find you, and you would have
wasted more time in finding out the truth of what has transpired
here. Oh, and there are clothes for you in there.” She points to a
closet that’s made up of nothing but mirrors. “I can imagine you
don’t want to spend your entire stay here in your pajamas.” Layla
exits the creaky door and closes it behind her.

I devour an English muffin
with cream cheese, the mixed melon bowl and drink my tea. After
that, I find a pair of dark jeans and a thin charcoal stretchy
pullover and put them on. The only shoes that fit are a pair of
black ballet flats with clear rhinestones on the top. I think about
what Layla said and realize that I never actually heard Maureen say
she wanted to appropriate my gift. It had only ever been Anthony,
and during that one phone call that Layla claimed was an illusion,
or whatever she called it. Maureen has never acted mean to me or
given me any reason to think she’s after my gift. Wait, what am I
thinking? I shouldn’t be considering what Layla said, for only a
moment ago she was trying to trick me into thinking she was my
mother. She’s clearly deceitful.

I open the heavy copper
door, look in both directions and then proceed into the hallway. I
turn left—the opposite direction from where I came. If I only had
my cell phone, I could call Anthony. He must be worried sick about
me. Sneaking down the hallway, I pass several copper gargoyle
doors. I wonder what’s behind them and I try to open one. Locked. I
try another with the same result, and it seems they’re all locked
down this hallway. I almost don’t open the last door, but try it
anyway, and to my surprise the door opens. The room is decorated
exactly the way my room is. Inside, a man is sitting at his desk,
eating breakfast.

“
I’m so sorry,” I say. “I—”
The man turns around and I recognize him immediately from my dream.
Olaf. A wave of fear pushes through my body, and adrenaline starts
speeding through my veins. He’s wearing the exact same type of suit
he did in my dream, except for now, everything from his suit to his
tie is blue, not green.

“
Sonia, please come it!” He
smiles. “I apologize for intruding on your dream a while back. Have
a seat.” He stands, pulls up a wooden chair and gestures for me to
sit.

I hesitate.
Run! Run! Run!
I think,
taking a step backward.

“
Do not be afraid; I will
not harm you, and please do not attempt to run since there is no
place to run to.” He clasps his hands behind his back.

Now I remember how he’s
able to read my mind. Shoot! I enter the room and sit down on a
chair.

“
I see Anthony has
instilled fear into your mind and told you that we have malevolent
intentions. Have we given you any reason to fear us?” Olaf says in
his Scandinavian accent.

“
No,” I
say, but thinking
yes
.

“
I am also not a Darkálfar
like Anthony claimed. I am a Huldu.” Olaf takes a sip of his
coffee. “Poor Maureen has had to deal with Anthony all these years.
Do you know the real story?”

I shake my head, thinking
this should be yet another interesting fabricated story.

Having read my thoughts,
Olaf chuckles. “Maureen fell in love with a Darkálfar just as you
have.”

I press my lips together. I
still don’t think Anthony’s a Darkálfar, but I wonder how he knows
about Anthony and me. Layla must have said something to him. No, of
course, he must have read my mind.

“
Maureen admits that it was
wrong, knowing she should never have fallen in love with such a
one, being the nasty creatures they are. Anthony’s father left
Maureen shortly before she discovered she was pregnant with
Anthony. Of course Maureen begged him to come back to her, for the
sake of the unborn child, but the Darkálfar left
anyway.”

“
That’s not what Anthony
told me.” When we initially met, I remember Anthony briefly
mentioning his father leaving, and how he seemed so saddened about
his father leaving. Then another thought occurs to me. Why wouldn’t
Anthony have darker skin then, since Darkálfars are,
well—dark-skinned?

Olaf chuckles. “Great
questions, Sonia, I must say. You have such a fabulous young mind.
Anthony inherited all of his mother’s physique, but unfortunately,
his father’s character.” He chuckles again at length and I wonder
what’s so funny.

“
What?”

“
It is quite amusing to see
how you are still reasoning with your lesser human brain. You will
learn about the ways of the pure Huldra soon enough, and then you
will have no need for such explanations.”

Obviously, he thinks he’s
so much better than me. I curse at myself for thinking that,
knowing Olaf must have read my mind, but he continues speaking as
if he didn’t notice.

“
When Maureen had Anthony,
she hoped he would inherit her character traits, but sadly, he
became more and more like his father every day.” Olaf shakes his
head, looking despondent. “Finally, and just recently, when Maureen
saw there was no hope for the boy, and when he refused to take his
Huldu vows, she knew she had to escape him. Angry that she deserted
him, Anthony threatened to get even with her by appropriating your
fifth Huldra gift. So here we are.” Olaf crosses his legs and rests
his hands in his lap.

“
What’s your involvement in
this?” I ask.

Olaf smiles. “I live to
serve the Almighty Huldra and the Almighty Huldra, or Maureen as
you know her, has given me extra powers. If you allow her, Sonia,
she can help you develop your powers, too.”

Even though I don’t want
to, I delight in the thought of having more power, but there’s just
something about Maureen and Olaf I don’t quite trust. Is it because
Anthony has been telling me all along that they are after me and
after complete power? “Anthony says Maureen is after my fifth
Huldra gift,” I say, seeing if his story will line up with
Layla’s.