An entire week passed before Lottie received her first reply from Claude. Class had ended and it was time for another of Jamie and Haru’s get-togethers when she saw the telltale manila envelope winking at her from her cubbyhole. The moment Lottie saw it, she grabbed it – along with her other post – without looking too closely at it and headed straight for Binah’s.
‘It’s here,’ Lottie said, as Binah opened the door to let her in.
Stratus House had the most modern dorms, the building having been entirely refurbished recently. Binah’s room was an oddity with its modern architecture and furniture paired with her collection of old books and enough plants that you might think you were in a greenhouse. Her room smelled of tangy incense, rainbow reflections dancing around the room where the light from the large circle window hit her collections of crystals.
Sitting down at a low table where Binah was already pouring cups of chamomile tea from a frog-shaped teapot, Lottie felt more like they were about to perform witchcraft than go over a letter.
With surprisingly steady fingers, Lottie pulled out the letters she’d shoved in her bag and got to work on ripping open the manila envelope. She pulled out elegant parchment paper, the heady scent of spiced wine catching in her nose. She peered into the envelope. ‘There’s another card.’
‘Let’s read the letter first.’
Nodding, Lottie lay the paper out flat on the table, ready for her next correspondence from the Master of Leviathan.
To my ever-curious niece,
I’m glad your youthful humour can prevail at this difficult time, although it does not give me hope that you are adjusting to my terms gracefully and with dignity.
Haru keeps me well informed, and it would take only one less-than-accommodating reply for me to decide this arrangement is not working. In light of this, perhaps you will try to refer to your uncle, who is responsible for the well-being of your friends, in an appropriate fashion.
Your desire to see the wolf in the crown is rather ironic. The joke will be lost on you, of course, so until it becomes clear perhaps this image and message will tide you over.
Remember, wolves are hunters too.
PS Your Partizan is the wrong that needs righting.
‘Well, this is entirely useless,’ Lottie grumbled, pushing the letter away.
Binah chuckled. ‘Oh, Uncle Wolfson, you aren’t generous with your clues, are you?’ She grabbed the letter and Lottie couldn’t help conjuring up an image of Claude and Binah having tea together, something so unfathomable that it made her shiver. ‘What’s the clue?’
Lottie snapped out of the bizarre thought and emptied the rest of the envelope’s contents on to the low table.
The card that landed in front of them was much the same as the one she’d received before, only this did not depict a majestic and regal creature. Instead of a stag, a snarling wolf was drawn in gold ink wearing the same crown as the stag. It’s what she’d wanted, to see the wolf in the crown – yet there was something grotesque about the image, as if this wolf had been feasting on the deer from the other card.
‘What are you trying to tell me, Claude?’ Lottie whispered at the wolf.
‘Is there any way you could tell Sayuri or the rest of Banshee? Maybe they’d have some more information?’ asked Binah. Lottie had filled Binah in about Banshee, Sayuri’s secret biker gang who had sworn to get revenge against Leviathan, and how they’d come to be allies. It was clear that Binah was itching to meet them. ‘What about that girl Emelia you told me about?’
Lottie cringed. Although she’d never met the girl, Emelia had become something of an idol in her mind, and part of Lottie desperately wanted to meet her. After having been kidnapped by Leviathan a year ago and deemed useless, Emelia had taken it upon herself to get to the bottom of the kidnapping, figuring out completely on her own that the princess of Maradova was at the centre of Leviathan’s plot. Emelia and Sayuri had practically handed her everything she’d needed to figure out that Claude was the Master of Leviathan, and all she’d done was walk them right into a trap. If Lottie was ever going to pay Emelia back or get her respect, she had to bring her something useful and prove to her that she wasn’t simply the bratty princess that had inflicted Claude upon them all. Finding out what Claude’s goal was; that was the only way she could help anyone.
Lottie sighed, already packing up the letter and clue. ‘I’m sure that Haru will find a way to intercept any letters I send. It would ruin their cover and they’ve been through enough.’
Watching Lottie with narrow eyes, Binah began to stir her tea in an almost hypnotic way, like she was trying to extract something from Lottie’s head with the pull of the hot water. ‘Well, why don’t you open your other letter?’
Lottie stared at the other post she’d thrown on the table.
‘It looks like Ollie’s handwriting,’ Binah said casually, and Lottie paused, wondering how she could know such a thing, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it.
In some strange parallel, inside was a letter and a card, the first of which was indeed from Ollie, her oldest childhood friend. His handwriting was as messy as ever, which would have been funny if not for the words.
Dear Lottie,
I hate sending you this, because I know you don’t want it and I thought about throwing it in the bin and not even bothering you with it, but then I thought that if I was you, which I’m not obviously, but if I was, I’d want to be prepared, so here it is and I’m sorry. Feel free to throw it away. If he comes round, I’ll tell him to go away.
Apologies again. Hope you’re OK.
Your pal (who will absolutely throw an egg at anyone if you asked him to) – Ollie
Blinking, she slowly removed the card from the envelope, the smell and the memories getting stronger. In gaudy yellow text surrounded by a beach covered in palm trees the postcard read Havana. She knew who it was from and what it meant, her eyes skimming the words in time with her thumping heartbeat.
You have not been living in the old house.
Thump!
It’s become necessary to sell it.
Thump!
Your father.
A world she’d locked away came tapping on the door, asking to be let in again.
Like a phantom coming back to haunt her, the room filled with the smell of cheap alcohol that could almost be mistaken for hairspray and with it came a flash of shutter-speed memories: crying on the baggy trouser legs of a gloomy unshaven man, her mother’s sold belongings, the bedding at Ollie’s house when they took her in, the first time she saw her stepmother’s blood-red hair, the quiet in the attic when she was all alone.
Lottie blinked, unsure how long she’d been gazing into nothing.
‘This is useless to me,’ she said simply, locking her eyes with Binah as if expecting her to agree.
Binah, having clearly read the card, stared at her with curious confusion, her mind untangling the scene in front of her. ‘Perhaps if you told Ellie about this, and Claude’s letters,’ she offered, testing the waters. ‘It seems like something you should be tackling together.’
‘No.’ Lottie stood up, stony-faced, and shoved the postcard in her bag with all the care one might give a used tissue.
‘But, Lottie, that postcard is –’
‘It doesn’t matter.’
It was impossible for Lottie to pinpoint what was happening in her mind. The door slammed shut as she bolted up the memories and locked them away again. That wasn’t her life any more. As long as she could be useful to the Wolfsons that would never have to be her life again. She just had to stay focused.
‘The only thing that matters is that I find out Claude’s plan so I can protect everyone,’ she said firmly, downing her tea and making her way to the door. ‘This is my duty.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Binah asked.
‘I’m going to get info on Haru. He must have something we can use against them.’
And, with that, she left Binah to ponder how much was changing without Ellie or Lottie realizing.
With every step away from Stratus Side, Lottie reminded herself that she was a Portman – Ellie’s Portman, playing the role of princess in order to protect the real princess from harm – and with burning fingers she latched on to her wolf pendant, her heart thundering beneath it. There was fear there, a creeping, foul voice that whispered how her life might look without Ellie and her job, but she squeezed the pendant tighter, pushing the thought away. This was not something she needed to give any attention to as long as she did right by the Wolfsons, which is what she was doing right now.
Lottie decided it would be best to wait for Jamie to finish his allotted hour with Haru. Trying to leech information from Jamie after their little ‘dates’ was probably her best bet to find something she could use against the other Partizan.
It was easy enough to find the pair, Jamie having told her he’d be helping Haru water flowers in the rose garden, and, sure enough, she spotted them from a distance.
Jamie instantly saw her, pausing where he was gently misting something, and Lottie felt an odd pull in her chest. There was something so candid about it, nothing like his recent intensity. Before she could dwell on it, Haru locked on to her, smiling fox-like while he waved his fingers in a taunting greeting. It took all Lottie’s strength not to roll her eyes.
Haru patted Jamie on the back, dismissing him from the flower cage in which he’d trapped the unsuspecting Partizan for the past hour.
Jamie’s face heated up with that intensity again and he marched away with a sheen of sweat on his brow. Lottie took a cautious step back when she saw how furiously he was walking towards her. Something was wrong and it made her heart flutter in a way she couldn’t make sense of.
‘What’s wrong?’ he demanded. ‘I thought we were going to meet back at the dorm.’
Lottie baulked, realizing Jamie had assumed she was in trouble and the fire surrounding him was purely protective. It made her feel weird, her stomach twisting. When had Jamie started making her feel so nervous again?
‘It’s nothing. I just thought it would be nice if –’
Jamie let out an exasperated sigh, completely cutting her off. ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ he demanded.
Lottie froze. Did he know? ‘What are you talking about?’ she asked innocently.
Avoiding his eyes, Lottie found her gaze resting on his chest and, as she watched its gentle rise and fall, it was impossible not to notice the angelic curve of his muscles, a testament to how powerful he was under his usually stoic demeanour. Before she could stop herself, she was thinking of how he’d cradled her against that powerful body on the lip of the Rose Wood only weeks ago, and ever since then she couldn’t escape that look he gave her, that stare she couldn’t get out of her head. She snapped back up to face it in full force.
‘You had a fight with Ellie,’ he said matter-of-factly, and she winced, partly in relief and partly in guilt.
‘It’s fine. Nothing we won’t get past.’ She shrugged, hoping he wouldn’t push it further. ‘Having the occasional fight is an occupational hazard when you’re friends with Ellie.’
This didn’t seem to satisfy Jamie, but he kept his lips tightly shut. The two of them quickly fell into a rhythm beside one another and made their way back to Ivy Wood.
Lottie was just about to begin her subtle questioning about Haru as they cut through into the empty dining hall, when Jamie paused, turning to her.
‘Have you started on your PoP presentation?’
Lottie’s brain stalled, having entirely forgotten that was even a thing she needed to do. ‘Oh, that …’
‘I thought as much.’ Jamie tutted under his breath. ‘What about the twins? Have you spoken to them? Percy says Micky’s having a really hard time at the moment.’
Lottie recoiled inwardly. She hadn’t spoken to them; it was like the whole thing had slipped out of her mind, blocked by Claude and Leviathan and Haru. ‘I haven’t even asked them how they’re doing,’ she admitted.
This was not how Lottie had intended this conversation to go at all.
Embarrassed, Lottie made her way to the door, only for Jamie to slam it shut again, leaning over her where he held it down with his arm, leaving no way out.
‘That’s not like you.’ His voice was soft, despite the fire in his eyes. ‘You’re kind and thoughtful. You always worry about your friends.’ Jamie’s tone made her feel like an apprentice who’d disappointed their master, and it stung enough to make her flinch.
‘I’ve had a lot on my mind.’ Lottie raised her head to meet his gaze, and he had that look in his eye again, the golden stars in his irises burning intensely like they might set fire to the whole world.
It was dark in the dining hall with all the lights off, the space feeling odd at this time of day with no one else around.
Trying to understand what he was thinking, Lottie’s eyes wandered over parts of him she didn’t usually notice, the fading scar on his eyebrow, his slightly crooked nose and then down to his ever-frowning lips. Like Pandora’s box, they quivered ever so slightly, a curious lock on whatever words were inside his head, and before she could stop herself she asked a question to try to open them up.
‘Why do you keep looking at me like that?’
The words slammed into him, his skin prickling, the stars in his eyes dimming.
‘Like what?’ Jamie countered, voice pitching, something she was not used to hearing from him.
‘I don’t know. You tell me?’ Lottie could hear the way she sounded, like a bratty child, but she couldn’t stop herself.
‘Lottie,’ he began, ironically raising an eyebrow in a way Lottie totally deserved, ‘I assure you I have no idea what you’re talking about.’
‘You and Ellie,’ she spluttered, her hands flying out in exasperation. ‘You both keep looking at me and it’s starting to, I don’t know –’ she sighed, knowing she’d never be able to explain it properly – ‘it’s starting to make me nervous in a weird way.’
For a split second Jamie’s mask dropped, and beneath was a pained look, not angry or fiery like before but sad. It was the kind of sadness you feel when you’re a child and you find yourself alone and lost, and it made Lottie’s heart lurch because she knew it all too well. And then it was gone, blinked away as fast as it appeared.
‘So let me get this straight,’ Jamie said, the curve of a smile sneaking on to his lips. ‘You want us to stop looking at you?’
‘I –’ Lottie felt at a loss, sure she’d seen something deeply personal pass over Jamie and not sure how to engage with it, so instead she breathed out sharply, sending the thought floating away. ‘No, that’s not what … Forget it, everything’s fine, me and Ellie will be fine, you and me are fine, and you two can both keep looking at me as much and however you want.’
She made for the door, but once more Jamie stopped her. ‘Wait, I didn’t mean that.’ He shook his head, disappointed in himself. ‘I’m being as bad as Haru and his ridiculous box.’
Lottie’s ears pricked. ‘Box?’
‘Yes, he has this box he says he keeps his –’ Jamie made little inverted commas with his fingers – ‘“secret diary” inside, and made this whole ridiculous spiel about how he’d show it to me but only after I’ve earned it.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘It’s entirely annoying and childish.’
‘What does the box look like?’ She tried not to sound frantic, but she was desperate, itching for anything she could use, anything that would help the Wolfsons and keep her useful.
‘It’s plain oak, no bigger than a jewellery box, with a lock at the front,’ Jamie relayed, finally opening the door, and the two of them walked out together. ‘He keeps it in the drawer Dame Bolter gave him in her office.’
Lottie smiled up at him, determined not to let anything slip. ‘Sounds very annoying. But it also sounds like you two might be becoming friends,’ she added, testing the water.
‘Maybe,’ Jamie replied, and Lottie’s blood went cold. ‘If he’d stop being such an insufferable tease.’
They walked in relative silence the rest of the way back to the dorm, Lottie pondering everything Jamie had said. Excusing herself once they arrived, she headed to her room to change into some more comfortable clothes for dinner, trying not to dwell on the fact she’d hardly seen Ellie all day. She felt overwhelmed with information, everything floating around her head with no way of pinning it down. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had to get that box and see what was really inside.
With the box still on her mind, Lottie slipped on a sweater, but she paused on her way out, staring at the open bag on her bed.
Lottie grabbed it and pulled out the postcard from her father. Without a second thought she marched over to the bin and let it fall into the trash.
