Dangerous Thoughts

Chapter 22

There was a strange silence during the carriage ride home. Juliette stared out the window, eyes unfocused. Lillian cradled the head of Elijah in her lap, looking uncomfortable, yet too exhausted to move. Charles, on the other hand, felt numb, as if his thoughts had been replaced with cotton. Too many things had happened today: first the revelation that his fiancée had been lying to him for over a year, then the trauma of nearly dying at the hand of a cult member, and finally the revelation that Cecilia's father was the leader of a child-sacrificing cult. It was too much to feel, and therefore, he felt nothing at all.

He stared at the vial in his hands, rolling the glass between his palms. In Anne's final moments, he had instinctively done what he had done countless times before: he had channeled a copy of her memory into a spare vial. It now glowed a sickly yellow.

They had proof of Thomas Monroe's deeds. The question was: would it be enough? Although Charles had seen his face in the memory, he hadn't seen the faces of any of the other cultists. Thomas Monroe was the most beloved person in town, with connections that reached far and wide. What if the police were in on this? What about the judges in the courts? How could Charles seek help if he didn't know who else was involved? Despite how far they had come, he felt more lost than ever.

He cleared his throat and Juliette jumped at the sound, her head whipping towards Charles. Now that her face was in view, he could see the darkness clouding her clear blue eyes.

"Juliette," he asked, "I'm not sure if we said this before. But... thank you. For saving us." He hesitated. "How did you find us... down in the tunnel? I thought we were invisible."

Juliette pointed to the golden bangle on Lillian's wrist. "I used the tracking magick in the bracelet. I had found the incantation linked to it a few days ago. So when I saw that couple leave the orphanage, I felt that you were following them—even though I couldn't see you."

"Quick thinking," Charles said.

Juliette gave him a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Then she turned and resumed looking out the window.

Lillian stared at Juliette for a long while before saying, "The first time is hard."

Charles instantly knew what she was referring to: John's gruesome death. Juliette had done it so easily, so quickly, snapping his neck with the twist of her hand. Saving them all, but at a cost.

Juliette turned to look at them. She fiddled with her fingers. "It wasn't my first time," she finally whispered. "But it was my first time on purpose."

Charles' heart started pounding in his chest. He watched as Juliette lifted her head, and her eyes were wide with tears. "I was four years old. I don't even remember doing it. But apparently I was having a tantrum, and my mother was holding me, and I... I sent a bolt of lightning straight through her heart." She swallowed.

Charles' jaw dropped. He didn't know what to say.

"She died. Instantly," Juliette said. "But my father... he was terrified of me after that. He dropped me off at Silvers the next morning, and for the next year, I was kept in a room all by myself. Food was slid in through a flap. It was like I was a dog." She closed her eyes. "During that time, I vowed that I would control my powers. That I would find a way to never accidentally harm anyone ever again. Which I did, I guess."

"You saved us," Lillian said gently.

Juliette just shrugged and stared down at her shoes.

Charles let out a sigh. "Today was horrible all around," he muttered. "And despite everything, we still don't know what's going on."

"I have a pretty good idea," Lillian said darkly.

Charles turned to stare at the thief. "You do? How?"