Anne turned to me. “Absolutely nothing until this year. You were supposed to have been a dud, a boring human with no abilities. At least that’s what Erik told us, but according to Boaz, you are quite the little witch.”
“Boaz?”
Anne smiled as if she were keeping a great secret. She took a long sip before saying, “Personally, I think my brother knew all along of your talent and waited until the last minute to let our father know.” She paused briefly. “His little way of getting back at me.”
“My father tried to kill me for believing I was average.”
Her gaze met mine. “Of course he did. Segurs don’t waste time on useless humans. I’m surprised you lived as long as you did.”
If I could’ve used magic in that small room, I would’ve shown her who was the useless one.
“How long do I have to stay here?” I asked.
“Until dear old daddy decides who is more powerful: my twin daughters or you. All his fortune will then be given to the winner’s parents and eventually passed on to their children. Personally, I think it’s a waste of time. My girls are more powerful than I could ever have dreamed.”
I stood up. “I don’t care about any stupid inheritance. Keep it. I want nothing to do with the Segur fortune.”
Anne shook her head. “You are such a disappointing child.”
I laughed, harder than I expected. “You think I care? Erik was a horrible parent who should never have had a child.”
It was Anne’s turn to laugh. “This is not about raising children. It’s about raising power. And whoever has the most will get the money.” She tipped the glass to her lips and swallowed the last of the wine. “I need another drink.” She moved toward the door.
“When can I leave this room?”
Anne stopped and looked around as if seeing it for the first time. “Anytime you’d like.”
“I can go outside?”
Anne shrugged. “Be my guest. You’ll be stopped when you’ve gone too far.” She exited the room, leaving the door open behind her.
I took a step toward it hesitantly. Could I really just leave? When Anne didn’t return, I peered out the door and down the hallway. Voices echoed in the distance. I moved quietly, pressing myself against the wall to avoid squeaky floorboards.
Up ahead, the hall opened into a living area. I stuck my head out. The room was massive with high ceilings. Old-looking wooden beams crossed overhead, and more dark wood trimmed the rest of the room. On the far wall, a huge fireplace was encased in stone, from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Sitting areas were scattered throughout the room, positioned just right for entertaining.
The twins were sitting in the middle of the floor. They sat in the same position opposite each other: crossed legs, elbows on knees, books in hand. They were reading aloud, their voices in perfect unison with each other. By their words, it was some kind of history book.
The foyer we’d come through last night was just past them, but the only way to get there was to go into the open.
So be it. Anne said I could go outside.
“Hello, cousins,” I said, moving into the room.
They stopped reading at the exact same moment and looked up at me with blank expressions.
“Don’t stop reading on my account. Please, go on. It sounded like a best-seller.”
Neither of them said a word. They simply stared as if they’d never seen me before.
I waved my hand. “Hello? Remember me?”
Simultaneously, they returned to their book and began to read again.
“I guess not,” I mumbled. I walked toward the exit and, after realizing no one was going to stop me, opened the front door and walked out.
Of course, I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy.
Chapter 16
I walked, half-ran, from the house, afraid to turn around for fear of being stopped. The ground was cold and wet, winter stubbornly hanging on. Luckily, I still had my coat with me. I wrapped it tighter around my chest and kept moving until I reached the shade of the trees.
Once hidden, I let out a breath and smiled. Freedom. Now all I had to do was find the road we came in on last night. I hurried, making my way through the forest, but it was difficult with the high heels I was wearing. When did nature become so annoying?
I took a few more steps forward, when all of a sudden, I smashed into something, but there was nothing visible in front of me. Just sort of a pressure, similar to when the twins had created an invisible barrier. With arms outstretched, I touched the see-through wall that blocked my escape. For some time I followed the length of the barrier—it circled through the woods, the house at its center. Now I understood what Anne had meant when she said I would be stopped.
Frustrated, I placed my hands against the invisible wall. My palm hummed from the force of the electric current it contained. It felt strong, but not strong enough. Given enough concentration and time, I could break it.