“It’s in the … What?” Kenna uncurled from her chair, leaning forward.
Realizing more than an explanation was in order, I popped back up and grabbed Kenna’s hand so I could tow her along behind me. We’d agreed earlier that since the rings were confiscated on sight, we’d better hide Aunt Gracie’s treasure trove of information about this magical place, at least until we’d read it from cover to cover.
“They may have the newfangled plumbing here”—I looked over my shoulder and winked—“but I’m willing to bet they don’t know this trick.” Climbing onto the toilet seat, I raised myself onto my tiptoes and slid the lid of the antique tank to one side and withdrew a dripping plastic baggie containing Aunt Gracie’s small leather journal.
“You’re a genius! But where did you get a baggie?”
“The rings were in it.” I shrugged. “I’d stuffed it in my pocket.”
“I mean it, you’re brilliant. But you could have come up with a slightly less disgusting hiding place.” Kenna took the edge of the toilet water-covered baggie between her thumb and forefinger and shoved it toward me. “You’ve been dying to burrow into this thing since we found it. Now’s our chance.”
I took the soggy bag and placed it on a towel, slowly removing the leather-bound book. A moment of panic caused me to consider putting it back into its hiding place unread. The more I found out about this place, the more I worried I’d discover Jamie had every right to hate me.
Unable to shut my brain down despite my weariness, I read the journal long into the night. Kenna had lost patience almost immediately, insisting first on the CliffsNotes before she gave up entirely and snuck off to bed. But I didn’t mind the privacy, especially if Gracie’s diary was going to crush any hopes of a future with Jamie. Turning another page, I continued to read.
As far as we can tell, there is no way for the Witch o’ Doon to breech its enchanted borders — not even on the Centennial. However, if an object were to be enspelled by the witch and brought into the kingdom, the defenses of Doon could be compromised.
I was told that before Cam’s time, the witch found one of the Rings of Aontacht and bribed a young man to enter the kingdom and do her bidding. When he was caught in the witch’s cottage searching for something, his treachery was uncovered.
Maybe this could be a clue as to why Jamie didn’t trust me. Perhaps he thought we’d brought some curse into the kingdom with us. But if that was the case, why wasn’t he belligerent toward Mackenna as well?
A twinge of pain shot up my jaw, reminding me to unclench my teeth. What I really needed was to go for a run. Except the thought of running in heavy skirts didn’t sound the least bit appealing, nor did the possibility of harassment by drunken Doonians. Not that the guards outside our door would let me leave anyway. So I determined to stay safely ensconced in the turret room like a good little girl, no matter how tense the imprisonment was making me.
It was well past two o’clock when I tiptoed into the bedroom. I crawled under the covers, doing my best not to disturb Kenna, who snored lightly on the other side of the massive bed. Taking a deep breath, I let my eyes flutter shut. But the images wouldn’t stop.
I stared up at the shadowy ceiling, my mind wandering back to the pizzeria. Duncan said people often dream of Doon before coming here, but what if they saw a specific person—when they were awake? What did that mean?
“You might as well spill. You obviously want to.”
I jumped at the sound of Kenna’s sleep-scratchy voice.