The Familiars #4: Palace of Dreams Read Online Free PDF

Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert’s cell, and the others entered.
    “Galatea has ordered each of you to be questioned,” Urbaugh said coldly, avoiding eye contact with the familiars. “And it won’t be by me. The Truth Seekers were dragged out in the middle of the night to do it.”
    “Urbaugh,” Aldwyn pleaded, “you know we would never do something like this. Please, you have to believe us.”
    “In my heart, I do,” Urbaugh said. “But what I’ve seen with my own eyes tells a different story.”
    Seen with his own eyes? What was he talking about?
    Urbaugh gestured for Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert to exit their cell. They were immediately ushered into separate cages, locked in, and picked up by the Truth Seekers. Aldwyn watched through the tiny slit of his cage as he was carried down the hall. He could see other inhabitants of the dungeon staring back at him as he and his companions were led toward the door. Firescale snakes, wolverines, and the worst that humankind had to offer.
    “Don’t let them intimidate you, brother,” one of the wolverines snarled.
    “And whatever you do, don’t grovel for forgiveness,” added a firescale snake. “You only did what the rest of us wish we could have.”
    It made Aldwyn’s fur bristle to hear these villains of Vastia think of him as one of them . He had been thought of as a scoundrel before, when he was forced to steal food on the streets of Bridgetower. But even then, his crimes were committed only so he could survive. He never hurt anyone. Then everything changed for him. Jack chose him as his familiar and he discovered that he was one of the Prophesized Three, destined to save the queendom. He became part of something bigger than himself, something he could be proud of. People saw him not as a lowly street urchin but as a hero. And he never wanted to go back.
    The Truth Seekers stopped before the dungeon door, waiting as the bolka-dur let them and Urbaugh through. They continued into the forbidden hallways rarely seen by castle visitors. Aldwyn even caught a glimpse of the steel door to the palace vault, which spit fire as they passed. A few steps later the Truth Seeker carrying Aldwyn took a sudden turn away from Gilbert and Skylar.
    “Hey,” Aldwyn called. “Where are you taking me? Why aren’t I going with them?”
    His questions were met by silence.
    Aldwyn’s cage was set down on a table and the door unlocked. The Maidenmere cat stepped out and stretched his legs, then looked around the room. It was simple and empty, and the walls were the same creamy alabaster as the ones in the cellar of Kalstaff’s cottage.
    The Truth Seeker sat opposite him in a chair. The hooded robe was pulled back to reveal a dark-skinned woman, expressionless.
    “Ask me anything,” Aldwyn said. “I have nothing to hide.”
    “I will not be the one asking the questions,” the woman said. “My familiar will be.”
    A tarsier emerged from behind her robe. The pocket-size primate had spindly fingers, a snakelike tail three times the length of its body, and giant piercing eyes that took up half its head.
    “It’s quite a thrill to be sitting across from the prophesized cat,” the tarsier said. “And a mighty big surprise. Under these circumstances, anyway.”
    “Whatever evidence you think you have, it’s a setup.”
    Aldwyn looked into the tarsier’s bulging eyes. He attempted to read his mind but was met with nothing more than a hazy cloud of gray. There appeared to be some kind of magic protecting the thoughts of Aldwyn’s inquisitor.
    “Have you ever been a member of the Noctonati?” the tarsier asked.
    “No. Never.”
    “Have you ever been associated with a member of the Noctonati?”
    “What are you getting at?” Aldwyn asked.
    “I’ll take that as a yes.” The tarsier’s eyes never wavered from Aldwyn’s. “Have you ever been in possession of mugwort? Echo drool? Vulgar cinquefoil?”
    “I don’t know. I hardly keep track of all the components I’ve come