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Chapter 118: The Isles in Ruins

Maeve

Keaton was standing with his arms crossed, peering up at the ceiling of the sprawling foyer of the castle of Poldesse. The ceiling was gone, however, having crumbled away long ago. Vines had taken over the entire area, and the walls were covered in graffiti. I thought it rather artistic, especially the more colorful graffiti with even more colorful language.

Troy, however, was deeply stressed.

“Your dad did this on purpose. He’s testing us-” he huffed, kicking pieces of fallen sheetrock as we walked through the remains of the castle.

“What? Was he the one who ripped this place apart?” I said as I ran my fingers along the banister of the wide marble staircase as we started up the stairs.

“No, but he knew how much work was needed when he sent us here-”

“It was a hurricane, roughly fifteen years ago now. Tore the roof right off the castle, just like that,” Keaton interjected, snapping his fingers.

“Good Goddess, a hurricane did this?” | gasped, looking around at the destruction.

“It wasn’t nearly that bad. Negligence is the cause of this,” Troy said curtly, grabbing me by the elbow as he led me over a mass of vines that snaked down a wide, shadowed hallway.

“This is insane,” I breathed as the three of us continued our inspection of the castle. It was a huge building, at least twice the size of the castle Drogomor, but in such a state I thought it unlikely we’d be able to live in it any time soon, if at all. Some rooms were definitely livable and had been used in at least the last year or so, but I wasn’t sure I wanted the boys there when part of it was in this state of disrepair.

“Did Damian live here?” | asked as we walked through a huge bedroom with glass still in the windows and the wood floors still intact.

“Yeah, he did. Once he left the house Soren used to live in when he was in charge here, apparently, or so I’m told. The northern wing of the castle is in good shape, from what I can tell. But there’s no running water or electricity=” Troy began, testing a light switch along the wall. Keaton pursed his lips, his arms still crossed over his chest as he looked out the window to the sea below.

“I say raze the place and start over. It’s falling into the sea.”

| “I think it’s our only option,” Troy agreed, but I could tell it wasn’t what he wanted to do. He was troubled by the notion

of tearing the castle down, but it went further than us needing a place to live.

“What if we didn’t? What if we mended it?” | asked, looking from Keaton to Troy.

Keaton laughed, but Troy looked at me, his eyes boring into mine.

“It could take us years-”

“This castle has been here for hundreds of years. It’s a landmark, surely. We can’t just tear it down and build some thing new. I know that’s not what you want.”

Troy’s mouth twitched at the corner, fighting back a smile.

problem, however. A problem Lynus had

protested, then paused, clearing his throat. “Well, I have

t-”

the castle, don’t worry,” Troy teased, sitting down on the edge of the bed. A puff of dust came up off the bare mat tress when he sat. “Romero

Alpha?” | asked, crossing the room to inspect the vanity. Old bottles of perfume sat covered in dust, their contents having gone ran cid long ago. I wondered who this room had belonged

away by his cronies in

things. If he had taken a moment to inspect the content of those vases, like you said, he would’ve found enough gold to repair the whole of the Isles-” |

alacrity, leaning against the wall near the windows. “We know the way, I have that haunted compass on the ship, still. Hell, we could be

| cried, turning my attention to Troy, who only shrugged. “I-I have an

dad”

sternly, shaking his

you, obviously,” I started, my cheeks color ing as panic prickled across my

here and be Luna. And

Keaton, who arched a brow at

your idea, princess,”

“It wasn’t an idea-”

the walls on our way out of here. Do you want to live on the Persephone for the rest of our lives, or do you want a home to live in, with a big, gated garden for the boys to play in?” Troy leaned back, crossing

placing my hands on my hips, “is who is going

that’s simple,” Keaton replied, a broad grin

“Tempest? The High Priestess?”

how Tasia and Carl got Grace to betray your father. Tempest will buy them from us, and we

couldn’t deny the look of glee in their eyes. This wasn’t what

ready for our next

is the only

deeply the dusty, dank air of the decrepit castle, and resigned

bit out, glaring at

somewhere for you ladies and the young princes to live while we’re gone.” Keaton turned to the

to be? I asked, following Troy and Keaton out of the

over lunch,” he said,

I had ever seen before. Large mansions made of pure marble rose from the palm trees atop a large bluff, which gave the neighbor hood its name,

up the wide, sand colored street in ages, was cracked and

in the mansions

were the once wealthy elite of the Isles, many of whom had pledged loyalty to Romero at one point in time. But those who were loyal to Romero were very old now, judging by the looks of the man standing at the edge of his property, watching the crew of

fashion.

in my arms as I narrowed my eyes back at him, sizing him up. A man roughly my father’s age came bounding out of their house, waving at me apologetically as he leaned to whisper harshly in the ear of the man I assumed was his

Tin

to move on, however. He opened the gate to their garden