Chapter 61

Quinn

The massive castle rose out over the forest, the high towers and dark, sand-coloured walls standing out starkly against the green like a sentry against the setting sun.

What surprised me wasn’t the castle. It was that I’d seen it before. Everyone had. It was heralded in as one of the last great castles in the country and featured in many historical records and magazine articles. We even studied it in school. “This is your family’s castle?” I asked.

“You know it,” Troy stated as fact.

“Yeah. Everyone does.”

“Uh-huh,” he grunted.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't think about it."

He was tense, the muscles around his jaws clenched as tightly as the fists in his lap. I tried to mind link with him, but failed.

The back of my skull buzzed and then I heard his voice. “Are you trying to mind link?”

“Yeah. It’s still not working.”

“Patience, Quinn. It takes time.”

“Don’t you like it here?”

“No, I love it here. It’s my father I can’t stand.”

“Maybe it won’t be as bad as all that.”

He si