Chapter 60
Bran felt off as he returned from the meditation. As he opened his eyes a sudden dizziness overtook him and he keeled over to one side, barely reaching a hand out to stop himself from smacking into the ground.
"Bran!"
Bran waved a hand. "I’m fine," he said. "Just... something’s off." That dread that had started during the meditation hadn’t gone away but was instead only getting stronger.
Aunt Yeung clicked her teeth. "Everything’s off tonight," she said. "It’s not just the intruders. There’s this fog as well. Unnatural all of it." She drummed her fingers on her knee. Both she and Bran were sitting cross-legged on the floor on either side of an ornate censer.
Had this been a few years ago, Bran wouldn’t needed to be here, but it had been too long since he greeted his fairy stones and this was the fastest way, though it would have been better if Bran could visit them in person. Perhaps he’d bring Misha along. He’d probably find it interesting.
"Say, Bran," began Aunt Yeung. "You don’t think this has something to do with Misha Long, do you?"
The candle flames dotted around the room flickered wildly.
Aunt Yeung raised a hand. "Alright, don’t get all irritated now. I’m only asking a reasonable question."
Another time she would have argued but right now she was mostly spent from raising the manor’s defenses. And Bran knew that she was right about the question being reasonable. He sighed.
Cloud Flame Manor hadn’t avoided conflict for the last how many years only due to the reputation of its leaders. Its exact location was also shrouded in mystery forcing most to rely on being personally invited. While Bran was still regarded as a resident here, Misha was not and yet he’d been able to find the place all the same.
Misha had explained how he’d used a compass jar spell and a handwritten letter of Aunt Yeung’s to track her down, which was reasonable enough, but the timing of their arrival here and the attack just seemed too coincidental.