To Kill a Wizard: Rose's Story (The Protectors of Tarak Book 1) by Lisa Morrow

had a huge window, with long orange curtains drawn back to reveal the dark night. Multi-colored lights hung by silver chains from the ceiling, like a scattering of enchanted stars. On one end of the massive bedroom, a lavish four-poster bed with orange drapes dominated the space. Sirena sat on the other side, where two plush chairs faced a roaring fire.
    Sirena’s bored eyes widened as she turned to me, and she jumped from the chair. “What happened?”
    “The girls are still drinking,” I said, crossing the room to plop into the chair across from her.
    She frowned. “That’s not surprising, but what happened with that Protector?”
    For the briefest second, I considered not telling her. But the urge came and went in an instant. This wasn’t the kind of information I could protect her from. She needed to hear the truth.
    “The woman, Meisha, says we need to choose to stay,” I explained.
    Sirena sat back down in her chair across from me and pulled her knees to her chest. “What happens if we don’t?”
    “I don’t know, but I don’t think it’ll be good.” I bit my lip, hesitating for only a second. “Meisha said they would’ve killed us or forced us to go if we’d refused them at the portal.”
    Sirena’s head jerked off her knees. “Why would anyone need to be forced to go if this is such a great place?” She shook her head. “We need to be careful here. Something’s going on that we don’t understand.”
    Suddenly exhausted, I slid off the chair and lay on the rug. The colorful glass candles full of light danced mockingly above. My eyes closed as an unexpected exhaustion raced through me. It was long past the time I usually went to bed, and there wasn’t anything I wanted more than sleep.
    “I wish I hadn’t gotten Chosen,” Sirena said, startling me from my thoughts.
    Opening my eyes, I stared at her. She looked tiny with her knees drawn up to her chest, and far younger than her sixteen years.
    “What was it that changed your mind about this place?” I asked, knowing my necklace was probably a big part of my anxiety.
    She looked at the fire. “I don’t know. I guess it’s that I’ve never seen you so nervous. Usually you’re the brave one.”
    “Me?” I repeated, shocked. “You’re the brave one.”
    She shook her head, her expression completely serious. “No. I’m brave when it comes to talking to a cute boy or stealing pastries from my mom. But you… I’ve never met another person like you before. That’s why I wanted to be friends with you. It’s like every time something scary comes along, you just deal with it, without blinking an eye.”
    I stared at her, astounded. “I just do what I have to do.”
    She met my gaze. “No. It’s more than that.”
    Looking away, I stared at the flames as they danced in the hearth. “So what are we going to do? You think we’re just nervous, or do you think there’s really something strange going on here?”
    “I don’t know. But is it silly if I kind of want to go home?”
    I shook my head. “Not at all.” Holding the cord around my neck, I thought of what waited for me back in Duggery. “But I want to be sure about this place before we do anything rash.”
    Silence stretched between us.
    “I’m not going to be able to sleep here until I know what these women are planning for us.”
    I rubbed at my aching head. “Yeah, if only we could read minds.”
    A little bit of fear crept into her voice. “At least we need to find something out before the ceremony. The way they talked about it, well, it gave me the creeps.”
    She was right. If only we had a way…
    My eyes opened, and I sat up. “Maybe there is something we can do.”
    “What?” Sirena asked, letting her legs drop onto the rug.
    “I found a passageway behind the fireplace in Bethenny’s room. If there are others behind all the fireplaces, maybe we can spy a bit.”
    Sirena’s mouth formed into a surprised oh .
    “But, we’d have to go right away.”
    She