The Schism (The Broken Prism Book 4) Read Free Page B

because Hayden had nothing better to do, he followed her, lengthening his stride to keep pace with her though they were almost the same height now.
    The Trout estate looked almost nothing like the Frost one, other than the fact that they were both larger than any house had a right to be. There was a fence around the main compound, but it looked more decorative than functional, thin bars of alternating gold and silver lining the perimeter of the front yard. They approached the gates along a paved carriage lane, though even on the outside of the gates the grounds were freshly mown in little crosshatching patterns for as far as Hayden could see. He assumed they were farther south than Calypso, since the frost didn’t seem to have hit the area yet, though the grass was nearly all dead.
    The other main difference was the number of people here. Whereas Hayden and Magdalene had been the only ones at the Frost estate when he was last there, the Trout estate almost seemed like a small town. Gardeners were bent down, working around the entrance to the gates even though there were no flowers growing during the winter, someone was sweeping dust and dirt from the lane they were walking on, and a man stood on either side of the gates to greet them. At the house itself he could see window-washers at their work and people bustling around with no discernible purpose at all.
    “Lady Trout, welcome home,” the man on their side of the gate greeted them, throwing a latch to release his side of the lock and catching the attention of his colleague on the other end, who did the same. Hayden noted that both of these men were dressed better than he was.
    “Thank you,” she nodded to them and continued through the gates with Hayden in tow, still staring around with interest.
    Inside the gate he felt suddenly warm, a sure sign that the same kind of climate-controlling magic that was in effect at Mizzenwald all year was being used here as well. Shedding his coat and carrying it over one arm, he continued to scan his surroundings.
    The grass here was still very green, though it had also been mown into those neat little diamond shapes, and a winding trail of large stones led off to a small park to his left; he glimpsed a few stone benches amongst the winding paths, flowers, and trees that mostly obscured his view of it. The other side of the front lawn looked like it was set up to host parties: long tables ran in parallel, with enormous fire pits for grilling and a granite serving table in the shape of a large ‘L’ along one end. Canopies of silk and taffeta in red and blue hung over the tables on poles to shelter guests from the sun while they ate. Hayden could imagine that some pretty awesome parties had probably been thrown here.
    The center of the lawn was given over to statuary and fountains, and as Hayden walked past them he admired the different renderings in stone: mages and warriors, even monsters like hydras and wargs were posed convincingly around the area, staged as though engaged in epic battle.
    “Nice statues,” he spoke into the silence. “I’ve always liked sculptures.”
    Mrs. Trout favored him with a tilt of the head and a slowed her pace slightly as they approached the front doors, which were opened for them by a doorman who was wearing a red uniform.
    Hayden was suddenly brought back to the conversation he’d had with Magdalene at the Frost estate last year, when he had marveled at the thought of paying someone to do nothing but open the front door, and how she had explained that it was all part of the game of flaunting your wealth to other rich people.
    “Nice doorman,” he said mildly, wondering if she would remember their conversation.
    She actually turned to look at him then, gracing him with a smirk that let him know she remembered their last meeting quite well.
    Hayden had been expecting to enter a foyer, and was rather surprised when they stepped into an enormous hallway with twenty-foot ceilings and white marble