Sienna drew forward to the stone at the center of the ring. She dipped her finger in a pouch of ash that was tied to her waistand drew a sigil of my royal crest, then waved me forward before she grabbed my hand, sliced it and smeared it on the stone. It began to shimmer as it turned into a wall of liquid.
‘Sage had a lover once, killed by a Forest Fae. It was a mistake, but she has never forgiven their kind, especially as the culprit was of royal lineage and they did everything possible to hide it and protect him from facing justice. Now step through; it will take us to my room. And before you ask why I didn’t do this to get us here in the first place, it only works one way after great sacrifice. The Three Promises are not even something I have ever submitted to them.’
I stepped through the liquid but did not feel wet; I did not feel anything at all. One moment I was on the summit of Runepeak; the next, I was standing in front of Sienna’s mirror. Jasper stepped through her mirror, followed by Sienna herself. She drew another sigil to close the doorway she had created and used my bloody hand to lock it once more.
‘So, what now?’ Jasper asked, grinning as he swung his hands like a child who could not sit still.
Ignoring him, Sienna turned to me, asking exactly what I had seen in Sage’s memories. I brushed them both off, needing time with my thoughts.
Twenty-Four
Islept for what felt like three days, but it was merely six hours. Sienna had found lodgings for Jasper with the rest of his kind after I had departed to get some rest. The sun was still far from rising, but we had no time to waste.
The council chambers were empty when I arrived. Something did not sit well with me, and it sent a disturbing sensation crawling up my spine. I didn’t wait long before Geraldine arrived.
‘Any updates from Cain?’ I asked as she took her seat.
‘He’s making progress. They have identified individuals they can trust to replace Jade’s council, but they are finding that Morgad’s claws run deeper than they had initially thought. They are holding off on any decisive permanent action until they are sure of who has ties to King Sebastian, lest they spook someone too early.’ I could sense she was holding something back; her usual calm demeanour was edged with something else I couldn’t quite place. My flame called for the omission of whatever she was holding back.
‘What’s wrong? You seem on edge. More so than usual.’ Just as I asked the question, the door to the council room opened and in came Sienna and Viv. Viv looked as though she had notslept since we left these halls three days prior. Her face was gaunt, her hair unwashed and she was so very pale, with dark rings surrounding her eyes.What on earth had happened while we were away?
‘What is going on? I will not ask again.’ I looked over their faces and there was hesitation. These people did not hesitate. Sienna looked as equally confused as I felt, so at least I was not being left completely in the dark. Just as I was about to open my mouth and demand an answer, Viv spoke.
‘Visarous…’ she trailed off.
‘Yes, where is he? Did something happen? Is he hurt?’ I asked, as a sudden jolt of panic rushed through me, which I suppressed before it could reach my face.
‘He’s… Skylar I can’t say it. I truly can’t say it.’ Viv looked at me pleadingly, tears welling in her eyes, desperate in a way I had never seen her. Looking to Geraldine for answers, she obliged.
‘We caught him meeting with a spy from Morgad. We believe he betrayed us and he has been working with Morgad for all of this time,’ she said coldly, as though she were reciting instructions to repair a piece of furniture. For a moment, I thought it a twisted joke, but the reality of the eternal flame remaining quiet within me told me it was the truth. I sat there, unmoving, barely breathing for minutes as I truly absorbed what was being said. Sienna was as shocked as I.
‘What have you discovered of Visarous and his true nature?’ I asked after my mind began to settle.
‘Nothing. He will not talk. The spy he met swallowed a pill when we found them exchanging information. By the time we dragged her to the dungeons, she was foaming from the mouth and died. The only piece of information we managed to get before the effects of the pill kicked in was the frequency of visits, which gives us an indication of roughly how much Sebastian knows. Visarous never went into Morgadian lands or sent messages; instead, Sebastian would send a spy here once a month for a debrief. The last time was nearly two weeks before theAlumni ball, which means Sebastian has no idea about Demir and you. The spy said Cain’s whispers and shadows were too adept at intercepting messages, so they kept contact one-sided, in person and minimal.’
‘It’s odd she would disclose even that much when already taking the step to swallow the pill so as not to be forced to speak or turn against her kings.’ I mused.
‘She was bragging. She wanted us to know the extent of Morgad’s reach. It was not a ploy to garner favour before death, it was done to induce fear and distrust.’ Viv whispered before Geraldine interjected.
‘Visarous, however, has not broken. Trying to break him broke Viv. My methods have been far more painful, but not remotely successful. When I found them by the tunnel that leads from the storeroom, I overheard part of their conversation. Visarous was telling the spy that you had gone to see the Wiccans and were now chasing down leads regarding the Ancient Forest. He also said that you had found your Ruhi—I believe this was the information he was trying to relay to Morgad, but we stopped it just in time. My Queen, did you find your soul bonded one, your Zauvek?’
Pressing the tip of the blade deeper I glared down at her. ‘I ask the questions here. I need to speak to him and see for myself,’ I said to no one in particular, but Geraldine nodded just the same. ‘Viv, you know what this means.’ I turned to her, gritting my teeth. There was only one punishment for traitors if this were true.
‘I-I can’t Sky. I know it’s my duty, but he’s my blood. I can’t hurt him. Please,’ she begged, tears breaking the surface and falling down her face.
‘He is no longer your blood! He is a traitorous piece of shit that deserves everything that is coming to him!’ I screamed as my chest rose and fell in time with my heavy breaths of rage. My anger, though, was not directed at her; I was angry at myself for being so foolish and bedding a traitor over and over again. I feltsick and I clung to a morsel of hope that it wasn’t true but the flame inside me told me everyone here new it to be which terrified me.
‘I-I know, Sky, but I can’t. Please, you have to. I can’t.’ Viv, for the first time ever as my Master of War, crumpled in on herself and began to sob into her palms. I had never seen my greatest warrior be so vulnerable. I hated Visarous even more now, seeing what he had done to his sister.
‘How many times will I have to make compromises for you, Viv? You are starting to become more trouble than you’re worth,’ I spat, not being able to look at her. Sienna met my gaze and flashed me a look as if to say I was taking things too far; however, I was only just getting started. I was angry, needed an outlet, and was quickly losing my grip on reality.
‘Before I go and interrogate him, it’s time to retest the loyalties of everyone in this room. Sienna, go and get a tonic for Viv’s nerves; I need her to be more coherent for this. And bring Jasper back with you; he should witness what it means to cross me. Geraldine, step forward and kneel at my feet like the good little bitch I need to remind you all to be,’ I said, pushing my chair back as Sienna left the room, hesitating only briefly at the door.
Geraldine was stoic and looked blank as she kneeled before me. I drew my sword and pressed the tip to the hollow of her neck and breathed deeply. Focusing on the flames that were licking at me, they hummed within me, having been fuelled by the rage that was consuming me.
‘Did you know who he really was?’ I pressed the sword deeper, drawing a single drop of blood and a clenched jaw from Geraldine.
‘No.’
