Azur covers his face with his hand. “Meaning he can go anywhere.”
“I suppose,” Marlak says. “Not anywhere. I think she can use old, weak circles, but not go anywhere, like you.”
“Almostanywhere, then,” Ziven says. “Phew. What a relief.” I’m sure he’s the only one who thinks he said anything funny.
“Is this house really warded?” I ask, unable to shake the image of a horde of ghouls encircling us.
“Yes,” Azur replies in his usual superior tone. “It’s hidden.”
“What happened to the island?” Astra asks.
Azur tells everyone that the Sea Court queen and prince imprisoned Lidiane, but that the king is on their side, and gave them some seawater to heal the magic poisoning. He explains that the queen came to the island on carriages pulled by moths.
“Like Zorwal!” Tarlia says. “He had those too. And at first, he took us to an island.”
I look at her. “You didn’t tell me.”
She shrugs. “Well…”
I turn to everyone. “Dark moths are associated with the Witch King, who enchanted and enslaved some animals, like the dark unicorns.”
Astra narrows her eyes, as if confused. “Like Cherry Cake?”
“Yes,” I say. “He resisted, though. And survived.”
Azur taps on the arm of his chair. “So the Sea Queen could have some dealings with Zorwal, or maybe even with the Witch King himself.”
Beside me, Marlak says, “Lots of royal families swore loyalty to him, sometimes because they had no choice.”
“Her family wasn’t royal,” Lidiane says. “Regardless, she might be dead now.” She looks down, her eyes sad. “Or the Sea King might be dead, in which case, the Sea Court is going to be a problem.”
I point outside. “Why are we this close to the ocean, then?”
Azur raises an eyebrow. “Like I said, the house is warded. We needed a safe place to convene and plan.”
“Fair,” I say, even if I’m not sure I trust any wards, but there’s nothing I can do. “The first thing we need to do is get rid of Zorwal and Otavio. Only then can we try to tackle the Witch King, but we can’t wait. I’m not sure exactly how long we have, but I doubt it can be more than a day after Zorwal and Otavio are killed.”
As soon as I finish my sentence, I realize this is an almost impossible task. How can we find the three of them in such a short time? I think everyone feels that, as their expressions turn gloomy.
Astra then says, “I know where they are.”
“You do?” Marlak asks her.
“Yes!” She smiles in triumph. “I took some of Otavio’s blood. Zorwal’s and the Witch King’s too, and I can… sense them. It’s murky, but I think I can locate them.”
“I can go where they are,” Azur says.
Astra turns to Marlak. “Ready to kill them?”
He stares at her, looks down, swallows, then says, “No.”
I’m not sure I understand anything anymore.
24
MARLAK
No. What a stupid thing to say, and yet I have to say it, even if it makes no sense. How can I even explain that I can’t use the magic I was blessed with? They’re all staring at me, their expressions a mix of surprise and condemnation.
