“So does he.” Renel points at Marlak.
“Yes, but I have other human traits,” Marlak says. “Bigger frame, round ears. I’m sure a shorter lifespan would be included in that.”
“I’m almost positive that Otavio is Tiurian,” I insist. “It’s what he claims to be, and it’s what makes the most sense.”
“Maybe,” Renel mutters.
“How did you escape?” Azur asks Lidiane.
“I used my glamour, pretended to be Otavio, and got ourselves out. It’s why we went to the castle; to warn you not to fall for any blackmailing.”
Azur runs a gloved hand through his long, blond hair. “You should have let me find you. I would have killed him immediately.”
Lidiane waves a hand. “It worked out in the end.”
I have no doubt that Azur would have killed Otavio, but I’m strangely glad my former master’s alive. There’s so much I still need to know, and he has the key to my answers.
“Otavio’s not a threat,” I say. “At least not as big as… Everything else. And he knows a lot.”
Azur points at Lidiane. “He kidnapped her. Reason enough to kill him.”
Marlak snorts. “And you and Renel kidnapped Astra. Should I kill you?”
“I kidnapped no one.” Renel shows the palms of his hands.
Azur, for his turn, smirks and turns to Marlak. “Don’t you worry. Soon, soon you’ll have your chance.”
“Azur!” Lidiane’s glare might be what finishes him. “Stop it. We’re going to find a cure for you. No debate.”
Azur’s cocky posture deflates and for a moment he looks like a child scolded by their master. “False hope hurts.”
Lidiane shakes her head. “No hopealsohurts, but hurting is not even the problem. No hope keeps you from fighting, from trying. I’d rather hope and fight until the end than concede defeat before trying.”
I understand her now, understand why she no longer looks sad, why she’s sitting with us and planning as if Azur wasn’t condemned to die in a few days. In her mind, he’ll survive, and she’ll do anything to ensure that happens.
Azur stares at her, his jaw dropped, then he looks at the rest of us. For a second, he looks in my direction, his expressionstrangely humble, his eyes almost… pleading? I blink, then see him with his arms crossed, his pompous air back in place.
His fingers move through the glamour hat, then he says, “There are a few things I also need to tell. When I beheaded Zorwal, I felt something different, some strange magic. It’s why I thought he was still alive.” He points at me. “But when we moved the castle, it felt similar in the way I lost control of my transcending, as if another force pulled me. That force is the Witch King. Even before being stabbed, I had a bond of servitude to him, because of my family.”
His eyes flicker to me, then he continues, “One of my ancestors pledged loyalty to him, and made a deal so that all his male descendants would also serve him. And here I am.”
Renel snorts. “Look at the bright side. I bet it’s better than serving me.” His voice is full of venom and makes me wonder what happened to them.
Azur rolls his eyes. “Being forced into servitude is never pleasant. When Astra cut all bonds, she cut my bond to Renel, and yet my bond to the Witch King was not severed. And so I was called to him. It’s worse, actually, because he can syphon my magic. Just imagine what he could do with it.”
There’s dread in everyone’s eyes, and Azur continues, “I couldn’t let him have my transcending. I couldn’t. In theory, it would make no sense for him to try to kill a fae whose magic is feeding him, but he was unstable, angry, confused. If he managed to kill me, he would lose all the magic he pulled from me and that would weaken him considerably. It could probably put him back in a dormant state.”
That was his plan? “Except that nobody would know that.”
“Not true.” He points at Lidiane. “I told her.”
Lidiane glares at him. “The most horrific transcending note ever.I’m giving my life for you. As if a sacrifice was some kind of gift. What were you thinking?”
Azur inhales sharply. “If he gives me a direct command, I can’t refuse it. Understand what a torture it is. I did what I could to avoid being used like a weapon. I tried.”
She snorts. “Tried todie. And what if it went wrong? Isn’t yourselflessattempt the very cause of your magical poisoning?”
Azur stares at the tip of his gloved fingers as if he were staring at his nails. “If Astra hadn’t transcended us, I don’t think I would have survived to face this dreadful fate.”
