She blinked a couple of times, then rubbed her eyes. “Right. The wedding.”
I sat back in the chair next to her. “You don’t have to go if you’re not feeling up to it. Nobody would blame you, after what you’ve been through.”
And I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to hold on to my control if I was alone with her.
“No, I—I want to go. I mean, I know things will be weird between Clarissa and me, but…” She shook her head. “I think I need to get away for a little while. Not be so close to—to him, you know?” Her fingers played with the fringes of the bedsheet, and her shadows danced up and down her hands. They seemed to respond easily to her emotions. “Not that I don’t love the Keep and everyone here. I do, and I’m so happy to be back. But it?—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself, Devora. I get it. If you want to get away, we’ll go.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Fates, I was already wrapped around her finger.
“I’m a little surprisedyoustill want to go. I figured you’d be planning an attack on the Hollow by now,” she said, peering at me.
I’d thought about it. In the hours after we got back from the rescue mission and Devora lay passed out in my bed, the others had to talk me down from my spiral. How was I supposed to focus on anything when my sister was brainwashed? Vera Duma, phoenix Shifter andtrulythe most powerful magic-wielder in the history of the Veridian Empire, reduced to a puppet at the end of his strings.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her gaze void of recognition, and it hollowed me.
She probably wasn’t the only one. He could be creating an entirearmy. That, combined with the destructive effects of fatesprig we’d discovered, could make him unstoppable. A force that could both suppress magic and bend it to his will.
I soon realized any attack I made would have the same result until I learned how to counteract the magic-sucking fatesprigandhow to break his compulsion over others. I would get nowhere with brute force. All these midnight raids and missions were pointless if he had some sort of enchantment over them—we could set him back, but not stop him altogether.
I had to think like him. Figure out what magic he was using, and reverse it. There was one thing we hadn’t tried yet.
“Trust me, if I thought making a move on Scarventonightwould work, I’d be halfway to his manor right now. But it won’t. He expects a counterstrike. He expects me to come in with every weapon in my arsenal, led only by my anger.” I leaned forward to rest my elbows on my knees. “I can’t fight Vera, and I won’t lead anyone down there to ourgraves.”
Devora’s brow furrowed. “Then…I don’t understand. We just do nothing?”
I shook my head slowly. “We have to break whatever magical hold Scarven has on her. We needAlchemy. Silas is wonderful, and he’s done so much to help us and the refugees. But I’ve always known he would never truly be willing to do what it takes to get on the same level as Scarven.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I need to talk to someone who’s not afraid to get their hands a little dirty,” I said. “We both know Scarven and his Alchemist don’t have a clean bone in their body, and this might be the only way to figure out how they have such strong control over Vera.” A strand of red hair fell onto Devora’s cheek, and I had to fight the urge to move it behind her ear. “There are other kinds of magic, Devora. Darker magic that most Alchemists like Silas refuse to touch. But I know just who to talk to.”
Her eyes darted between mine. “What does that have to do with Clarissa and Thorne’s wedding?”
“Because this person will be there.” I gave her a grim smile. “Have you ever heard of blood magic?”
51
Devora
Here we were in Veridia City, capital of the Veridian Empire and home to a conglomeration of people with all six magic types, the palace itself…and the empress I stabbed in the back four months ago.
The sun had been set for a couple of hours now, but the port was still brightly lit with torches along every path. From the bow of the ship, I could see colorful buildings dotting the skyline, like a rainbow of brick and stucco. Way less dreary than the shades of gray and brown in Drakorum. But the cheery sight did nothing for the nerves curdling in my gut.
Nox said Clarissaspecificallyinvited me, but all I could think about was the betrayal in her eyes the last time I saw her. My shadows sensed my distress and rose to the surface, twisting along my fingers as I picked at my nails. They felt urgent. Restless. More aggressive than usual, which made sense, given my constant wariness.
We left early this morning by carriage from the Keep to the west shores of Drakorum, and then traveled a few hours by boat to arrive on the banks of the capital. I was thankful we chose to make the journey likenormalpeople to keep a low profile. Ridingbareback on a dragon for hours wasn’t exactly my preferred method of travel.
Even if it was Nox’s bare back.
My neck heated, and I turned away before he saw me staring. That was the last thing I needed to be thinking about right now.
When I left for Scarven’s manor ten days ago, Nox said he trusted me, which meant more than any heartfelt declaration or words of passion. He wanted me to come home to him. He brought back my baby blanket, for Fates’ sake. Waking up in his arms yesterday was the first time I felt safe in longer than I could remember.
But things were…complicated. He had more important problems to deal with, what with seeing his sister again. I couldn’t imagine how he must’ve felt when she tried to kill him. To know his mortal enemy had turned her brain to mush and sired her to his every beck and call. To know he wassoclose, yet forced to let her slip through his fingers.
And me…
