“We think there might be a plot to depose the elves,” she rushed to explain before Silas could say something that would send her assistant into a panic attack. “Something involving the Ardeo, Antonin, and someone else. That’s why Antonin wanted to be here, Robert, and that’s why he was interested in me.”
Cold sweat broke out across her chest at the thought of the Protector having a small army of brainwashed soldiers.No wonder he was so confident,she realized.He didn’t have to worry about anyone questioning him or disloyalty. He probably would’ve turned me into one of them, too.
Was that what he’d meant by changing her mind? The possibility made her want to kill him all over again. Blackmail, coercion, torture — all awful prospects, but none of it held a candle to stealing a person’swill.Their mind. Their sense of self.
And Robert was right. Max had always warned her to keep her head down due to those same rumors. Luminists came in many types, but someone like Antonin would no doubt highly prize those who were extremely talented at weaving light into illusions or disappearing from sight altogether. Any number of nefarious things could be done by those hidden in plain sight.
If they didn’t want to be part of the Ardeo, then he didn’t have to ask twice. He could pluck the best and brightest from the Temple’s ranks, add them to his little toy chest, and kill the humanity in them little by little until they were nothing but husks.
Petra was viciously glad the Protector was dead. She almost wished she could kill him again, for the sake of everyone he’d hurt.
“Depose the…” Robert’s complexion went from ruddy to green in a heartbeat. “Oh, Glory. One of them asked about the service. I thought it was weird but I didn’t— I didn’t know. What should we do? We— we need to call someone. Tell them not to come to the dawn service!”
Using her most calming, authoritative voice, she explained, “We can’t do that, Robert. We have evidence that something might happen at the Tower, too, and if that’s the case, they can’t stay there. They could be targets in their own home.”
She doubted anyone could break through the blood wards guarding the family suite at the top of the Tower, but if Margot and Theodore were anywhere else… It was just too risky.
Looking like he might actually be sick, Robert asked, “Then what do we do? How do we stop them?”
As usual, her mate was quick with an answer. “I planned on killing them all.”
“Silas!”
“What?” He gave her a long-suffering look. “They’re all in one wing right now. If I locked the door and started a fire?—”
“No.”
“If I threw in a grenade?—”
“Absolutely not!”
“Baby, if I just killed afew?—”
Petra sliced her hand through the air. “No,no.We are not killing innocent men!”
“Are they innocent if they’ve done Vanderpoel’s bidding for who knows how long?” He lifted his lip in disgust. “Theywatchedyou, remember?”
“If they were brainwashed, then it wasn’t because they wanted to,” she argued. “They could be locked inside their own minds right now, Silas, screaming for help. They could be begging us to stop this but completely unable to control their actions. Wecan’t.”
“We don’t know that all of them are brainwashed. Seems unlikely.”
“We don’t have time to make that call, and I’m not risking it. We don’t play fast and loose with innocent lives, Silas. I don’t want any more bloodshed in my damn cathedral.” She gave him a hard look. “I’m not budging on this. We aren’t killing a dozen men who have no control over their actions. Period.”
Robert smoothed hands down his ceremonial robes. In a hoarse voice he asked, “Then what do we do? None of the staffknow how to fight, and even if they did, they haveweapons,your grace.”
Petra scraped her hair back from her face and muttered, “No one is fighting. I’m not risking anyone’s safety. We just need to knock them out of commission for a while. We have to get them out of the way, like—” She whirled on Robert and demanded, “Where are they now?”
“About to eat breakfast in the guest wing, I think,” he answered, brows furrowing.
“Have they gotten their food yet?”
“No? I— I don’t think so. The initiates were helping in the kitchen when your demon dragged me down the hall — which was very scary, by the way. Why?”
“Do you know if any of the staff takes sleeping pills? Sedatives of any kind, medicinal, recreational…” She waved her hand in a jerky circle. “Anything.”
Comprehension slowly dawned on Robert’s face. Near the door, a guffaw erupted from Silas.
“Yes, I do,”Robert breathed.
