Only then did Emylia answer his question. “A few hours have passed. King Dimetreus is holding court and Morkai is in attendance.”
“Doing what?”
“Just watching.”
Teryn arched a brow. “That’s all?”
“For now.”
Teryn had expected something more sinister, but as long as he wasn’t anywhere near Cora, he could let himself relax.
Emylia gave him a sympathetic smile. “You’re worried about the princess, aren’t you?”
“How can I not be worried? He’s using my body to marry her and become king. He—” His voice cut off as he recalled Morkai and Cora’s interaction. He’d nearly exploded in a futile rage, expecting Morkai to put his hands on her, to touch her or kiss her the way Teryn would have. Instead, he’d kept his hands behind his back, maintained a steady distance between their bodies. Then there were the things he’d said, telling her she was right to ask for space. The fact that he knew about what had happened between them in the tower last night told him Morkai had indeed been spying on them, the same way Teryn had begun watching Morkai.
But why had he acted so cold?
Teryn faced Emylia. “If Morkai is determined to marry Cora, why did he try to keep her at bay today? Wouldn’t it serve his purposes to keep her close?”
Emylia shook her head. “He will have to ensure your engagement remains secure while avoiding her as much as possible until the marriage contract is signed. Cora is dangerous to him because of her magic. The crystal likely keeps her from reading Morkai’s true emotions, and it might be muting yours as well, but she may grow suspicious if she realizes she can no longer read you.”
“You know about Cora’s magic?”
“I’ve been in this crystal a very long time, and I’ve spent most of my time projecting myself outside of it, watching. I’ve witnessed every moment between her and Morkai, starting with when he first arrived at Ridine Castle. I watched her struggle with her magic as a child, long before she’d learned what she was. But I’ve always known she was a clairsentient witch. A strong one. She’s what my people call an empath.”
“An empath,” Teryn echoed. He remembered Cora saying that word when she’d confessed about her magic. She’d told him about witches and their six sensory magics, said that an empath was a witch with the strongest form of clairsentience.
“I’m from Zaras,” Emylia said, “in the Southern Islands. There we respect magic. Almost everyone feels a connection to at least one of the six sensory magics. The strongest in the Arts train as priests and priestesses at the Zaras Temple. This bedroom was where I lived while training as an acolyte at the temple. I was a promising seer before I died.”
That explained why Emylia knew so much about magic, and perhaps why she could utilize the crystal the way she did. Yet it reminded him just how much hedidn’tknow about her.
“How did you die? Why did he trap your ethera?”
“He trapped me for the same reason he trapped you. He has plans for me.”
He didn’t fail to note that she hadn’t answered the first part of his question. Was she hiding something? He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you helping me?”
“Our goals are the same,” she said with a shrug. “I want out. I want my soul to be at rest. And there’s only one way to solve both our problems.”
“What’s that?”
“We must destroy the crystal.”
Teryn’s eyes went wide. “How?”
“I don’t know yet,” she said, wringing her hands at her waist. “You need to strengthen your connection to your vitale and cereba first. You’ll likely get only one chance to do what needs to be done. That flinch you created today? You’ll need to do that with your whole body. If you can gain control over your movements, you’ll have a chance at removing the crystal from your body. You must force it at least sixteen inches away, remember? That’s the first step.”
“What will that do?”
“Like I told you, removing the crystal from over your body’s sternum will compromise the connection between Morkai’s heart-center and your cereba. He will fight you for dominance, but without the crystal closing the circuit that gives him primary control, you’ll have an equal chance at retaining motor function. You’ll need to act at once to break the crystal.”
He gave her a pointed look. “Didn’t you tell me it’s unbreakable?”
“Yes, but I’ll work on figuring that part out. For now, you must get strong. You have time. I promise.”
Teryn bristled despite her placating smile. He knew what empty promises sounded like, for he’d delivered his fair share, and hers rang as hollow as an unfilled vase. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t trust her. Right now, it was his only choice. And he did have time, didn’t he? His marriage to Cora wouldn’t commence for another year, and if Morkai was determined to avoid her until then, she’d be safe in the meantime. He’d be able to free himself before then.
Right?
