In the infirmary, Esaias had sat by his side each day, getting leave until Theo was healed. But even after his body had mended, he couldn’t get himself out of bed. Esaias had reached a hand into the darkness and stayed by Theo’s side until he’d been ready to grasp it.
When Theo had been in the darkest part of his life, flashing back each second into that torture chamber, Esaias had been there to pull him back. To remind him what waited back home, that Adelaide and Jeremiah waited for him.
Theo reached out and grasped his hand.
“To the end,” he whispered.
“To the end.” Esaias smiled.
Chapter 35
Amaris
Amaris opened hereyes, feeling a small throb in her head. A warm light emanated through the room from the glowing fire beside her. She shifted her eyes, squinting. She was in the mystique tower.
What the hell!She sat up, feeling the immediate effects of a hangover. Her hands at her sides felt sticky, and through the foggy sleep lining her eyes, she made out red vomit stained into her dress. She dropped her head in her hands.Did I seriously black out?
A shrill scream alerted her she wasn’t alone. Amaris rubbed at her sleep-filled eyes and pulled back to spot Pricilla running from one of the chairs beside the fireplace. With tears in her eyes, she curled up on the cot and embraced Amaris.
“You’re alive,” Pricilla cried.
“Of course, I’m alive.” Amaris assessed the vomit stain ruining her gorgeous dress. “What happened? Did I do shots?”
“You don’t remember?” She drew back.
“Getting ready with Adelaide, but that’s about it.” Amaris groaned. “I haven’t blacked out in years.”
Pricilla shook her head. “No, it wasn’t the alcohol. You were poisoned.”
Amaris’s eyes widened. “I was what?”
“Poisoned.” The smack of her head into her palms echoed through the tower. “The captain came rushing into the library with you.”
“Wait, Theodoric? What about Esaias?”
“I’m not sure. Everything was chaotic. You weren’t breathing. I don’t even know how he kept you alive.”
Rescue breathing.It had to be. Pride swelled in her chest, but the reason for the lifesaving maneuver swam to the forefront of Amaris’s mind. “Who?”
“We don’t know. Is it because someone is crazy enough to believe you’re responsible for the soldier who died from scrying fever? Or is it because you tried to escape?”
A dark shiver settled over her, and Amaris wrapped her arms around herself. “Wait? How do you know?”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Pricilla asked, confused. “I told you someone poisoned you, and you’re wondering how I knew you were being kept under guard?”
Amaris only shrugged, contemplating whether she was growing accustomed to the idea of someone wanting her dead or if she was numb. It was an unsettling thought. “When did you find out?”
“I’ve known for a while. It doesn’t take a lot of brains to decipher why you had a guard trailing you everywhere. I consulted my own sources and learned the truth. I also attempted to visit you in your room one night and found your door locked.”
“You still wanted to be my friend after you found out?”
Pricilla wiped the tears from her cheeks and took Amaris’s hands in her own. Her platinum hair was mussed, but old ringlets curled around the ends, and a few flowers were woven through the strands. At least her lavender tulle dress remained unscathed. “You’ve been kind to me.”
Amaris only wished others thought the way she did, but her line ofthinking was also naive. Pricilla was lucky she remained within the safety of the manor walls. The outside world was a cruel place, at least in her world.
“Do you think it was the chief?” Pricilla asked.
Amaris was pulled from her thoughts and shoved back into reality. She rubbed at her neck, not that it would aid the dryness of her windpipe. Someone had tried to kill her, but why? She was already about to be sent to Elric.
