“I’m not going to say another damned word about it,” Apollo said.“You don’t have to worry about her returning my affection.Or me doing anything about it.I know who I am, who she is.And don’t ask any questions.I won’t answer them.I just need you to trust that when I say I love her, it’s the truth.The only truth that matters.Sybil needs us.I’m prepared to give my life to save her.And I need you to set aside your pride and your determination to control everyone and everything around you.I’ll get her out of the dungeon, but you have to make sure she’s safe after that.No hammer can do that.She needs a coup.Get rid of Stone.That is the only real way to eliminate the danger to her for good.Use your damned brain.If you have one.”
Temple growled, “I’ve been trying to!But what few alchemists will talk with me won’t believe anything I say about Stone.”
“You’re aiming too high.Talk to the apprentices.”
Diana placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder.“He’s right.”
An unexpected ally.“Stone has already burned down the potion shop.”
Diana gasped.
“I just came from there,” Apollo said.“I suspect Stone set fire to Lady Guinevere’s building to smoke Sybil out.”
“How did he know she was there?”Temple’s question was more an accusation.
“Had one of us followed, no doubt.She was safe inside the building.They needed to bring her outside.”
“Lady Guinevere…” Diana’s hand hovered over her mouth.
“Safe.But her personal guard is missing.”
“No,” she whispered, a mere breath of a word just before she fled up the stairs.
Temple followed her, which meant Apollo did too.
“Not a word from you, Temple,” she said, running into a room at the end of the hall.She poked her head out momentarily to add, “I’m going to Guinevere.She’s my friend.”
Temple disappeared into the same room as his wife.
And Apollo paced the hall outside.
Diana swept back into the hallway, barely dressed in boots and her wrapper.She took a moment to close her eyes, then her wrapper disappeared, replaced by a plain gown and mantle.He’d only seen her use the talent that should have been his once before, the night she’d called lightning from the sky.Then he’d felt like he’d been struck by that deadly electricity, hollowed out, decimated.
But now he felt nothing.Not pain, not jealousy, not even wistful longing.He possessed one longing now—to see Sybil safe.
Diana crept toward him, her glamoured clothes moving stiffly as if she’d not spent enough time making them realistic or as if she’d not quite learned how to do that yet.
“When Sybil is safe,” she said, “I want to know.All about… everything.”She was smiling.Smiling!As she placed a palm on his chest over his heart.
It bruised.“How the hell can you forgive me, Diana?I would’ve killed you.”
She inhaled, exhaled, then said in the calmest voice he’d ever heard from her.“I hated you.For a very long time.I was terrified of you.You betrayed me.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t know if I do forgive you.But that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a chance to be better, to earn more than you would have deserved before.Besides, I don’t believe in judging one man for another’s actions.You’re not the same man, Apollo.We were both taught truths that have turned out to be lies.I was told I was useless, that my own desires didn’t matter, that I was worthless to the talent, incapable of harboring it.You were told from the moment of your birth that magic was your right, that you were the only one worthy of it.”
“Lies…” Hadn’t Sybil been taught them, too?That she had no inner heat, that working a forge would damage her.But she could do so much more than any of them would ever guess.
“I think…” Diana sighed and looked up at the moon.“It’s easy to do harm when you believe lies.”
He didn’t believe them anymore.
He was Mary fucking Sullivan.Again.
“I do not plan on making it out of Stone’s forge.Not unless Temple acts quickly.”He ducked his head, but he couldn’t hide from this.“I’m sorry, Diana.You have all you deserve now.I’m happy for you.”
Her smile softened.“It feels terrible, doesn’t it?Being in love?Like life and death all at once.Over and over again.”
