I’m too selfish to risk Lorcan’s humanity, for I refuse to live in a world where he doesn’t exist. For this reason, I don’t tell Justus about signaling my whereabouts. “If only Meriam could collapse her wards.”
“Soon.”
Come to think of it. . . “Lore mentioned that Dante wiped away the sigil in the dungeon. Was that a lie?”
“Unless sigil fresh, no can be wiped, because blood goes deep in stone. To undo magic, witch must recall her blood.”
“Youcan manipulate Meriam’s blood, so technically,youcould recall her magic, right?”
“Jus—”
“Jus . . .?”
His posture stiffens, but then he rolls his shoulders, making little bones pop. In Lucin, he mumbles, “Just maybe.”
“So the ward stone endures?”
“Yes.” Justus strides toward the entrance of the cellar.
“Even though it was broken?”
“Yes.”
I tip my head to the side, my locks frolicking past my shoulder. “How many pieces was it broken into?”
“Three.”
I’m glad for such a low number. “Are all three in the dungeon?”
“No. We discuss later, Fallon.”
“But you know where all the pieces are?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Not in Luce,” he murmurs before commanding the soldiers loitering in the cramped hallway to unlock my cage.
Twenty
Iyearn to further discuss the ward rune with Justus, but we’re surrounded by too many Dante enthusiasts to discuss such a sensitive topic. At least dwelling on their location keeps my mind off where I’m headed and what I’m to accomplish once I reach my destination.
As we emerge into the vault room, I scan the elaborate doors, wishing they were unsealed, wishing for a glimpse of my grandmother or a whispered encouragement, but Meriam’s tucked out of my sight.
Justus guides us down the tunnel that leads to the washroom Cato brought me to the day of my unbinding. We plow past the bathing chamber, then past an endless row of closed doors.
“So Costa lived underground?” I ask Justus.
“Only at the end of his life, when he was no longer of sound mind and thought Ríhbiadh would rise without help from a Shabbin.”
“So all these doors lead to rooms?”
“Not all of them. Some lead to various places in the kingdom. Places that have been walled off. In case you’re considering trying to escape, know that you won’t go far. Even vermin cannot find their way into Costa’s tunnels.”
“That halfling rat did,” one of the soldiers behind me volunteers.
I spin around to uncover which idiot desires an iron blade in the testicles. When my gaze collides with a narrowed green one, I determine it’s the soldier named Lastra.
