“Fuck me,” Magnus whistled as he examined the page on the maglocunos. “You think Oriane sent this thing to hunt you?”
Filip, Hugo and I exchanged glances.
“It’s possible—”
“I have my own theories—”
Hugo and I spoke at the same time. Filip just shook his head.
“There are instructions for a love potion in here,” said Hugo,pointing to an open page in the grimoire. “It doesn’t mention anything about symbols and it certainly doesn’t require the use of body parts. Only a strand of hair from the object of your desire.”
My heart sank as I slumped into a chair. “She could be brewing a different love potion?”
“It’s possible,” said Hugo, eyebrows knitting together.
My eyes widened as another thought occurred to me. “What if Oriane went to Basia for the ingredients?” I asked, thinking of the missing glass jars and vials in the witch’s cottage. “Basia must have refused to help her, so Oriane killed her. It all adds up.” Proud of the conclusion I had drawn, I looked at Hugo for confirmation.
“This is all speculation at this stage,” he said, frowning deeply. “We first need evidence before we can make any accusations about her being the murderer.”
But how were we going to get it? The blood began to pump faster in my veins as I remembered the wedding was tomorrow. Time was not on our side. “You’re right. We need to find evidence before it’s too late. And if it’s true, we need to stop the wedding.” The others nodded in agreement.
“We must tread carefully,” said Hugo. “If Oriane really is capable of murder, that makes her extremely dangerous and likely unhinged. And if Tarben is under the influence of a love potion, he won’t believe us unless we have undeniable proof. And I think there may be only one way to get it—we go straight to the source.”
I sat up straighter, Filip stiffened, and Magnus helped himself to a grape from the fruit bowl sitting on top of the low-lying table, throwing it in the air and catching it in his mouth.
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“I’m saying, we need to search Oriane’s quarters. If she’s hiding something, that’s the place it’s most likely to be.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and leaned back in my chair.“How do you propose we do that?”
Before he could respond, Magnus chimed in. “I have an idea.” He smirked at the look of skepticism that was mirrored across our faces. “Send for some food and drink, Hugh. It’s going to be a long night.”
Chapter 42
“Stop that, you’ll draw attention to us,” I hissed at Magnus, who was the picture of ease as he hummed a merry tune from the column he had propped himself against.
“Sorry. Only trying to pass the time.” He shrugged, not looking remotely apologetic, but at least he’d stopped humming.
“It hasn’t been that long.” Even as I said it, I couldn’t help but worry at my lip.
At least five minutes had passed since Filip had left us in an alcove of a deserted corridor, and, while we hadn’t been discovered yet, it was only a matter of time before a servant found the two of us. I could imagine how tongues would wag about what we might be up to, and we couldn’t afford any unwanted attention. Most certainly not now.
The plan was simple enough: to buy us some time, Hugo had sent for Oriane under the pretense that he had a wedding gift for her. Filip went ahead to make sure it was all clear, and, the moment he returned, Magnus and I would conduct a search of her chambers to find the crucial evidence we needed to put a stop to the wedding.
Despite the fact that I had been up until the early hours of the morning scouring through the grimoire and formulating the plan with the others, my mind was alert, and my body thrummed with anticipation. Still, I couldn’t ignore the knot that had beenin my stomach all day. Tarben’s fate rested on us, and, if our plan failed, we would monumentally fail him.
As asinine as it was, I would stay and search for a way to free Tarben. It didn’t matter that I had spectacularly failed at breaking the curse, I cared about him, and I wouldn’t leave him this way. And, if I could free him before the full moon, there was still a chance I could get him to confess his love for me. A small chance, but I would take it.
“Have I mentioned how ravishing you look today?” Magnus purred, his eyes roaming over my body.
“Stop that,” I snapped again. Still, I couldn’t help but run my hands down the gown I had chosen for the wedding I intended to ruin. It was made of lavender, cream and gold brocade with a fitted bodice, voluminous skirts, and ruffled sleeves that gathered at my elbow. My hair was styled with gentle waves and loosely braided with fresh asters delicately woven in. Whether they would bring good fortune or serve as a pretty reminder of what I had lost remained to be seen.
“What?” He crossed an ankle over his foot. “I’m just saying that the princeling will be on his knees begging for you the moment we cure him.”
“You’re flirting and it’s disturbing,” I said, scrunching my nose.
“It was a compliment!”
