“Did you read him?” I asked.
Marcus shuddered. “Yeah. I touched him when I helped lift him onto the gurney. He and Hemlock were held in an underground room for months, far below ground. There were no windows, or any light. No sun or stars. Everything was reinforced with noxite. They had no magic, and food was withheld for weeks. The Warden came down frequently to watch them be interrogated. They used everything— magic, torture devices. Blood was just… all over the place.”
Marcus sounded sick as he added, “When he got angry they didn’t comply, he gave them to his guards to torment.”
A disgusting sickness welled inside my gut and paralyzed all my senses. The Warden had done the same to me in Cellblock 9; once he’d drained my power, he’d handed me off to his vampire guards to have fun with. They’d blood let me with every instrument they could get their hands on.
I hadn’t even endured that for very long, and I couldn’t think about it without wanting to scream. I’d blocked out that small part of my life since it’d happened, because I didn’t think my sanity could take it if I faced what happened down in Cellblock 9 again.
Hemlock and Takahashi had gone through the same…for months.
“It won’t go unpunished,” I promised. “We’re going to make The Mission suffer.”
I felt Ava brushing up against our bond before we arrived at the hospital, and I realized I hadn’t been paying attention to my bond since Oberi cut me off. We hurried through the doors to the medical wing, and I could hear Ava and Kallie speaking to one another nearby. The staff wheeled Takahashi away, while Marcus and I rushed over to the girls.
“Hemlock and Takahashi are in the palace,” I blurted, before anyone else could get a word in.
We’re well aware, Oberi replied, ruffling her feathers from the back of Ava’s chair.Didn’t I tell you we were busy?
Fucking hell. Hemlock had gotten to Ava first, and I’d been too preoccupied to notice. That scared me, because even though our bond was strong, things still went unnoticed even in the most trying of times.
I ran my hands over Ava’s arms, searching for signs of injury, but I found none. “Are you safe?”
“Rattled, but I’m fine,” she admitted. “Can’t say the same for Hemlock.”
“What happened to you?” I asked desperately. I hated that I hadn’t been there for her.
“Hemlock was waiting for me in the halls. She sprung out at us, but Eldin stopped her, and held her off,” Ava explained.
“It wasn’t her,” I insisted. “She and Takahashi were both compelled— by Mad Dog, no less.”
“We figured that,” Kallie said. “It was too good to be true that we got rid of those fuckheads forever.”
“By the time Oberi pinned her, Danny showed up. He lifted the compulsion on her. She’s recovering,” Ava explained.
Kallie huffed. “Regardless, they’re here now, and that’s good news. If anything, the Warden did us a favor by sending them here. Now they’re back with us, and safe, but the Warden’s infiltrated the palace twice now. Who’s to say he won’t try?—”
“He won’t get to you again,” a booming voice came from behind us.
It was obvious who he was, because the atmosphere changed when he entered the hospital wing. Voices turned to whispers, and people scurried out of his way. The Emperor commanded respect so casually that I didn’t even think he noticed. It was completely natural to him.
Ancestors, I wanted to be just like him one day.
My grandfather must’ve just received the news of the intruders, and he didnotsound happy. “This is the second time Doctor Taurus’ assassins have infiltrated the palace, and I daresay I don’t trust my own security force. We diverted military forces from the palace to fight The Mission, and that was nearly a fatal mistake. I’m increasing our security force— again. No one will get in and out of the palace without me knowing about it. Our empire could have lost you both today, and it’d have devastated all of Ilamanthe.”
“Believe me,seanari, it’ll take a lot more than a compulsion spell to kill us,” I told him.
“I don’t care what Doctor Taurus tries next. Hewon’thurt either one of you,” Cassiel insisted. “Neither one of you are free to roam the palace on your own. Your guards will follow you wherever you go. I don’t care if they have to watch you piss; you will remain in their line of sight at all times. Do you understand?”
I wanted to protest, because it sounded a lot like being locked up all over again. I didn’t make my guards follow me everywhere, and I gave Eddie days off, like today, because I enjoyed my freedom.
But I understood why my grandfather insisted we take these precautions. At first, I thought he was being overly cautious with his security detail following him everywhere. Now it made sense. I didn’t like it, but it was a whole lot better than ending up dead— which had nearly happened twice in less than a few weeks now.
“I understand,” I told him.
I don’t like taking orders from your grandfather, even if he is the Emperor, Ava said through the bond.We’re in charge here, too.
He’s just trying to keep us safe,I replied.If you don’t want to take orders from him, take them from me. You’ve got a curfew now and rules to follow, pidge. If you choose to act like a brat, I will punish you accordingly, and believe me, it won’t be the fun kind.
