Chapter Thirty-Four

R ed mage lights gave the narrow space an eerie feeling, and Evienne became aware of the feeling of cool metal in her hand. The sound of a door shutting behind her broke the silence.

Evienne’s own mind became distant, replaced by Dominique’s memory.

Dominique turned to look back at the massive, unmarked door and locked it with a black metal key. The door was made out of the same strange material; Evienne had never seen anything like it.

Once the door was locked, Dominique turned and strode down the hall. Soon, a second set of steps echoed through the sparse corridor, and none other than Aldith rounded the corner. Dominique didn’t seem surprised to see the queen.

“Your Majesty.” Dominique inclined her head slightly.

“No need for the formality down here, Dom,” Aldith answered. “No one here to see.” Her words were tinged with annoyance.

“How is our latest addition?” Aldith asked.

“They were one of the more challenging ones, but they’ve been incorporated. All is well,” Dominique answered.

“Good, and you’re exploring our next prospect?” Aldith pressed.

“I am. We will likely need to find options outside the city proper to avoid arousing suspicions, but no matter what our time is limited. The power is fading, and taking more from your little pet isn’t going to fix your decades-old botched spellwork,” Dominique said with a hint of venom.

Aldith glared at Dominique, clearly deciding to ignore her vitriol. “It was ten years ago, Dom. You really should let it go. Just because you didn’t take to your wife doesn’t mean I can’t like mine.” Aldith’s voice was a hiss. “Let’s get back before we’re missed; you know we have a special tournament to attend and a suite full of foreign dignitaries to entertain today,” Aldith said, turning to head back the way she came.

At Aldith’s last words, Evienne began to panic. This memory was from today; the clothes Aldith and Dominique wore were the same. Whatever was going on was actively happening, and she would bet her life that the dark hallway was hidden somewhere in the Centrale Lumine.

Evienne gripped the thread of her magic and ripped herself out of Dominique’s memory and back into her own present. Only a breath had passed in the current flow of time. Evienne’s sense of foreboding at what she had seen was overwhelming; she couldn’t bear not knowing what was happening for a moment longer. More than that, she knew she wouldn’t have another chance to look for what she needed.

Acting on impulse, she felt for her magic again, this time throwing her mind toward Aldith’s.

Léhiona lay unconscious on the floor of a room lit only by a glowing red light, Dominique standing over her. Evienne oriented herself to the memory more quickly this time, recognizing Aldith’s voice as it filled the room.

“We need to be quick. I don’t know how long that sleeping drought will last,” Aldith said to Dominique.

Dominique nodded and held her hand out toward Aldith, who gripped a silver dagger.

Aldith took Dominique’s offered hand, slicing quick and deep across her palm. Aldith’s hands glowed a bright red that quickly settled into inky black. The words she spoke were in a language unfamiliar to Evienne.

As she spoke the spell, she grasped Léhiona’s left hand and black light condensed, zipping over Léhiona’s ring finger. Dominique reached over and pricked Léhiona’s finger with her silver mage ring, and the drop of blood that formed floated up to twist around the strands of black magic in the air.

Aldith finished speaking, and the twist of magic and blood tightened around Léhiona’s finger in an intricate floral pattern. The writhing black sank into Léhiona’s skin, right over where her tattooed wedding band wrapped around her finger, and her face twisted in pain despite her unconsciousness. Aldith drew in a quick breath and rested her hand on Léhiona’s cheek.Dominique sliced Léhiona’s palm and filled a small bowl with her blood, setting it aside.

Aldith released Léhiona’s hand, fighting for breath. Evienne’s own mind, distant as it was, reeled in horror at the dark magic she had just witnessed.

Dominique stepped out of Aldith’s view, and a loud hissing sound filled the space. When she returned, the bowl of Léhiona’s blood was empty.

“Do you think it worked? Is she bound? Did we establish the connection correctly? I thought there were supposed to be tendrils that connected her to it at first,” Dominique asked quietly.

“Time will tell, but we followed my father’s instructions closely enough. We need to get her out of here before she wakes up,” Aldith snapped in a harsh whisper.

“What do you mean closely enough ? Forgive me for wanting to ensure all of Ichorna doesn’t go dark because you did it wrong,” Dominique goaded, bending to help Aldith lift Léhiona into a sitting position.

“Of course I didn’t do it wrong; I just made a small adjustment,” Aldith muttered. “This spell has been in my family for generations. My father trusted me with this, and I will see it done. You know as well as I do, it’s the only way to ensure Ichorna’s progress.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t tell Sylvain about all of this? Just as a backup plan?” Dominique asked, struggling to lift Léhiona’s limp form.

“I’m sure; he’s too kind to do what must be done.”

·

W hen Evienne’s mind retracted into itself, her hands began to shake.

Orion was there, his leg pressed more insistently into hers, but he kept his hands casually folded in his lap. What Evienne had just seen tipped her whole world on its axis, but she had to keep herself composed right now, or she’d risk everything.

She took a deep breath, settling back into her own mind, training her eyes on the tournament below and trying to look engaged. What she had seen was worse than anything she had imagined.

She had been suspicious, of course; the trail of information they had followed had certain implications that she had considered over the past weeks. Her former wife conspiring with the queen to bind Léhiona using dark blood magic had not been on her list of possible outcomes.

Even more upsetting was the scene she had witnessed beneath the Centrale Lumine. It implied that not only did Aldith and Dominique do this awful thing in the past, but they were actively continuing their plot, whatever it may be.

Evienne suddenly understood the duplicate schedule she had found in Dominique’s office; it must be for a guard rotation stationed in that room she had seen below the facility. All of the pieces they had unearthed were clicking into place, and Evienne felt her horror solidify in the pit of her stomach.

Léhiona’s binding and the secret room were connected, and the fading magic aligned with the consorts’ presence in Ichorna going back two hundred years. Aldith had said the binding spell had been in her family for generations…

Evienne’s heart was racing and she needed to escape this confined space. Orion couldn’t leave with her without raising suspicions, so she would have to make this escape on her own.

She stood and gave her excuses to the group, though their focus didn’t leave the action below for long. When no one made to stop her or ask any questions, she quickly turned to leave, making her way swiftly down the arena stairs and out into the bustling city.

Her breath came in pants now, shallow and unsatisfying. There was a pinching sensation in her chest and her pulse pounded in her ears. Her steps slowed as she became overwhelmed by the sensations of her own existence, and before she knew it, she found herself leaning against the outer wall of a building, just trying to breathe.

She was lost to her own mind when a gentle hand grasped her upper arm, and a familiar face appeared before her—Hestia. Her lovely, kind mentor was somehow here, and Evienne couldn’t get enough air down to say hello.

“Come with me, Dove, it’s going to be alright,” Hestia said quietly, guiding Evienne off the crowded main street.

Hestia pulled her into an alley and looked around; when it seemed she was satisfied they were quite alone, she took Evienne’s hand, and the world fell out from under them.