Chapter Forty-One

O rion’s head pounded his pulse in his ears as he slowly became aware of his body again. The floor was hard against him, and he could tell before he even tried to move that every muscle would scream in protest the moment he adjusted.

He gradually became aware of the fact that, despite his position on what seemed to be the ground, he wasn’t cold. He slowly opened his eyes to find his own massive white spotted paws in front of him—still shifted then.

He pulled air into his lungs, grasping desperately at a memory that seemed just out of reach. He moved then, pulling himself into a sitting position, his paws finding purchase on the cold ground and carefully took in his surroundings as he tried to recall how he ended up here.

A small, plain room with one tiny door, no handle, and not a window to be seen. A cell, then.

Orion recalled the sound of Evienne’s knees cracking against the stone floor of that awful hallway. The memory shattered Orion’s cautious quiet. It shot through his mind as his rage filled him again at seeing her overpowered.

Evienne—brave, powerful Evienne—his Còmhanam; she needed him, and he was caged here alone. They were in over their heads with Dominique and Queen Aldith. He saw that now, but he thought they had been so careful to avoid detection as they sought answers. What a costly mistake.

Orion’s heightened hearing alerted him to approaching steps long before the cell door slid open with a groan. None other than queen Aldith stood in the doorway, her face a perfect impassive mask.

In this form, he couldn’t speak to her, so he attempted to summon his magic to shift. Despite his weakened state, it poured through his veins in a rush, and in a blink he stood before her on two feet.

“It’s truly fascinating to see the shift up close; it’s really a shame that wild magic was the cost of progress,” she said, her voice casual but firm. Orion remained silent.

“I’ve known since you arrived in my palace that you were up to no good, Professor ,” she continued. “You and your noble friend wouldn’t have come here after all those years for nothing. I had hoped our High Sangviere would be loyal enough to come to me with any concrete proof of your meddling, but she proved to be a disappointment. Though, you do not seem to find her so. I hear you’ve grown rather close , hm? You can’t have thought I’d be so na?ve as to not have noticed your poking around in my affairs and bedding my closest advisor? You wanted the truth, Tuanadair, so you shall have it—alone in this cell where you can do absolutely nothing about it.

“You and your friend are powerful, so fortunately we have a use for you. The Centrale Dellumine has been slowly failing since my lovely queen consort took over as our link to the Sangnoyau, the Sangroche’s sister stone in Beitar. We had a contact in the Beitaran court that helped us establish the link centuries ago, but no one is there to help us now. When Léhiona arrived here, I developed a soft spot for her; I cared for her. In a moment of weakness, I decided to alter the binding spell so it would not…drain her so. But now, her regular donations of lifeblood aren’t enough to sustain the connection. We had no idea how much magic our two sister stones could really drain from Beitar, but we want to see how far we can take our progress. What are a few lives here and there when the whole of Ichorna can shine bright as a beacon of innovation for all of Domhan na Rùin?”

Orion listened with vicious hatred simmering in his heart. This woman, and all her forefathers, had thought it acceptable to rob his people of their magic; it was the most heinous crime in the history of Domhan na Rùin.

“Don’t worry, dear, you won’t have to bear the burden of this information for long. You and Solon have both been contained and will be incorporated into the Sangroche shortly,” Aldith said coolly.

“What will become of Evienne?” Orion asked, his voice hoarse.

“Why do you ask, dear? You can’t have been so stupid as to fall in love with her? I thought at least you were savvy enough to use her and her lust for your own gain without getting your feelings involved,” she answered, observing as Orion clenched his jaw in an effort to restrain his fury.

Orion knew he couldn’t tell Aldith that Evienne was his Còmhanam; he would protect her to his last breath, and snapping to indulge his anger wouldn’t help Evienne, wherever she may be.

In answer to his silence, Aldith considered him before sighing. “Fine, I suppose you’ll be gone soon, so I may as well tell you. She’ll be sacrificed as well, but more slowly. I intend to feed her lifeblood to the Sangroche over time to strengthen the original Valsang that brought the stone to life. Sangviere blood is the most potent, you see. Her new home is next to the Sangroche,” Aldith said, turning as the door opened again and Dominique stepped in.

She nodded a greeting to the queen as she closed the door, her eyes flicking briefly to Orion where he stood in the corner. Even in that split second of eye contact, Orion could read the hatred in Dominique’s gaze.

“Alright, the other one is unconscious next door. Ready to fix your mess, your majesty?” Dominique laughed derisively as she spoke.

“How dare you speak to me that way in front of another,” Aldith hissed, her eyes lighting with anger now, her mouth drawing into a snarl.

Dominique rolled her eyes and said, “Aldith, he’s about to die, it doesn’t matter. I just hope all of this works and we don’t have to go to the trouble of getting a new consort just because of your botched spellwork. How are you feeling about your love for her now? Was it worth all the trouble it has caused us?”

Aldith’s gaze flashed to Orion’s, clearly attempting to see if he was understanding the implications of Dominique’s words, her disrespectful tone. Orion didn’t let anything show on his face, holding his body as still as possible. He knew they wouldn’t forget he was there, but he could do everything in his power to make them think he was in shock and not absorbing what he heard.

“We have to go, dinner is soon, and we have to be on time,” Aldith snapped at Dominique.

“Fine, fine—it’s only upstairs, calm yourself. We’ll deal with these two after the closing ceremony?”

Aldith nodded and turned to leave with Dominique close behind. Neither of the women spared him a second glance as they left the cell; he was already dead to them, alone here beneath the palace.