I stare at my reflection. At what I am becoming. The Void continues to spread. Apart from El, it grows stronger. It won’t be long before it’s reached my heart. Soon it will be too much to hide with mere clothing. My love for her is deeper than ever, but each day she spends with Kyaphus is another her heart is led astray. Which is another day the Verity’s power over me weakens.
I must not become like Jasyn Crowe. I refuse.
El’s love for me is a dying flame. I did not aid matters by holding a sword to my brother’s throat, nor by allowing Gage to join me. But I needed his help to create the diversion. With Gage as my witness it was that much easier to get the countess on board with our story. If I could create fear, panic, and chaos among the Fourth’s residents, the rose would be a cinch to swipe. I did not imagine my plan would work out so deliciously. Everything fell into place like the final touches on a carved frame.
I kneeled before the countess. “We’ve come to warn you of the fugitive known as one Kyaphus ‘Ky’ Rhyen. He is the Void’s—”
She held up a hand to silence me. “The man you speak of left two months ago. He retrieved his sister, left the payment promised by Jasyn Crowe for boarding the girl, and went on his way. He posed no threat to me or my people.”
“You have been deceived, madam.” Gage stepped forward and knelt beside me.
I was not taken aback by how seamlessly he donned his role as my companion. I was, however, unnerved by the fact that we were working as a unit. Am I on the opposing team? The lines have blurred. It’s difficult to decipher which way is left or right anymore. All I know is forward. Forward to separate the Void and the Verity. Forward to separate Kyaphus and El.
“You accuse me of poor judgment?” Offense seeped from Ambrose’s tone.
“No, ma’am,” I interceded, adrenaline coursing. “We only come as your humble servants to warn you. Perhaps we should alert the people—”
She held up her hand once more. “It is interesting you arrive now, at such a time as this. I do not believe in coincidences.” She paced the platform in the center of her amphitheater-style courtroom. “Do you?”
I pressed my lips. What was she getting at?
“Kyaphus has sent word he will return shortly. Can you prove he is the Void’s vessel, as you claim?”
“On my honor as a Guardian,” I said without pause, “I can.”
Turning her back, she peered over one shoulder and added, “Let us hope, for your sake, you are not lying. I do not tolerate perjurers in my Reflection.”
She dismissed us and we rose and bowed out, following one of her Guardians down the white marble halls to our temporary quarters. I contained my excitement until I was isolated. Kyaphus, returning here? It was perfect. His letter stated he’d wait for El in the Third, which meant she’d be with him. I couldn’t have planned it better if I’d tried. My brother would be trapped in one place, with nowhere to run. El would be delivered right to me. All I needed to do was retrieve the rose, supply it to Isabeau, and exchange it for the mirrorglass bottle. Then I’d return to the Fourth, acquire the final ingredient, and serve the Unbinding Elixir to El. She’d be unbound from my brother by week’s end.
I turn to one side and gaze at my profile in the mirror, grinning as I mull over how well everything has gone so far. I have to admit, the Void’s not so bad. My muscles are more pronounced, my body built. The black veins could almost be a tattoo—
No. I knock the mirror over and it crashes to the floor. I’m on the room’s opposite end in an instant, holding my pounding head in my hands.
What is wrong with me? The Void is an unwelcome menace. Its effects are not something to be admired.
Still . . .
I force my thoughts to take a detour, don my long-sleeved shirt to cover my secret, and focus on the task at hand.
Obtain Isabeau’s third and final gift. Find the rose.
Whatever it takes.
I am still unsure whether I have the countess convinced. She’s seen Ky’s arm, yet her expression exudes skepticism. At least the people are terrified and Ambrose is out smoothing the ruckus I created. The little girl El asked me to keep charge of—Khloe, apparently—turned out to be my brother’s adoptive sister, which means she couldn’t be trusted. I hated sending her with the other prisoners, but what choice did I have? I can’t take any chances, not even with a minor.
Clothed and armed, I exit my chambers. Gage is keeping watch outside, ready to alert me at the first sign of the countess’s return. Inside, the palace is like a museum with its Greek architecture and grand paintings. When I turn a corner, the next hall hosts square pools and miniature bridges. Whoever designed this place housed a brilliant mind. What I’d give to create again. To be done with this saving-the-Reflections nonsense and do what I want for a change.
I scratch the back of my head. Where did that come from? Of course I want to save the Reflections. For everyone. For El.
But what about me?
I shake my head as if to physically eject the selfishness from my brain. When this is over I may need a few days’ sleep to recover.
I scan the hall. Turn down another. Guardians pass me at random, but no one questions me as I make my way around. Why would they? I’m their guest. The man who alerted them to the intruders and the Void. I can obviously be trusted.
Morons, the lot of them.
What’s happening to my mind?
At the next corner I pause. A broad grin spreads. It’s too easy. Her most prized possession, displayed for all to see?
The indoor garden is a sight to behold, more striking than any I’ve witnessed. Wisteria hangs from every balcony and column. Roses blossom in all shades of corals and auburns and golds. Parrots squawk and flap from perch to perch. Flamingos wade in the various lily ponds stationed throughout the naturally lit space.
And at the center of it all sits a platform, and on the platform a pedestal, and on the pedestal a single blue rose the color of the night sky.
One hand on the hilt of my sword, I creep forward. Caution has me aware of what lies in my peripheral vision, but hunger to obtain my prize and move on rushes my steps. This could be a trap. Yet not a single Guardian detains me.
I must be a better thief than I believed. Self-satisfaction fills me. Won’t Mistress Isabeau be pleased—?
My steps cease. What am I thinking? What am I doing? Did I call Isabeau mistress? Perhaps not aloud, but—
I catch my reflection in the nearest pool and all blood drains from my skull. In the time it took for me to venture from my chambers to the garden, the Void spread. Its vines peek above my shirt collar now, threatening to choke my neck. I recoil from the wavy image, and it’s in this moment I see it. The more I justify my wrongful methods, the more I convince myself what I am doing is for the greater good, the more the Void and I become one.
But my intentions are pure. How can the Void take over?
I don’t have time to ponder the indications. The ground shakes and the garden begins to come apart around me. The flamingos go haywire, the parrots scream, and the pedestal at the center tips.
That’s when I sprint for it. Trap or not, the rose must be taken. It’s the only way to obtain the mirrorglass bottle, which is the key to undoing El and Ky’s bond. Without the bottle, the second ingredient is useless.
I leap onto the crumbling platform and snatch the rose just before it’s crushed by a chunk of ceiling. With the thorny stem between my teeth, I make haste for the nearest exit.
Isabeau had better be grateful. My third and final gift is acquired. This rose had better be worth it.
Of course it’s worth it.
El is worth everything.