-22-
I thanked Seraph’s parents and promised to visit again. Ruby and Callum were laughing over something with the guards, whose names I learned were Eknar and Kasdaya.
“Thanks for helping out tonight,” I said as calmly as I could. I was sure they could tell I’d been crying. “We’ll bring more tomorrow.”
“Can we start on the west wing?” Ruby said. “We barely made it to the central hallway.”
“Sounds great. Say hi to your sister, Callum,” I added before we teleported.
Upstairs, two new guards jumped to their feet when we arrived. I didn’t even look at them. Instead of going to my room, I went straight to Solange’s and checked the secret hiding place for the box of CCs.
The lightness of the box was the first warning. The lack of rattling sounds was the second. I opened the box and cursed.
They were gone. Someone had taken the crystals.
The four guards were talking but turned when I reached the door. “Did my sister come back while I was gone?”
“No, princess,” one of them answered.
“Did anyone come up here?”
“A maid, uh, Yuki, brought us drinks and snacks, but she didn’t go into your bedrooms.”
Yuki was Lady Nemea’s personal maid. She must have deliberately distracted them while her mistress took the crystals. Why would Lady Nemea take them, unless she was in on whatever Solange was doing to me?
I went over the exchanges between Solange and Lady Nemea. The number of times they’d yelled, insulted, and treated each other as mortal enemies. Had it all been an act to fool me?
Instead of waiting in my room, I grabbed a cloak and my homework, then told Eknar and Kasdaya I’d changed my mind and was going to the library. Downstairs, the lights were off in the globe room, so I knew it was empty.
The guards stayed outside while I disappeared inside with magazines. The room was for group studies and I’d noticed students from the Academy use it. The one next to it had shelves of CCs. I couldn’t focus on the magazines. I kept going over everything Lady Nemea had ever told me. Some things she’d said were about Father, and he’d confirmed them. The others were about Guardians.
It was almost eight when a knock rattled the door. Bran wouldn’t knock. I waved and the door flew open to reveal Lady Nemea. I hated that my breath caught and fear coursed through me. She was the one who should be afraid. She was the liar. The one in cahoots with Solange.
“May I interrupt?”
She’d celebrated the night I’d convinced the High Council that minions deserved respect. All lies.
“Lilith?”
I forced myself to smile. “Come in.”
She walked in, smiling, and rested her butt on the table, innocence written all over her face. What a fraud. “How did it go in Sublevel six?”
I leaned back against my seat. “Great. I’ll ask Bilal to do more baking tomorrow.”
She nodded. “That’s nice.”
Nice? Really? “Aren’t you going to tell me they get enough food and I’m making the cooks do unnecessary work?”
She chuckled. “What good would it accomplish? Once you make up your mind, there’s no changing it. It is both endearing and maddening about you, dear. So, I heard you were asking about my maid?”
Which one of the guards tattled? “I was going to thank her. She took drinks and snacks to my guards.”
Lady Nemea sighed. “She’s in love. Silly girl. She’s a minion and he’s an elite guard. It will never work.”
Like I’d believe anything she said again. “Minion? Really?”
Lady Nemea sighed. “Did I say minion? It’s going to take most of us a while before we stop using that word. So, what are you doing?”
It hurt to look at her. To listen to her act like she cared about me. Part of me wanted to ask why she’d lied. Another part just wanted her gone. “Light reading. Where can I get more blank CCs? I was looking for some and went to Solange’s room to borrow hers, but she didn’t have any blank ones,” I added, watching her reaction.
She smiled, but she couldn’t hide her emotions. She was shocked I’d mentioned the crystals. “I’ll make sure I get you some.”
“Just leave them in my room.”
She pushed away from the table. “Don’t stay down here too late. They have the tourney tomorrow morning and you are one of the judges.”
I checked my watch. Bran was going to be here any minute. “I’ll be up in ten minutes.”
“I’ll leave your cocoa on the dresser.” She closed the door behind her.
I eavesdropped on her conversation with the guards. They were to let her know the second I teleported upstairs. What was she planning now? To erase my memories? Drain my psi energy like those sleeping beauties downstairs?
Eight o’clock came and went. Bran was a no-show.
Eight-ten. I did a psi sweep. I couldn’t detect his energy, but I refused to panic. He probably had his shield up.
I waited. Paced. Quarter past. Another sweep. Nothing. What was taking him so long? I did several scans and each time came up blank.
That was it. I was going to the dungeons. I gathered up the magazines, put them in their box, then my school bag. The guards wouldn’t know I was gone.
A rapid rattle on the door, followed by “Princess,” had me looking up.
What now? They were reading my mind, too? The rattle became a pounding, the knob turning. I waved, the door unlocked, and four guards stumbled into the room.
“I’m fine,” I snapped. There was no way I was going to the dungeons with the four of them. Six, I amended when Ruby and Callum appeared behind them.
“We are here to escort you to your quarters,” Callum said, taking charge.
I shook my head. “I don’t think I need the six of you to do that, Callum.”
“You don’t understand, Princess,” he said. “A very dangerous prisoner is on the loose.”
Dante. Had Bran helped him escape? “What prisoner?”
“The lord who betrayed your father,” Ruby said. “He vowed to seek vengeance for the death of his lover, but we captured him before he could hurt anyone.”
Was that the real story, or another fabricated one?
“We are taking you to your quarters in case he comes after you,” Callum said.
“Why would he come after me?”
“He blamed your father for the death of his lover,” Sir Malax snapped, appearing behind the guards. “You have your orders to take the princess upstairs. Do it now.”
I paced, so angry I could scream. I was under lockdown with six guards posted outside my door, and the entire island security watching my every move, when the escaped prisoner was my former bodyguard. A friend. Maybe that was why Sir Malax had panicked and put me under lockdown. I bet I couldn’t go to the bathroom without them knowing. Was Malax working with Solange and Lady Nemea?
I pinged Lottius. After seeing Bran’s memories, I knew how we’d tortured her. Then there was Katia’s sister, Angelia. Angelia was a Special. The last time I saw her, they were headed for the Guardian enclave with their adopted Neutral mothers. I had so many amends I had to make, I didn’t know who to begin with.
Where are you? I asked.
Dorms. We’ve been told no teleporting anywhere. You?
My room. Maximum security.
They said there will be no school until he’s caught. Could take days.
What? How hard is it to catch one man? I was sure Bran had helped him.
They think he had some help. They’re checking everyone. We’ll sneak out to see you tomorrow.
My first instinct was to tell her not to bring Katia, but then I mentally backtracked. Gavyn liked Katia. A lot. Maybe he’d come running if he knew I had her stashed somewhere he couldn’t reach. Like the dungeons. I wanted to torture him until I learned the details of their evil plans.
Okay, Lottie. See you guys tomorrow.
Lady Nemea pinged and walked into my bedroom. “Brought you your cocoa.”
“What’s going on out there?”
She placed the mug of cocoa in my hand. “Witch hunt. The prisoner is long gone. Sir Malax thinks someone helped him. He’s interrogating the guards to see who visited him over the last several days.”
Oh, no. Ruby and Callum were going to get in trouble. “Where is he?” “In the dungeons.”
I pushed the cup into her hand and marched to my closet for my cloak.
“Where are you going?” she asked, following me.
“To turn myself in. If he’s interrogating people who’ve been to the dungeon, he can start with me.” I turned around and almost bumped into her. The cocoa spilled onto her dress.
“When did you go to the dungeons?”
“A few days ago.” I walked past her, but she was hot on my tail. I pushed open the door and waved to the guards. “We’re going to the dungeons.”
“Did you talk to him?” Lady Nemea asked.
“Talk to who?” Then I felt her panic surging. I turned and studied her. What was she afraid of? “Who are you talking about?”
“The prisoner.”
“No, but I saw him and the other prisoners.”
She shook her head. “You shouldn’t have gone down there. Your father will not be happy.”
“My father would rather I stop Sir Malax from torturing our people over nothing.” I glanced at the guards. “Follow me.” I focused on the image of the tunnel and teleported. I saw the blotchy, red energies before I reappeared outside the gated indoor yard. The pain and screams hit me like a tsunami, the tingle on my back kicking into gear. Funny how it hadn’t tingled last time I was down here.
“Stop!” I yelled.
The three guards with Sir Malax looked over their shoulder at us. Annoyance crossed Sir Malax’s face before he schooled it into the condescending expression I’d come to hate. Hovering in the air between them was a man with nasty bruises on his face and burn marks on his arms. Two more lay on the floor looking like zombies, skin ashen and burns on their torsos. None of them were the prison guard who’d showed me around. Sir Malax was a sadistic bastard.
“This is a security matter you should not be concerned with, Princess,” Sir Malax said.
“What have these men done to warrant torture?”
He smiled, his mismatched eyes gleaming evilly. “Princess, your father leaves security matters in my capable hands,” Sir Malax said. “I was told someone came here to see Prisoner Zero the last week.”
“I did. I saw him and all the prisoners.” I placed my hand on the gate and it peeled back, leaving a hole big enough to walk through.
Ruby caught my arm. “Princess, you cannot go in there. The light from the crystals will burn you.”
The Guardian girl, Izzy, had used the crystals to trap demons, which meant the rays couldn’t harm me. “I’ll be fine.”
The guards watched me in horror. Sir Malax’s eyes narrowed with anticipation, as though he couldn’t wait for me to burn. Like I’d said, he was a sadistic bastard. I stepped inside the yard, the light from the crystals dancing around me.
Not even a pinch. I released a breath, but I didn’t have a chance to gloat. Whoever held the poor guard they’d been torturing let go, and I barely managed to freeze him before he hit the ground. I lowered him down gently.
“How did she do that?” a guard whispered behind me.
“The light doesn’t affect her,” another said.
“She is the One,” a third said.
I didn’t look at them, though I heard the awe in their voices. “I’m here, Sir Malax,” I said. “What do you want to know?”
“You walked through the light field without the Kris Dagger,” he said.
I had no idea what the Kris Dagger had to do with anything. But going by the dazed look on his face, it was the only thing that could protect me from the effect of the light. He didn’t know that the powers of the dagger were in me.
“I was here last week and saw all the prisoners. This man did not let me in.” I went down on my knees and checked his injuries. I wanted to heal him, but I remembered Gavyn’s warning. “He’s in a lot of pain.”
Sir Malax glanced at the guard, then me. He still wore a dazed look. “I’ll make sure he receives medical attention, Princess.”
There was reverence in his voice now, and I could feel his fear. “Good luck finding out whoever released the prisoner.”
Sir Malax bowed. “Thank you, Princess.”
I joined the six guards outside the gate. They stepped back. What? They hadn’t believed I was the Chosen One? Father obviously hadn’t sent them the memo, and who would blame him? The Kris Dagger had never responded to me, despite my testing it every week. I couldn’t wait to tell my father that the powers were inside me.
Upstairs, Lady Nemea paced. She stopped when she saw me. “Well?”
“Well what?” I asked, faking ignorance. I removed the cloak and placed it at the foot of my bed.
She picked it up. “What did you tell Malax?”
“I stopped him from hurting those guards.” I sat on the bed and reached for the hot cocoa. “I hope this mess will be over by tomorrow.”
“I hope so, too.” She went to hang up my cloak. She’d replaced the cocoa I’d spilled. Without thinking, I only drank half before putting it down. While I brushed my teeth, she turned down my bed.
“Are you going to finish your drink?” she asked.
“No, I’m done.” I crawled into bed, and the last thought before I fell asleep was how nauseatingly sweet my hot cocoa had tasted.
Something woke me up hours later. I struggled to open my eyes. Panic surged as a thought flashed in my head. I’d experienced this before. Many times before—the red light shining on my eyelids, the awareness of other people in the room, the voices, and the inability to move or talk.
I strained to hear them, but the words were jumbled. The weakness spread, my thoughts becoming hazy. I recognized the feeling. Someone was draining my energy. Why? To keep me docile, like Gavyn had said?
Something hard pushed against my hand. It felt like some sort of weapon. Someone was trying to give me a weapon. I tried to wrap my fingers around it, but couldn’t. What could I possibly do in my state? Even the pool of power that usually started on my lower back was silent. My body could not protect me against these people.
I fought back, strained harder to stay conscious, maybe even identify one of them, but the darkness circled like a predator, attacking my senses until sleep seemed like the only refuge.
Voices woke me again. This time, I recognized them.
“She looks the same,” Katia said to my left.
“Don’t you mean dead?” Lottius whispered on my right.
“Really, Lottie. I swear you’d kick a dog when it is down.”
Did she just compare me to a dog? I tried to open my eyes with little result, then I tried to ping them and tell them I was semiconscious, but I didn’t think I succeeded. I didn’t want to slip into a coma again, especially when I knew someone in the castle was doing this to me.
“No, I wouldn’t,” Lottius said. “I love dogs and everything quadruped. I even like shifters when they’re on all fours. It’s the two-legged species that annoy me. What is Sour Face’s problem?”
“She doesn’t want us here,” Katia said.
“What is she going to do if we decide not to leave? Force us out?” Lottius’s voice drifted to my right.
“She’s in charge of Lilith, Lottie, so what she says goes.”
“How long are they going to keep the stupid vigil down there?” Now she sounded far away. If my guess was right, she was by the window
“Until she wakes up and waves or something,” Katia said. She was still by my side. Warm hands touched my forehead, and once again, I tried to move and ping them. “I wonder what the prisoner did to her.”
Prisoner? I wasn’t attacked by Dante, I wanted to yell.
“Probably drained her psi energy,” Lottius said. “It’s been two days and she’s still out.”
Two days? No wonder I was starving.
“Do you think Lord Valafar knows?” Katia asked.
“I don’t think Sour Face would want him to know Lilith has been attacked while under her care,” Lottius said. “But Sir Malax sent a search team after the prisoner and his accomplice.”
What accomplice? Bran?
“Okay, Lady Nemea is starting to give me the creeps, too,” Katia said. “Let’s go.”
Don’t go, I begged them. Please. Stay and protect me. But I couldn’t hear them anymore. I was alone with people who got some sort of kick from draining my energy.
I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up, the red light shone on my eyelids again. The energy suckers were back. I tried to channel my energy and stop time, but it was hopeless. This time, I heard them.
“Are you done yet?” Lady Nemea asked.
“Almost,” Solange said. “Did they find Dante?”
“No, but Malax’s men captured him before and they will again.”
Captured him before? Why was everyone lying about Dante? He never attacked me.
I felt a tug and tried to resist it, but I was still too weak.
“Be careful with the crystals,” Lady Nemea warned.
“Is this really necessary anymore?” Solange asked. “I understand why we did it before, but why now? We have enough crystals with her energy.”
“Not enough. It’s exhausting drugging her several times a week just to drain her. You saw what happened when we didn’t. She created lightning bolts. We have to completely drain her once a month, or her powers will peak and she’ll bond with the dagger. She must never bond with the dagger. Queen Coronis was denied the chance to wield it, but you will. As the firstborn, the dagger is rightfully yours, not hers.”
Drugging me? So, that was what the stupid cocoa was for. The mornings I woke up tired always followed the night the cocoa had tasted especially sweet. And all because of that stupid dagger.
“Father is becoming suspicious.” Solange sounded worried. “Today, he asked why she hasn’t responded to his CCs. We’ll have to ask her to make one or he’ll know something is wrong.”
“Your father became weak the moment that half-Gypsy Guardian came into his life. I should have killed her and kept Lil instead of telling Coronis about them. That was my mistake.”
So Lady Nemea was the one who’d betrayed my parents, not Dante. I should have known. Everything that ever came from her mouth, except Father’s love for me, was false.
“I’ve done everything for you, Solange. Don’t ever forget that. From summoning the Tribunal so we could get our hands on the dagger—”
“Uh, that was my idea, Aunt Nemea,” Solange said.
Aunt Nemea?
“You helped with the summoning, sweetie. Not the same thing. I came up with the solution to erase her memories. It doesn’t matter that your father made it happen.”
So, Father was the one who’d had asked Coronis for help? Why? Did he know that the summoning was to get their hands on my dagger, or that these psychos were draining my energy on a regular basis?
“I just need a few more days,” Lady Nemea mumbled. “A few more crystals and you’ll have all you need to control the Kris Dagger.”
“Maybe we should just let her rule. She’s not so bad. I’ve even grown fond of her.”
“No,” Lady Nemea snapped. “It’s the only way I can fulfill the promise I made to my sister. You will be the queen.”
“I’m done with her. She’s slipped back into a coma.” Despite her words, it felt like Solange squeezed my arm reassuringly. Or maybe I just wanted to think so.
“Now go and keep your father away while I finish here,” Lady Nemea said.
Did that mean that Solange’s mother was Nemea’s sister? All this time and the two of them were working together? My head swam.
The scent of sulfur filled the air and a chill crawled over me. I knew that scent. I’d smelled it on Solange the night she’d appeared drunk, and the next day on her and her friends. I tried to breathe, but couldn’t. My inside roiled when I realized what she was doing—attempting to get inside me. To possess me. I channeled the little energy I had left and zapped her.
She screamed. “You little brat.”
“What are you doing?” a male voice asked sharply. Malax. Finally, someone who would stop her. “I thought Solange was going to do that.”
Whatever hope I’d had that Malax was on my side drained out of me. I should have known he’d be in on it.
“She is too blinded by love for her father to do it. She even talked about letting Lilith rule. Can you believe it? After everything we’ve fought for?”
“There’s something about Lilith that tugs at people’s hearts,” Malax said.
“All I see is a spoiled little brat,” Lady Nemea snapped.
“Don’t stress yourself, love,” Sir Malax said. “We’ll put the rightful queen on the throne. But we’ll be the power behind the throne, not Valafar.”
“As long as Solange believes I’m her aunt, she’ll listen to me.” Her voice grew fainter, as though she was moving away from my bed. “If she stirs before I return, drain her. Don’t use her usual guards. Use men loyal to us.”
I waited until I couldn’t feel their energy, then I relaxed. I didn’t realize I was crying until I felt coolness trail down the side of my face to my ears.
I wasn’t sure why I was crying. My lost innocence? My father, the man I’d thought could never hurt me, had been responsible for my memory loss. Why?
I didn’t know what to do. I was still too weak to move, but Solange had bought me time. It didn’t matter whether she had done it because she was tired of all her “aunt’s” scheming or because she wanted to help me. I had to help myself now.
I did a psi sweep and tried to locate Lottius and Katia, but I was too weak to find them. Desperate for any help, I summoned all my energy and sent a ping.
Help me. Energy low. Being drained.