YOU OKAY THERE, BLONDIE?” RO called from somewhere far, far away. “You keep getting that little worry crease between your eyebrows—and it’s making Gigantor twitchy!”
Sophie couldn’t respond.
She could barely think.
Her mind was spinning, spinning, spinning as Lord Cassius’s mental path swooped and swerved and swayed through the shadows.
Her stomach wobbled and her brain throbbed, and she had to remind herself to keep breathing as she focused on a halo of gray in the distance.
Bit by bit—turn by turn—the light grew closer.
And brighter.
And so much colder.
She shivered—teeth chattering—as a mental blizzard roared to life, the ice scraping and stinging and whiting out the world.
Sorry, Lord Cassius told her, his voice like a ghost whispering on the wind. I don’t know how to lower these defenses. I didn’t even know I had them until this morning. But I’m assuming you can manage.
I can, Sophie assured him, charging deeper into the storm—shoving and thrashing and scratching until she crashed through some sort of frigid barrier.
Then she was falling, falling, falling.
Faster, faster, faster.
Through mist.
And shadow.
Into… warmth.
She sank into the blissful heat, studying the dim space she’d landed in.
It felt small.
And quiet.
And familiar.
A mental nook—almost exactly like the one she’d found in Alden’s mind.
My wife went to great lengths to ensure that I’d never recall the conversation you’re about to witness, Lord Cassius explained as a jagged shard of memory emerged from the fog. I honestly have no idea how I managed to preserve it.
Sophie wasn’t sure either.
She’d thought only specially trained Telepaths knew how to reach that particular mental nook and preserve something inside.
Obviously not.
The images looked dim and blurry—but some of that might’ve been because Lord Cassius didn’t have a photographic memory. And the soundtrack was a little faded and scratchy in places. Still Sophie could easily tell that she was watching Lord Cassius and Lady Gisela in some sort of glittering office with curved walls and a large, dark desk. And she could make out every word when he said, “Why are you asking so many questions about Keefe’s empathy?”
“Why are you surprised?” Lady Gisela countered. “Our son is a reflection of us. I want to make sure he’s impressive. Don’t you?”
“Of course.” Lord Cassius stepped closer, reaching for her hand. The gesture looked reassuring and tender—until their skin made contact. Then his eyes narrowed. “There’s something you’re not telling me. I feel a strange tension radiating from you. Some sort of… expectation.”
“Yes, I expect our son to be a powerful Empath, like his father.”
“Then why did I feel the same tension when you had him tested to see if he would be a Conjurer? We don’t have any Conjurers in our genetic line—unless there’s something you haven’t told me.”
Lady Gisela tossed her head back and laughed. “Oh please, you’re not still wondering if I have a second ability, are you? I thought we’d settled that.”
“Did we?” He tightened his grip on her hand. “It doesn’t feel like we have.”
Lady Gisela sighed. “You know as well as I do that not all Polyglots manifest an additional talent—and thank you so much for making me feel inadequate.”
“That’s not actually an answer,” Lord Cassius noted.
“Because it’s an absurd question!”
“Then why do you feel so tense?”
IS she a Conjurer? Sophie asked, remembering a hastily scratched note that Keefe had stuck to the wall of his room in Alluveterre, back when he was trying to search his mind for any clues his mother might’ve accidentally given away.
WHY DID SHE MAKE THEM TEST ME TWICE TO SEE IF I’D MANIFESTED AS A CONJURER?
Keep watching, Lord Cassius told Sophie.
In the memory, he reached for his wife’s other hand. “I can tell you’re hiding something, Gisela. You can’t lie to an Empath.”
Her laugh turned colder. “Believe me, Cassius. I can. But I didn’t realize you were paying such close attention. I’ll have to be more careful.”
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing to concern yourself with.” A quick twist of her wrists had her slipping free from his grasp, and she turned to pace. “I suppose… since this conversation is clearly a wash already, I might as well make the most of it. So how about this? You answer a few more of my questions—and I’ll answer all of yours.”
“All of them?” Lord Cassius verified.
She nodded. “Do we have a deal?”
He tilted his head to study her. “We do.”
“Excellent. Then let’s get back to our son. Is there anything about Keefe’s empathy that feels different from yours?”
“Yes. It’s far less disciplined—and I fear with his attitude, it always will be.”
“No, I meant… the intensity of it.”
Lord Cassius frowned. “He’s powerful, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“More powerful than you?”
“That’ll depend on how much he practices.”
“Then we’ll have to make sure he practices.” She paced the room twice before she said, “I guess what I’m really trying to figure out is… can he do anything new? Anything… special?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.” She paused in front of her desk, tracing her finger along the edge. “Do you think he’ll be able to influence someone’s emotions?”
Lord Cassius stalked closer. “No Empath can do that.”
“They can’t yet,” she corrected. “That doesn’t mean our son won’t be the first.”
“Actually, it does. Abilities have limits—and those limits don’t change.”
“Under normal circumstances, yes. But Keefe is different.”
“How?”
She shook her head. “We agreed you’d answer my questions first, remember?”
“But your questions are ridiculous!”
“Oh, you’ll see their value someday. Assuming my research is correct.”
“What research?”
She tsked her tongue and sidestepped around him to resume her pacing. “It’s still my turn. Though… I suppose a bit more information might help us determine if Keefe’s progressing properly. So let’s just say that I’ve been studying our world’s natural forces. Star and planetary alignments. Moon cycles. The Prime Sources. Shadowflux and quintessence. They all have so much more power than anyone truly understands. And I’m working to harness all of it.”
Lord Cassius stared at his wife like she’d grown a second head. “To what end?”
“Many, many things. But… a large part is making sure our son reaches his full potential—in a way that you and I will never be able to. I’ve developed a very specific process. I just need to know if it’s having any effect. The first step already happened—though you don’t remember that part. The second will take me a few more years to arrange. And the third… well… there’s one piece that’s still a bit vague at the moment—but I’m working on it.”
There’s a THIRD step to stellarlune? Sophie asked, wanting to scream into one of the cushions and then rip it to shreds.
So it would seem. I’m assuming the first step involved those miserable elixirs she made me drink. The second must be what she did to Keefe in Loamnore. And the third is anyone’s guess.
Distantly Sophie could feel Ro shaking her shoulders. “Still good, Blondie? You’re looking pretty pale.”
Of course she was pale!
The second step had nearly killed Keefe—and there was still one more to go?
Are you honestly surprised? Lord Cassius asked. Given everything you’ve seen. Everything you know my wife is capable of. Is this really so shocking?
Sadly, it wasn’t.
But that didn’t stop the terrifying theories from forming.
You can sit there picturing my son enduring all manner of horror, Lord Cassius told her. Or you can focus on the rest of the memory. There’s still more to learn.
Like what?
He didn’t answer. But in the memory, he told Gisela, “You’re not making any sense.”
“I don’t need to.” She tucked a loose tendril of her blond hair back into her intricate bun. “At least not to you. Your role is already done.”
“And what role was that?”
“Providing your DNA. I needed a powerful Empath to merge with my abilities.”
“Merge?” he repeated.
“That’s how I like to think of it—though I’ll admit, I don’t fully know how the merged abilities will function. My research has proven that special abilities aren’t nearly as finite as we believe them to be. Given the right conditions, they can shift and recombine—and I’m hoping I can create something new. Something better.”
What exactly can Keefe do? Lord Cassius asked Sophie. I know about the commands—but I’m assuming there’s more to it than that.
Sophie wanted to tell him it was none of his business. But… he was being much more cooperative than usual.
There IS more, she admitted. But it’s better if no one knows any specifics. At least not until Keefe learns how to control his new abilities.
Abilities, Lord Cassius noted. So there’s more than one.
Wait—didn’t Lady Gisela just make the same slip? Sophie realized. She replayed the last part of the conversation. She said she needed a powerful Empath to merge with her abilities.
Very good. You caught that faster than I did—though you’ll see I put the pieces together right… now.
On cue the memory of him grabbed Lady Gisela’s wrist. “Did you just say ‘abilities’?”
Her smile faded.
Then she shrugged. “Oh fine—it’s not like this is going to matter.”
She pulled her wrist free and snapped her fingers.
A small silver box appeared in her hand.
Lord Cassius gasped.
So did Sophie.
Gisela laughed. “I’m actually impressed you started to suspect I’m a Conjurer. I’ve been so careful.”
He took a step back, shaking his head. “Why would you hide it? You’d be far more respected if—”
“Because sometimes it’s better to be underestimated,” Lady Gisela interrupted. “I realized long ago that I see our world differently than others do. I’ve never been fooled by the Council’s grandstanding and self-congratulating. And I knew if I wanted to change anything, I’d have to be careful. Avoid scrutiny as much as possible. Work in secret. Until the optimal moment.”
“And that moment is now?”
“I wish.”
She tapped her finger along the top of her silver box, and Sophie noticed a symbol etched into the metal: two crescents, forming a loose circle around a glowing star.
Gisela had stamped the same symbol onto a letter she’d made Keefe deliver—to a human man she’d murdered soon after, along with his daughter.
“We’re getting close,” Gisela murmured. “And we’ll be even closer once I recruit a Flasher and a Shade. Then I just need to solve the final riddle.…”
Lord Cassius dragged a hand down his face. “Do you realize how insane you sound?”
“Do you realize how ignorant you sound?” She snapped her fingers, making the silver box disappear. “I’m not the one who started any of this! The Council did that ages ago when they took away a tremendous source of power and then tried to bury any proof of its existence. We’ve been stifled for millennia! All I’m trying to do is expose them—and take back what we’ve been denied. Give our son—and our world—the future we should’ve had all along. And you agreed with me! That’s why you took those serums—”
“What serums?” he interrupted. “I don’t remember taking anything.”
“Of course you don’t. Just like you won’t remember any of this.”
Lord Cassius’s eyes widened. “You’ve been erasing my memories?”
“I haven’t. My Washer has—and don’t look so betrayed. It’s better this way! The hardest part of this process is living the lie. Measuring every word—every thought—every mood. I’ve spared you those headaches. A few hours from now you’ll be back to blissful ignorance, and I’ll—”
“If you think I’m going to let you—”
“You don’t let me do anything, Cassius. But if it makes you feel better to think that, go right ahead.” She tucked another loose strand of hair back into her bun—and this time Sophie noticed a soft blue glint.
It was hard to tell from the blurry image, but Sophie was pretty sure it was the starstone hairpin that Lady Gisela used to access her Nightfall facility.
“The truth is,” Gisela continued, “I’m so far ahead of you, you’ll never be able to keep up. But you don’t need to. I’m taking care of everything.”
He snorted a bitter laugh. “You expect me to trust you after you’ve admitted to experimenting on our son, scheming against the Council, erasing my memories, and hiding an ability?”
“Well done! I’ve been wondering how much of this conversation you actually understood. I believe that means it’s time to wrap it up. Usually I use tea, but I think we’ll need something stronger this time.” She snapped her fingers, making a folded blue handkerchief appear in her hand. “Actually, before I do this, I should probably make sure you haven’t learned something useful during any of your assignments from the Council. So here’s one final question for you. Have you ever heard of Elysian?”
Lord Cassius frowned. “Is that a star?”
“So that’s a no, then. I figured as much—but it couldn’t hurt to double-check.”
“Stay back,” he warned as she moved toward him.
“Oh, Cassius, it’s so much easier when you don’t resist.” She lunged, ducking neatly under his flailing arms and spinning around behind him, pressing the handkerchief over his mouth and nose as she pinned him with her free hand.
Sophie’s stomach twisted and her eyes burned as the sweet smell of sedatives turned the memory dimmer and blurrier until everything was a swirl of inky black.
The soundtrack faded to a low ringing tone. But Sophie could still make out Lady Gisela’s final whisper.
“Don’t fight it. This will all be over soon enough.”