Yazmin
Fury pumped through my veins as my booted feet slammed against the tile. We’d only just returned to Wilheim, and already I found myself pacing in the Queen’s Respite. Varek and Darrien were somewhere in the castle—the king fuming and going on about our failings, Darrien apologizing profusely and acting like a subservient aristocrat rather than a deadly assassin. Somehow, Leena had outsmarted the Prentiss. She’d survived. And while Noc visiting another ruin site made Varek furious, it had little effect on my plans.
That’s right. Breathe. This is all inconsequential. Exhaling deeply, I slowed my progression and stared at the hauntingly beautiful tree. When Varek learned I could’ve pursued them with the help of one of my flying beasts, he’d been outraged. But the risk was too great. There was no way for me to transport all of us, and I refused to put myself in jeopardy, attacking them alone or with minimal forces. I had important work to do here, like raising Ocnolog and finding the missing Charmers. Fortunately, pacifying Varek simply meant transferring another lowly beast—this time, without any conditions—as a show of my continued “devotion.” His greed outweighed his anger, and he’d dismissed me without another harsh word.
A boon, considering he then turned his ire on the Sentinels. He was currently forcing them to run drills under his strict supervision to ensure they were still up to the task of serving him. Which meant, for the moment, I was able to visit the Queen’s Respite without escorts.
Folding my arms across my chest, I frowned at the tree. What was it about this place that kept pulling me back? At first, I’d chalked it up to ancient magic similar to my own. But what if it was more than that? I’d scoured every nook and cranny of this gods-forsaken castle. Turned the place upside down in search of my brethren. And yet, nothing. Nothing, save this strange pull I couldn’t ignore.
Splaying out my hand, I wrenched open the beast realm door and summoned my Canepine. The wolflike beast appeared, and she circled me once before ramming her head into my hip. Full grown with ivy-green fur and powder-blue eyes, she was a talented tracker. Aside from those I’d traded to Varek, I’d been careful not to summon my beasts in the castle. It wasn’t illegal to do so, but I didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. Any perceived threat could’ve landed me in a cell and squandered my plans. But desperation to find my brethren outweighed the danger of being seen, especially since an opportunity like this was unlikely to happen again.
Fingering the indigo flowers that grew along the underside of her neck, I angled her head upward. “Can you feel it? Is there something here? Something like me?”
I let her sniff my hand. She inhaled deeply and then pressed her snout to the floor, stalking an invisible scent. Minutes stretched by as her nails clicked against the tile. An occasional huff expelled from her nostrils. Once, her ears flicked up to the ceiling, and she went stock-still before riveting her head to the tree. Slowly, she stepped off the tile and into the soft dirt surrounding the trunk. Navigating around roots, she inched closer to the tree. Snarled.
My breath caught in my chest. “What is it?”
She growled in answer, flattening her ears against her skull and staring intently at a knot in the wood. Moving to her side, I crouched before the tree. My heart pounded in my ears as I reached out and placed my fingertips against the spot. The tree shuddered beneath my touch. A few of the roots around us receded, and dirt fell away to reveal a set of wooden, bark-covered stairs that disappeared into darkness.
Opening the beast realm door, I sent my Canepine home and stared into the newly visible hole. The scent of mulch and soil met my nose. An iridescent glow began to throb from the walls. Moss lit up like foxfire, illuminating the narrow staircase fully, and I descended into the earth. There was silence, save the soft thud of my feet against the wood. The stairs eventually gave way to a flat path of pressed dirt and stone, and I followed the cramped, twisting trail for what felt like ages. Every step sent my pulse racing. Anxiety ratcheted in me as the walls started to widen. What would I find? A horde of corpses? Gruesome displays of the royal family’s abominable transgressions?
Finally, the path widened into a rounded cavern, and I came to a complete stop. Roots from the tree puckered through the ceiling. A strange glow, similar to the moss’s dim light, pulsed from each tendril. They trailed down the walls and spread like veins, casting the whole space in a faint, pale-green light. On one side, two desks were pushed together, topped with endless scrolls of parchment. Some were tied off with twine, others opened to reveal scribbled notes. On the other side…cots. Filled with bodies.
I knew it. Heat flooded my limbs, and I stepped toward the closest one. On it lay a woman with faded-brown hair and soft wrinkles across her forehead. Her hands were clasped together atop her stomach. And there, resting along her collarbone, was her bestiary. Still intact, thanks to Celeste’s magic. Only a Charmer could remove a bestiary—no one else. Her skin was abnormally pale, but there was a slight flush to her cheeks. A subtle rise and fall to her chest. Thin tree roots had reached down and attached themselves loosely to the crown of her head. Light pulsed from the tendrils, and for a brief moment, lit up the veins along her face, neck, and shoulders. But nothing else happened.
I told them. I told them, and they didn’t listen. My hands balled into fists, and my nails pricked against my palms. The room swam out of focus for a moment as my breaths hit hard and fast.
Uncurling my hands, I grazed the fabric of the Charmer’s off-white blouse. The fashion was outdated but recognizable. It was heavily embroidered with flowers and beasts, a bit thicker than the flowy garb most Charmers wore now. Perhaps something my mother would’ve chosen. How long had this woman been here? Despite her lack of color, her body hadn’t decomposed in the slightest. My gaze shifted to the tree roots around her head. To the steady pulse of life from those dripping tendrils.
They were preserving them. I grabbed the nearest roll of parchment and scanned the cramped writing. Blood magic. I recognized a handful of glyphs inked along the top of the page. Beneath the spellwork was a detailed section written in Lendria’s common tongue. They were keeping the Charmers alive so they could experiment on them and learn about our powers. The parchment fell from my hands as a wordless shriek burst through my lips. All this time and I was right. Rage turned my vision scarlet as I thought of the king in his courtyard, overseeing forces he didn’t deserve to command.
I would kill him. I would bring this whole gods-damned capital to the ground. And I would laugh as Ocnolog’s fires completely erased these Wilheimians from history.
Consumed by bloodlust, I gripped the Charmer’s arm without thought. The action tugged at her collar, revealing three puncture marks at the base of her neck. The holes were impossibly deep, and the veins around the wound were black. Poisoned. For a moment, my fury subsided.
I recognize that bite mark. Touching my hip, I fingered the small bumps of raised scar tissue where a mirror wound had long since healed over—one I received while charming an Uloox. I’d been fortunate in my taming. The deadly snake’s three fangs deposited enough venom to completely immobilize its prey, no matter the size. It had only bit me once, but if it’d struck again… Gently, I peeled back her shirt to find two more wounds.
My hands trembled. They’d used an Uloox against her, tortured her with a beast knowing she’d resist harming it. Where was it? My gaze traveled over the cavern, but there was nothing indicating they’d tamed such a creature. No discarded rodent bones or glass enclosure to keep the beast from escaping. Just a motley collection of old books, jars, and vials. As I shifted, my toe nudged the parchment I’d dropped.
Maybe the beasts were kept elsewhere. Retrieving the document, I scanned the inked writing in the hopes of unearthing more. Instead, I found her name, injuries, and… Ringing sounded in my ears. The already-dark cavern seemed to devolve into total blackness, and I forced myself to breathe. She’d come here willingly. As my vision returned, I dragged a finger over the parchment’s contents. My eyes narrowed. Willingly, but…
I moved to the next body and searched for wounds. Slash marks that’d spanned his stomach had been neatly stitched and healed. By all accounts, he should’ve been released. Like the woman beside him, his records detailed an acceptance for “treatment” against life-threatening beast injuries. And yet, here he was. Fully healed, from the looks of it, and still lost in a deep slumber.
With cautious fingers, I pulled away one of the tendrils attached to his head. The beating light died, and the man began to sputter. His eyelids fluttered erratically, and he fell into convulsions that nearly sent him flying off the cot. Panicked, I placed the tree root back on his forehead, and prayed the rhythmic, glowing light would return. Slowly, it did, and the man fell back into a calm, peaceful slumber.
I gritted my teeth. Ruddy-red light ruptured from my Charmer’s symbol as emotions raged beyond my control. I didn’t know how to overcome this. I wasn’t a healer, and while I recognized some of the blood magic glyphs, I had no idea how the spellwork interacted with these mysterious roots. This was beyond me, and worse, it meant I couldn’t use the Charmers like I’d planned. Who better to join my cause than those wronged by our enemy? But now… They were just bodies. Incapacitated, unmoving bodies.
Charmer after Charmer turned up more and more bestial wounds, long since healed. Ears pounding, I studied each one. Varek would pay for this. I would make sure of it. When the time was right, I’d end his life in front of his precious kingdom. I’d drain every last drop of blood from his body until he was cold and lifeless. And then I’d put his corpse on display outside the castle walls so that no one would make a move against a Charmer—against me—ever again.
Finally, I came to the last two bodies. The first, a woman with dark-brown hair and full lips. Something about her features gave me pause, and I forced my power to recede. She’d suffered a serious stomach wound, as if something with razor-sharp teeth had taken a bite out of her side. Notes indicated the healer had grafted burdyuk leaf over the wound, but some of the muscle damage had been irreparable. The man on the cot beside her shared a similar scar, and his head was tipped in her direction.
Gently, I unclasped his bestiary. Magic hummed beneath my touch—without his permission, it would be near impossible to open it—but the golden, miniature scripture on the binding was still apparent. Grabbing a nearby magnifying class, I examined the lettering. A rush of adrenaline surged through me as I recognized his name. I did the same for the woman, and my excitement crested.
Leena’s parents. I reached for the parchment on the bedside table and scanned the cramped handwriting. In addition to the wounds, they’d both almost drowned before washing up on shore outside Ortega Key.
An idea started to form in the back of my mind as I pocketed their bestiaries. I can use this.
Setting the notes down, I backed away from the cots and headed toward the stairs. I already had everything I needed to raise Ocnolog. And now I had a bargaining chip that could turn the tide of this impending war. And I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to use it. A faint smile pulling at my lips, I ascended the stairs and headed toward my quarters. Leena and Noc had to return to Hireath eventually, and when they did, I’d destroy whatever resolve she had left. By killing Gaige, I’d seeded doubt in her mind. I saw it plain as day in the Kitska Forest. She had no idea if she was doing the right thing, and now with the irrefutable proof of her parents’ trapped existence…
She’d never be strong enough to stand against me.