Chapter Thirty-Five #3
The card I’d thought was a bit too strong.
It hadn’t just hidden his jewelry. It had cloaked the cursed copper bracelet—shackle, more like—as well.
I ground my teeth together. And a mesmerization enchantment.
That must have been carved into the jewelry.
That’s why my thoughts had been so foggy.
It had to have been a weak one to avoid detection.
Could my thrall get through the illusion? If Demos couldn’t see or hear me, it might not. I doubted Ferro would wait around for me to find out.
But I could try it on him.
“Let me go,” I ordered. I held his gaze, imbuing the words with all my intent.
But the words bounded off the metallurgist. He laughed. “That won’t work on me.”
He must’ve used an anti-compulsion enchantment. Crap.
I pulled again on my wrists, to Ferro’s amusement, and looked at the empty space between them, then to the table. Illusion magic worked a little less well when you knew what you were looking for. The air was a shade darker around whatever chain was pressed against the table.
“What are you doing, then?” I asked, stalling. My entire arm burned now, but the pain was the least of my problems. My bones ached, my body sluggish. My vision felt foggier. No, it wasn’t fog. Just mortal, when I’d gotten used to a vampire’s senses.
The metallurgist rolled his eyes, sunny veneer falling away in an instant. “Killing you, of course.”
“Aren’t you supposed to have a code of honor as a knight?
” I tried to subtly tug my hands away, seeing if I could pull them from whatever held them together.
But if he’d made the chain, as a metallurgist, I had little chance.
If he came close enough, perhaps I could strangle him with it.
But given how weak I was, I’d be unlikely to win in that match.
He drew his blade. “What could be more honorable than killing a vampire? Except perhaps killing one so cherished by one of the bloodsuckers’ kings?”
A sentiment I once might have blindly agreed with but now had come to question.
There was more to Ferro’s threat than fanaticism, though. I fought to rein in my panic and analyze the situation. Raphael had said he had enemies. I’d thought he meant we were in danger while traveling, but clearly I was wrong. Perhaps this had to do with the letter I’d found in Raphael’s things.
Ferro’s plot was obviously premeditated. Appealing to his better nature wouldn’t work. But perhaps I could appeal to his need for survival.
“Even if you kill me, I doubt your illusion can disguise the smell of blood. Iademos will cut you down the second he realizes something’s amiss. He’s not just any guard. He’s a centuries-old vampire who would swing first and ask questions later.”
“How sweet to be worried about me.” He brushed his hand over the space at the corner. His deck, I realized. In his suit of armor, he couldn’t wear a normal belt, so he’d left it on the table, hidden. “The moment I strike you down, I’ll use this to carry me away.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Eager to die?” He grinned. “Don’t worry about that. The ninth hell will be burning your soul soon enough.”
“No, just wondering what you’re after. You want something.” I tried to stall. Even with the illusion magic, maybe Demos would realize something was amiss.
“You’re smarter than you look, bloodsucker. Let me tell you how this is going to go. I’m going to ask you a question. Since vampires can’t lie, you’ll answer or you won’t. And if you don’t, I’ll take you with me and torture it out of you.”
That had to be a bluff. Ferro might be able to activate the transport card to escape after killing me, but if he undid the chain keeping me attached to the table, I’d be free to attack him back.
But telling him that wouldn’t incentivize him to keep me alive. “What do you want to know then?”
“Where’s the Black Grimoire?”
That, I hadn’t expected. “The Black Grimoire? Why would you ask about that?”
He pointed his sword at me, the metal gleaming. “That’s none of your concern. Tell me where it is.”
“I thought it was a myth,” I said, stalling. It was technically true—I had thought it was a myth. Now, however, I knew better.
“Don’t play games with me,” he snapped, jabbing the blade at my neck. “You know where it is. Our spy said you had it.”
“I don’t,” I insisted, then pretended to hesitate. “Well, I don’t have it here with me.”
Ferro relaxed his grip, just an inch. “Tell me where I can get it.”
“Promise you’ll let me live,” I bartered. It wouldn’t be worth the spittle that flew from his mouth as he said it, but it would distract him from the way I was shifting my weight. I put aside the fierce burn on my wrist and kept my gaze trained on the knight.
“I told you, you’re dying. But if you don’t tell me where it is, I’ll make your death a hundred times worse. I’ll saw off your fingers one by one and feed them to you, you pathetic leech. Perhaps then you’ll feel like talking.”
I did my best to look cowed. In reality, I thought it was kind of stupid to not at least pretend to agree, but clearly under all his sycophantic facade, the knight liked to act like a bully. “Okay. You win. You’re right.”
His arm came down another few inches. You win. You’re right. The bullies always loved those words. Nelson had always liked to hear them.
“Tell me,” he demanded.
“I need parchment,” I said quickly. “It’ll be easier if I draw you a map.”
I’d hoped he would cross the room, but there was parchment in the drawer of the table.
It didn’t matter. The half a second of distraction was all I needed.
I dove in his direction. Ferro jerked back, dodging easily. But it wasn’t him I was reaching for. I moved past where he’d been standing—I hadn’t misjudged the length of the chain.
Just enough.
I ran my palms along the top of the table and found the hidden deck. Their magic crackled against my palms.
Ferro laughed, rolling his eyes with contempt. “You idiot. Vampires can’t use magic. You’re abominations.”