Chapter 27
Sage
“C ome along, girl, and be quick about it,” the empress called out after me as she thundered down the long corridor—one of hundreds inside her and her husband’s illustrious castle, forged from opal stone.
My head whipped this way and that as I took it all in, my eyes bathed in splendor and riches, unlike anything I had ever seen before.
The guards followed us as we began to walk down a set of winding stairs, leading into the bowels of the castle.
When we reached the bottom, we walked a bit further, until we came up to a door, clad with strips of heavy iron.
The guard opened it, and the empress gestured for me to go inside. “Go on.”
Hesitantly, I stepped into the room.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood.
The windows were covered with a thick, dark cloth, blocking out any natural light.
In its place, wrought-iron candelabras burned with an eerie blue flame.
The room smelled of copper and honey, and .
. . a sinister, tainted magic. In the middle was a horizontal slab of stone, large enough I could lay on it.
Lead filled my belly. I took a step back, colliding into something hard.
The empress’s hands landed softly on my shoulders. “All is well, my child. You have nothing to fear.”
Said the spider to the fly , my inner voice commented.
Swiftly, I stepped forward, eager to get away from her.
Along the far wall, there were dozens of cages, filled with various animals and creatures.
The sound of a rodent running on a wheel caught my attention.
I walked over to it, feeling the empress’s eyes on me.
Bending forward, I looked into the cage, finding no animal inside, and yet, the wheel moved.
Suddenly, it stopped. A breath later, the food inside its bowl began to shift and move.
“What is it?” I asked, marveling at the small, invisible wonder.
“I haven’t decided on a name for it yet,” said a clear, languid voice.
I turned to face the doorway. In it, stood an attractive male, dressed in a black, heavy leather jacket fastened with thick straps and shining metal buckles. His short, brown hair was impeccably styled, neat and trim, as was the rest of him.
He smiled, showing off his perfectly straight teeth. “Perhaps you have a suggestion?”
I glanced back at the cage before my gaze returned to his and I shook my head. “I do not.”
“Well, if you think of something, you’ll have to let me know,” he replied before he turned to Empress Avena and bowed his head. “Your Majesty.”
“Victor,” she said by way of greeting. She waved her hand, and a heavy tome—wrapped in brown leather—appeared, floating in front of her. Glowing symbols were written in its flesh—a language I did not recognize. She swished her fingers, and it moved toward him.
Victor took it. Slowly, his fingers drifted over the cover as he whispered to himself, “This is the emperor’s.” He shook his head in disbelief. He opened it and began thumbing through the pages. “It’s all the notes on how he built his anvil and his hammer. How did you get it?”
“The how is not important. What is, is that you copy his notes swiftly so I can return it before he notices it’s missing. He is away right now but will return in a few weeks’ time. You have until then.”
“I can do that,” Victor agreed. “I’m guessing you want me to create something based off of these as well?”
“Indeed, but make it something more . . . feminine. Something I can wear, like a necklace.”
Victor hummed in thought. “A necklace wouldn’t work; it needs to be closer to your hand, just as his hammer is to his. A ring or a bracelet, perhaps?”
“Whichever one you think. Just don’t make it gaudy.”
“Alright,” Victor replied, the book disappearing before my very eyes.
Her piercing gaze shifted to me. “You will not speak a word of this to anyone, am I understood?”
I nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Good. Now—” She flicked her hand at me. “Remove your clothes.”
“I beg your pardon?” I implored, crossing my arms over my chest. Victor began to undo the buckles on his jacket. My eyes stretched wide as I realized where this was going. Panic saturated my veins. “Your Majesty, please, do not ask this of me. I have never lain with a man before.”
“You think I’m such a monster? I would never ask such a thing of you, nor any female for that matter.
That is what men do. They rape and they use, and they try to take control over our bodies, but there will come a day when the reverse is true, when it us taking control over theirs .
Mark my words, us women will be the owners of this world, and men will have nothing.
I’ve heard the prayers of my people, and I will answer them.
” Her expression softened. “I know none of this makes sense to you right now, but someday you will understand this all was necessary so we could create a better world for our gender.”
Victor had fallen silent. If he had any qualms about the empress’s plans to remove his rights, he didn’t seem to care.
“I’m failing to see how removing my clothes has anything to do with creating a better world,” I retorted, keeping an eye on Victor as he hung his jacket on a hook that was secured to the wall.
He reached for the leather apron beside it and put it on.
It reminded me of the ones the blacksmiths wore back home.
Reaching behind his back, he pulled the straps and tied them .
The empress moved toward me, stopping an arm’s reach away. “The reason I have asked you to come is because I need you to get closer to someone who is known as Nockrythiam. I need you to earn his trust and learn what his weakness is.”
I had heard a great deal about the rumored Ender of Realms—Nockrythiam. I knew he was not someone I should ever try to cross. Yet, the empress was asking me to do exactly that.
There were only two reasons why someone wanted to know someone else’s weaknesses—to use the information as blackmail, or use it to destroy them. Something in my stomach told me it was the latter. Still, I asked, “Why do you want to know what his weakness is?”
“Nockrythiam is loyal to my husband. When he learns of my plans for the future, he will stand against me and do everything he can to protect the emperor. I am extremely powerful, yes, but I am not na?ve enough to think I would be guaranteed victory in a battle against Nockrythiam. And so, I need to ensure the odds are tipped in my favor.”
She was going to kill him . . . with the information I fed to her. Despite the horrible stories I had heard about Nockrythiam, my stomach churned with unease. A grimy feeling settled over my skin.
“Why me? I’m a nobody, a mere mortal. Surely, there are thousands of better candidates for this task.”
“Indeed, there are, however, you possess something no one else does,” she said.
My eyebrows shifted together. “Which is? ”
Victor started, “You are Nockrythiam’s—”
The empress held up her hand, silencing him immediately. “That is of little importance. The fact of the matter is you are the only one who can do this. Now, about those clothes.”
I was Nockrythiam’s what? It was a question I had no answer to.
“Sage,” the empress grated.
Still hesitant, I kept my arms crossed. “I want you to tell me what’s going to happen first.”
She pinned me with her glare. “Stubborn girl. Have you forgotten the deal you made with me? Your compliance ensures your sister’s safety.”
“And I will comply, but I want to know what I’m getting myself into,” I stated, tilting my chin upwards. To her, I might look like some feeble mortal, but I was the daughter of a great chieftain.
“Very well,” she answered, her heels clicking as she began to walk around me, circling like a vulture looking over a carcass, wondering which part it should snap off first. “Nockrythiam is among my husband’s best work; he is a handsome immortal, and you are a plain mortal.
If you are going to catch his stubborn eye, we’re going to need to modify your vessel and make you appear immortal.
” She stopped in front of me, her lilac orbs meeting mine. “Satisfied?”
“I suppose,” I said, my voice distant as I struggled to come to terms with what was about to happen to me.
“My patience is becoming very thin,” the empress warned, her voice snapping me from my private thoughts.
With trembling fingers, I began to remove my clothes. First, my tunic, which I slid over my head. I dropped it on the floor and then began to kick off my shoes and remove my trousers. Lastly, my underwear.
I felt the empress’s gaze, as well as Victor’s, rove across my skin, leaving a smear of invisible dirt in their wake—one that made me want to plunge into a bath and scrub it from my flesh.
“The body isn’t half bad, although those scars will have to go,” the empress said as she began to walk around me once more.
Victor stood in front of me, his hand scrubbing his chin as he debated something. “She’s a bit short, is she not?”
“She is.” The empress grew quiet, pondering something for a moment. “If you were to stretch out her bones, how long would it take?”
Stretch my bones? That sounded horrible, something I did not want any part of.
“It can be done, although it is no easy task. There are so many bones in the body. I imagine it would take me three to four weeks at least.”
“We do not have enough time for that. The height will have to remain.” She let out a frustrated breath. “One thing you must do is dispose of her red blood and replace it with ichor. If Nockrythiam sees, he’ll know immediately she is mortal.”
“Very well,” he said, his gaze drifting to my chest. His eyes burned hot, searing into my flesh. “And what of the breasts?”
I banded my arm over my chest, hating every second of this.
“I’m not worried about them,” she replied.
Gently, she clasped my chin, tilting my head from side to side.
“The face is agreeable. Smile,” she directed me.
Unwillingly, I did. “The teeth are horribly crooked. Those will need to be straightened. Lengthen the canines so they look like the rest of ours.”
“Thoughts on making them retractable?” Victor asked.
She raised a brow. “For what purpose?”
“For convenience and to appease my inventive mind. If the retractable fangs work well, we could try it out on the new god species.”
“Will it take any longer?” the empress asked.
“It shouldn’t.”
“Then go ahead.”
“Very well, Your Majesty. Is there anything else?”
“No,” she replied before she turned to me. “I will return for you in two weeks’ time.”
When the empress left, Victor gestured to the stone slab. “Shall we begin?”