Chapter 6 Gabe #2
I gritted my teeth through it, pressing on as I looked toward the further orbs of light.
Officers stationed in distant towns, and even in other territories, it seemed.
Perhaps I could send someone Diana and Raven’s way so we could keep in touch on a moment’s notice, if I couldn’t connect to them directly?
Making a mental note to speak to Walprit, I had focused in on the furthest orb of light when an icy hand latched onto my shoulder.
Assassin.
I whirled, my hand whipping toward my belt on instinct, and the illusory map I’d been looking down on faded as quickly as it had appeared. I was out of my chair, my sword halfway drawn, by the time I got my bearings.
I winced as I caught sight of Myrr, her hands held high in surrender. “Woah, woah. Take it easy, big fella. Geezle peezle, I think I sharted myself!”
I let the sword back into its sheath, cocking my head at her with a frown. “What made you think it was a good idea to sneak up on me like that, old woman?”
“Sneak? I was calling your name over and over like a fecking parrot for ten seconds straight. You weren’t answering, so I gave you a little shake. I know you demons aren’t exactly known for your hospitality, but…”
“How’d you even get past—” I started, breaking off as I found my answer standing in the open doorway.
“Y-your Majesty,” Harald stuttered, his cheeks paling as he dipped into an awkward bow. “I’m so sorry, sire. She said you would want to speak to her, and she is the Oracle, so I was afraid that if I didn’t, she might turn me into a frog or something, sorry, mum, no offense meant-”
“Stop with all that. Look, it’s all good, but in the future, I’d like you to check with me before bringing people to my quarters. Oracle or no. Understood?”
“And in the future, Harald, I’d like you to continue taking me wherever I damn well please. I can’t say I will turn you into a frog if you don’t, but I can’t say I won’t either. My mind isn’t what it used to be,” Myrr said, crossing her arms and scowling.
“Ignore her, Harald. Back to what you were doing. Thank you.”
“What happened to the days when people gave an Oracle a little respect, hmmm?”
Harald’s eyes flitted to Myrr, then to me, as he backed slowly from the room. “Understood, Your Majest-, er, I mean understood, sir.”
“How can I help you, Myrr?” I asked with a heavy sigh, too exhausted to work up any real anger toward her.
She yawned, plopping down onto the edge of my bed, making herself at home. “I still need to tell you about why I came here.” Her hand shot toward her pocket, reemerging a second later with a half-eaten, fully squashed pastry. “Also, did you feel that earthquake last night?”
I nodded. “Lilis?”
“Definitely. And she’ll only be getting stronger from here. As you know. As I know. As everyone who knows, knows.”
I grabbed my chair, moving as if to sit again when my stomach let out a groan. “Actually, it’s been a long day. How about we take a little trip to the dining hall and discuss it while we walk? It’s not yet dinner time, but there will surely still be a spread left from lunch.”
She shot up from the bed, tearing a final bite from her smashed pocket-pastry before tossing the rest of it into the trash bin in the corner of the room.
“Thought you’d never ask. Damn thing was getting stale on me.
” She led the way out of the room, ambling down the hall at a steady clip, despite her limp.
I rolled my tight shoulders and shot her a glance. “So, we’re looking for a key in each territory, and I’m assuming Diana sent you to help me find the one in mine.”
“Indeed. But it’s bigger than just that,” she said, taking a brief pause to finish chewing. “We have reason to believe that the key is very likely somewhere in The Spire. Maybe even here, in Seventhell.”
My head whipped back toward her and I slowed my steps. That would be huge. Even just knowing she was in The Spire somewhere as opposed to one of the outposts or off the grid would’ve narrowed the search. If she was in Seventhell…
For the first time since I’d gotten back to this forsaken place, I felt an ember of hope bloom in my chest.
“Are you sure? How do you know?”
“You can thank Nicholas’ fine little ass for that nugget of info. Nefir told him. Apparently, he wants to help us.”
Nefir was Lilis’ much less powerful brother. But a lesser god was still a god, and I had no reason to doubt his information, even if he was a bit of an oddball. “Did you learn anything else about the key?”
“Not much. We think she may have been trafficked in here to be one of your ‘Doves’ as your people like to call them.”
I nodded slowly. “Most human females who end up down here are, but that still helps narrow it down–it weeds out the maids and other servants. I’ll see what I can do. How are we doing with our search for the other keys? Nefir give you any other leads?”
“Nope. Rabia is already on the hunt for the key in Angel Territory. And Diana and Raven seemed confident that they’ll be able to win Cleona over, one way or another. Elka, Will, Sienna, and her general Grumpypants are getting ready for war if need be. Seemed to be going well, too.”
I laughed. “Did Dom do something to annoy you?”
“Theo has been helping him train up some captains for their new navy, and apparently, they ‘can’t spare him’.” She said the last part in a mocking, overly gruff voice that was clearly meant to mimic Dominic, the vampire general, and Sienna’s husband.
It all made sense now. Dom hadn’t let Myrr’s boyfriend come with her and she was pissed.
A smile tugged at my lips as I started walking toward the dining hall again. “At least that means Theo is doing a good job.”
She glared, her single, milky eye locking onto mine. “Watch yourself or you’re gonna end up with your own nickname. And you are not gonna like it!”
“And I thought ‘Gabby’ was bad enough…”
“I was just getting started!”
My thoughts drifted back to my time with the Prism, and that strange, ethereal map. “I meant to tell you. I think I came up with a way to keep in touch with the others topside.”
She turned, raising an eyebrow at me. “How?”
“The Daelora Prism. It—”
She smacked my arm, cutting me off. “I know what the damn thing does, Gabby. I just hadn’t thought of it. It is a good idea, though. At least for Diana and the lot. Not so sure we can get Rabia and the Angels to let one of your demon guards into their territory without tearing him to bits, though.”
We turned into the dining hall just then. It wasn’t exactly crowded, but the place was far from empty.
“Hopefully Diana will have had time to talk some sense into them by the time we can send word to them about it.”
If I was being honest, though, I wasn’t sure there was enough sense in all the world to get them to agree to something like that.
Times were changing, even if we did still have the corpse of the first Angel queen nailed to the wall in our throne room.
That wasn’t exactly the type of thing that made people want to live and let live.
“Speak of the devil…”
I turned, catching sight of Luc as he stepped around the guard he’d been talking to, beelining toward us. He dipped into a practiced half bow as he arrived. “Majesty. Madame Oracle.”
I nearly reached out and shook his hand but held back at the last second. In public, stiff and formal was the way to go for now.
“Good to see you, Luc.”
“Well, it’s been great talking to you and all, Gabe, but mama’s got a hot date with that roast beef over there. See ya!” She marched off without waiting for a reply, swatting Luc on the butt as she passed.
Luc flashed a quick smile, but his expression grew serious a second later. “I was hoping we’d get a chance to chat. How’re you holding up?”
“Could be worse. These high caste types are as treacherous as ever, but no one has tried to kill me yet.”
“Still a glass half full kind of guy, then? Good to hear. We both know Malach was… difficult, but I’m sure it still feels like you have big shoes to fill.”
“Difficult?” I asked, incredulous. “Malach was a straight up fucking prick, Luc. But you’re right. Prick or not, the man knew how to rule. And now their new king is said to be on the side of the people who killed him? It’s a tough sell.”
“If anyone could do it…” He shrugged. “Well, you’d be in my top five or ten.”
I barked out a laugh. “You need to get better at lying.”
But, in truth, it was a relief to have people like him and Myrr around. The two souls in this whole fucking place who didn’t wring their hands the entire time they were with me, avoiding eye contact and apologizing for everything that could possibly be perceived as a slight.
“Being real with you though, Gabe, things have been going to shit down here for years. Even before Malach’s decline. And I truly believe you can right the ship.”
I ignored my grumbling stomach, turning away from the cafeteria and gesturing for Luc to follow me to an empty area nearby. “While I have you here, there’s something more sensitive that I want to ask you about.”
“Sure.”
“I’m looking for a woman. A human, somewhere between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-ish, spent time in England as a child, and may possess a magic ability?
Likely one of the Doves? I don’t have tons of specifics, but this is very important, and I’m willing to follow a lot of dead trails if it means finding the one I’m searching for.
I’m wondering if you have contacts who can help. ”
I was confident I could trust him with the full story, but it was far too much to get into right now, especially in a place where we couldn’t be sure no one else could hear us.
His eyebrow quirked. “Didn’t take you for the type…”
“I’m not looking for a fuckbuddy. This is important, she has information I need.”
“Okay. Well, you are the king. You could just call them all in…”
I shook my head curtly. “I need to keep the reasons behind this under wraps.”
How to explain that the more attention I drew to the situation, the more likely Lilis would find out? She could be anywhere…
Shit, she could be anyone.
“This is a stealth mission, I’m afraid. The fewer who know, the better.”
Luc’s expression grew serious “Look, there are a ton of Dove houses in Seventhell, so even if you went around interviewing the Lady of each house, rumors would spread like wildfire. But there is one person you could talk to. The Briar Queen stands above them all in terms of her knowledge and connections within all the Doves. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I trust her, but I would vouch for her ability to be discreet, assuming your goals align with hers. ”
“Briar Queen?” I’d heard the term before, but I couldn’t quite remember where.
“That’s what they call the Lady of House of Rose and Lantern. But in reality, she’s much more than that. She has eyes and ears all over Seventhell. The woman sees everything.”
I immediately recalled the woman I’d seen when flying down from above at my coronation. The only one who hadn’t seemed the least bit surprised by my decision, and the first to see me make it.
It couldn’t actually be her, though, could it?
But, even if it was, hadn’t Myrr told me ‘Beware the Queen’ on her first night here?
It would be foolhardy to invite her in.
And yet…
“Bring her to me.”