Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
Ivy
Alek paces the meeting room with uncharacteristic agitation. “We have no idea what they’ll throw at you now that you’re supposedly one of them. Anything could happen at the initiation.”
I lean against the side of the broad table. Tension’s been coiled tight around my gut since I got the message from the scourge sorcerers a couple of hours ago.
But I still have to say, “That’s been the case every time I’ve answered their summons. It’s always been a risk. At least this time, they trust me enough that I might find out what I need to ensure that I don’t have to go back again.”
Casimir has maintained a warm presence at my side, his hand tucked gently around mine, but a thread of uneasiness winds through even his soothing tone.
“This is what you’ve been working up to.
But they didn’t tell you when the ‘call’ would come.
Do they expect you to run off to the woods at a moment’s notice? ”
I shrug. “That’s how it worked when Benedikt accused me. They want people who’ll be obedient to them above any other duty.”
My gaze veers along the empty table. A pang of melancholy resonates through my chest at the thought of the man I believed I could count on as much as the three around me.
The man who was willing to see me dead so he could join the scourge sorcerers’ ranks. The man who met a shameful death of his own because I fought back.
The conspiracy is like a poison, tainting everything it touches.
The second Alek pauses in his pacing, Stavros begins his own restless prowl of the room.
“We can hope that there’ll be a large group of the conspirators together for the initiation.
You should signal us with your locket once you’re all together—I can lead a squadron of the Crown’s Watch to arrest them.
We can put an end to this and see you safe all at once. ”
The determination in his tone sets off a different sort of pang in my heart. He sounds honestly concerned about my well-being.
I still don’t know how to wrap my head around his renewed protectiveness.
“The king didn’t like that idea when I suggested it to him the other day,” I point out.
“I’m guessing he’ll like it even less now that he wants me to find out who’s gotten a hold of his royal seal.
And we have no idea if it would even work when the conspirators are guarding their rituals so closely.
If I’m the only one being initiated, as soon as a sentry warns of soldiers on their way, the scourge sorcerers will know I’m the one responsible. ”
And gods only know what they’ll do to me then, before any squadron can reach me.
Alek’s mouth slants at a miserable angle. “They might find out even before then, depending on how much access the conspirators have to discussions in and around the palace.”
Stavros exhales sharply. “If the men King Konram sent to spy on the clay quarry catch the next secret delivery in time—”
“Then maybe it won’t matter,” I break in. “But we don’t know how long that’ll take or how soon they’ll call me. We have to assume I’m going.”
A growl escapes Stavros. He glowers at me, but his expression looks more anguished than angry. “I could follow you on my own. Act as a secondary witness. Be ready to jump in if they threaten you in any way.”
My throat constricts. I think he means it. He’d jeopardize the entire plan so that he can act as my personal bodyguard.
Does he feel that guilty about how he treated me before? Or… does his interest actually run much deeper than that, the way Casimir suggested?
I don’t know what to do with that possibility. It hardly matters when I have no idea how long his current dedication to my safety might last.
I manage to keep my voice nonchalant as I set my hands on my hips. “And how far do you really think you’d get before they noticed you? Maybe you could convince them you were tracking me without my knowledge, but they might not want to take the chance and slaughter us both regardless.”
Stavros’s hand moves to rest on his sword. “I’d slaughter plenty of them first.”
I barely restrain myself from rolling my eyes. “Yes, well, true as that might be, I’d still prefer not to get slaughtered in the end, no matter how many of them we’d take down with us.”
The former general grimaces, but he knows I have a point.
Casimir lifts his head. “There’s another possibility we could revisit. Ivy’s already needed to use her magic in unplanned ways to protect herself and win over the scourge sorcerers. It’s the greatest weapon she has against them.”
My power quivers in my chest, bringing to mind visions of the uses I could put it to. Freezing the conspirators in place so they’re helpless while the soldiers ride in. Yanking the details of their plans from their mouths.
I brace myself for Stavros’s angry refusal, but he’s lapsed into a pensive silence instead. His gaze slides to me. “Perhaps it is time we took that step.”
I stare at him. “Are you serious?”
He’s claimed that he’s come to terms with my riven magic, but I never imagined I’d hear the day when he gave it his overt approval.
The former general grimaces. “It isn’t my preferred strategy. But we’ve run out of those. I think it’s clear that we can trust your abilities more than the fiends you’d be inflicting your power on.”
Alek speaks up, quiet but emphatic. “And it’s going to start hurting you again if you keep denying it when you’re in danger, isn’t it? They’re putting you in worse situations than the students here ever did.”
I haven’t told him how much my magic has already been punishing me. I wet my lips, grappling with a barrage of conflicting emotions.
“I don’t… I don’t know what would happen if I let it loose on that large a scale,” I admit, my hands clenching. “I don’t know if I can count on Kosmel to guide the consequences if my life isn’t directly under threat. I could cause a total disaster.”
Casimir strokes his thumb over the back of my hand. “I’m sure it couldn’t be worse than what the scourge sorcerers are planning.”
“Who can say?” A ragged laugh escapes me. “I don’t even know what’ll happen to me if I give in to the magic that openly. Somehow the middle of a scourge sorcery initiation doesn’t seem like a great time to find out just how easily a riven soul can go insane.”
Pointing out the danger I could be putting myself in gives all three of the men pause.
“Maybe not,” Alek concedes after a moment. “But you have the option. If the situation becomes dire—if you see an opening you can’t pass up—”
I can’t picture any circumstances where I’d happily give my magic free rein, but I dip my head in acknowledgment. “I’ll keep my locket on me too, in case it does seem worth signaling for help.”
“You should carry more knives when you go,” Stavros says. “You can justify it by saying you wanted to be prepared for anything—they have asked you to stab people in the past.”
Casimir gives my hand a quick squeeze. “I should touch up your false godlen brand regularly.”
I touch the spot between my breasts where he reapplied some makeup just a couple of days ago. “It’s fine for now, but if I haven’t been called on in a couple of days, definitely.”
Alek perks up. “And I can find some almreed tea for you to start drinking regularly. I don’t know what would directly counteract the drugs they’ll use without knowing what those substances are, but almreed has a general anti-toxin effect.
It’ll at least lessen the effects of anything reactive that you ingest.”
Julita sighs. I’m sorry I don’t know what drug Borys and Wendos used. They didn’t want to share their actual secret “knowledge” with me.
That’s not her fault. I smile for both her sake and Alek’s. “I’ll do my best to avoid the ingesting, but that’d be great to have as a backup plan.”
Stavros rakes his hand through his hair. “All right. I’ll keep thinking about additional measures. If anything occurs to the rest of you, call us to this room or pass on the message however you can.”
Casimir bumps his shoulder softly against mine, but his gaze lingers on the other man. “I’m sure Ivy knows that we’re doing everything in our power to protect her.”
Something about those words and the look Stavros shoots the courtesan sends a wobble through my pulse.
The former general steps away, his gaze sweeping over the three of us in our closer cluster. “It’s settled then. I’ll go on ahead in case there’s anything you wanted to… discuss in more privacy.”
He steps into his cord and wavers out of view in an instant.
Heat blooms in my cheeks. What exactly does he think we’re going to do in his absence?
What does he realize we’ve already done in the past?
Julita’s presence squirms at the back of my skull, but both Alek and Casimir clearly remember what I said to them last time. Alek simply takes my other hand. Casimir gives me a quick but tender peck on the cheek.
“We really will do whatever it takes to see you back here safely,” Alek says, his bright eyes flashing with resolve. “And if they hurt you… I won’t rest until every one of those pricks is dead and buried.”
I grip his hand tightly in return and manage to summon a teasing tone. “Bringing out the violent side beneath the straightlaced scholar. I like it.”
Casimir gives my knuckles one last caress. “I’d be right there with him. But in the meantime, I’ll pray to all the godlen to watch over you while you defend them from this menace. Now you should get some rest. We don’t know when you’ll be called on.”
Alek tugs me into a swift hug that wrenches at my heart. “We’ll talk more tomorrow,” he says firmly.
After they’ve departed, I lean against the table for a few moments longer. I want to gather my emotions before I have to face Stavros again.
That’s all? Julita speaks up in a puzzled tone. A kiss on the cheek and a hug? You’d think with the danger you’re about to charge into, they’d have a little more affection to show.
A quiver of exasperation runs through my nerves. Now she’s complaining that they aren’t fawning over me enough?