22. Syneca
Syneca
Thank a witch for praising your child, then spit once. A compliment from our kind is known to be a curse or a wish.
Iwas no longer confident that a fallen soul came to the Underworld.
At first, I didn’t believe Dez, but now that I stood on the cusp of leaving it behind, I decided if I was going to trust a single truth, it’d be the one that fucked with my eternity.
I didn’t think if I died, I’d stand in this manor again, staring out this window, watching the eternal twilight and listening to the music that was the heartbeat of this magical home.
So, perhaps this was goodbye. Perhaps this was the defining moment of my life.
I was done mourning lies.
Whether I found the red dragon or the end of Wickett’s blade, neither would truly matter.
If it did, fate wouldn’t have found a way to save me.
I’d already be gone. I’d had a different destiny since the moment I was born.
I would burn Fuerlis to nothing but ash and angry people.
I would destroy everything with purple flame and anger.
My line was born from the vengeance of three Furies, and I was marked to die in the heat of my own.
That’s how this would end. But no one around me was brave enough to speak of it.
Maybe that’s why Silas had turned so cold. He was smart. If he kept a wall, he wouldn’t have to care when I was nothing but ash and memory.
Everyone gathered in the study as the clock on the mantle struck five bells.
Dez kept his eyes glued to the blade in his hand.
Lore stood near the door, beautiful, silent and unreadable.
I thought back to the comment I’d made calling her Silas’s hound.
I should have apologized. Should have given her more credit than that.
She’d done nothing but help me. But so had Vitoria.
Ramiel leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Calder shifted his weight at my side, sharing a look with the sprite in his massive coat pocket. And Silas stood at the center of it all, calm like we were heading to market instead of walking into a realm that wanted me dead.
“Okay?” Calder whispered.
I met his eyes. “Okay.”
Silas cleared his throat. “Calder will use Pip as his beacon. That means we’ll land in the Tangles. Nearly the heart of Grimora.”
Calder’s magic worked by connecting to someone’s home, using them as an anchor point. It was supposed to be me, but I didn’t have a home anymore. The apartment was gone. Gran was dead. Everything I’d known had burned or been taken. So, Pip it was.
“The last time we were in Grimora,” Silas continued, “every hunter in Fuerlis lined the city. And now, with Wickett in command and everyone knowing what Syneca is, we go in expecting the worst. Guards up immediately.”
The tension in the room grew heavier as his gaze shifted among us.
“Pip stays with Calder. Don’t let her out of your sight. Ramiel, you’ll hide the group the second we cross. Change everyone, even Pip. Especially her.”
“It’s the blue hair again, isn’t it?” she asked, sinking down.
“Your best feature,” Dez said with a wink in her direction, earning a rush of red to her cheeks.
“We can’t afford to draw attention. You understand, don’t you, Pip?” Ramiel asked, flashing her a smile.
She left Calder’s pocket and drew out a new sword, the jewel so large I wondered if she’d tip over from the weight of it. “I’ve always wondered what I’d look like with black hair.”
Ramiel bowed dramatically. “Your wish is my command.”
Silas let out a sigh before continuing. “Calder, you stay at Syneca’s back. Don’t let anyone get between you.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll take the skies. Keep watch from above.” He looked at each of us. “If something goes wrong, you get Syneca out. That’s the priority.”
“And Lore?” I asked.
She finally stepped into the room. “I’m not going.”
I didn’t hide my shock. “What?”
“Someone has to stay behind and it should be me.”
“But—”
She moved to Dez first, pulling him into a hug that he returned easily. He ruffled her hair when they pulled apart, grinning despite the tension. “Don’t overturn the place while we’re gone.”
“No promises.”
Ramiel opened his arms expectantly. Lore flipped him off with an accompanying eye roll as she passed him by. He gave a huff of mock surprise.
Pip flew at Lore, wrapping arms around her neck. Lore caught her gently, cradling the sprite close. Pip whispered something I couldn’t hear, and Lore smiled. “I’ll try.”
“Catch a grimmie for me,” Pip said louder, pulling back.
“At least two,” she promised.
Then Lore moved to Silas. He pulled her into a hug so tight I thought he might break her. His head bent close to hers, lips moving near her ear. I couldn’t hear what he said either, but Lore nodded. He said something else, and she nodded again, her expression serious.
Lore’s eyes found Calder’s for only a second. As far as I knew, they’d only just met, but saying goodbye to everyone in a room while ignoring the final person might’ve been awkward? Still, I wondered about it until she stepped away from Silas and crossed to me.
To my surprise, she pulled me into a hug. Her voice was quiet near my ear. “Trust the right people, Syn. Not the safe ones. The right ones.”
Stepping back, she squeezed my shoulder before turning away. I stared at her. I’d been a dick to her yesterday, and she didn’t even care. But maybe she was right to stay. Maybe Calder was right too, and the Underworld, as dangerous as it was, remained the safest option for all of them.
We were walking into a trap. I knew it. Everyone knew it.
Our only saving grace was Ramiel, and I hated admitting that, because him joining us meant I was helping another demon prince enter Fuerlis.
But without him, we had no cover. No way to hide what Dez was.
No way to move through Grimora unnoticed.
The demon had no idea I’d bargained with Celeste.
Per Silas’s orders, he could never know the Fury was alive.
So for now, Ramiel believed I’d made a bargain with Lucy, an old friend who I’d tied my life to on the other side of the veil.
Which meant, I couldn’t even drill Silas about what he knew of the missing dragon yet.
Because then it’d be clear he was hunting Lyric long before the two of us met.
The stories wouldn’t add up and who knew what the demon prince would do if he learned the Fury that was meant to be bound to his domain was alive.
Truly, Ramiel didn’t seem to care either way why we were going. Simply asked if Lucy was beautiful and if he might be her type. To which Dez’s ears perked up as well, which made no sense, considering he knew who the real bargain was with, but clearly he was good at playing the role Silas gave him.
Calder grabbed Silas’s arm. Dez and Pip pressed in. Ramiel reached for me, offering his hand. “Take it. I’ll keep you safe, pretty witch.”
I recoiled. “Absolutely not.”
Ramiel studied my face. “I wouldn’t be invited on this little excursion if I weren’t safe.”
“I have trust issues.”
Dez snorted. “She’s already had plenty of lessons on breaking bargains with demons.” He pivoted slightly to make sure I could see him in our tight circle.
“Unfortunately, it seems I’ve entered into the unbreakable kind. Nothing to worry about here.”
“Have you?” Ramiel’s eyes narrowed on me.
I lifted a brow. “Taking notes?”
The soft lines in his face became far more severe as he answered. “It’s important you understand exactly how bargains work. Our kind can be dangerous. We’re going to need you to stay on your toes. Until Evanoch is gone from your world, he’s a threat.”
“I’m not sure if you’ve been paying attention, but everyone’s a threat.” I stepped around Calder to stare up into his face. “Ignis.”
The word did the work my witchcraft demanded, a flame of gold with just a hint of purple bloomed obediently in my palm. I watched it creep up the edges of his tie as I stared at him.
“You know what else might be considered a threat, Demon Prince? Aside from your eagerness to leave a place that holds you in such high regard for a place that won’t give a shit about who you are?
It’s knowing I’m staring you right in the face and have no idea what you truly look like.
Because something tells me that’s not the face your mother gave you.
And in an hour, when I’m back in my city and I can’t seem to find the demon we just let loose to wreak havoc, I just want to warn you, everyone there knows how to protect themselves from my anger. But you do not.”
Through the bond, I felt the lick of pride from Silas as well as the tingle of caution.
Ramiel patted the flame on his chest. He loosened the tie and slipped it over his head with little more than a sideways glance, tossing what was left into the empty fireplace.
“Lucky for me, I hated that color.” He stepped closer, his casual stance matching my glare as he smiled.
“Stare into my eyes, witch. I’ll tell you a secret, but only if you promise to keep it. ”
Silas cleared his throat, shifting forward, but I didn’t need his buffer.
“Still not going to fall for it.”
Ramiel’s tone became that of a bored man. “The bottom half of my left iris is rimmed in gold. You’ll always know it’s me because of it. Feel free to come closer for a better look.”
“I’ll pass.”
He dipped his chin. “Thought you might.”
“Let’s get this over with,” Silas said, signaling Calder.
“Domum,” Calder said, as a strange sort of magic began to grow around us. In less than a breath, we were whisked out of the Underworld and back into Grimora.
The Tangles.