Chapter 16
Rafe
The remnants of the dungeons smelled awful.
The missing wing I’d seen when I came for Marion had been shakily rebuilt by some earth affinates, at least well enough that a fifth of the Palace wasn’t exposed to the open air anymore.
After Isaiah had taken a cursory look around, he’d allowed the four of us inside, ignoring Wyatt’s obvious exasperation. Down the unsteady steps, a few investigators were taking notes and photographs. Aiden hovered close to Skye, looking like he wanted to run but didn’t want to leave her.
“My Prince!” An investigator cried as he noticed me, his voice echoing in the cavern. He dropped to his knees while the others followed suit. “I-I have a report for you, i-if you’d like it.”
“I would like that very much,” I replied, reaching out and taking the sheet of paper from his hand. The men stood on shaky legs, avoiding Wyatt’s gaze but curiously looking over Aiden and Skye.
Wyatt’s breath teased at my ear as he tried to read over my shoulder.
“Stop,” I swatted at him. “You’re going to ruin my hair with your humid breath.”
Wyatt stared at me for a moment, then lunged, shoving his hand into my hair to ruin the style.
“You dick!” I laughed, pushing him away.
Ordinarily, Aiden or Skye would’ve laughed at our antics. We both sobered when we saw what’d drawn their attention.
A white chalk line on the ground was the only evidence that a soul had died here. There were four more visible beyond different piles of rubble. Aiden looked like he might be sick as he watched Skye kneel down beside a pile of bricks and ash that’d clearly been moved to uncover a body.
A shadow twirled around her extended hand, and she drew back her arm sharply, blinking like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“I hate this,” she announced.
“It’s awful,” Wyatt agreed.
Awful, indeed.
The report in my hands detailed that eight Sensors in total had been found. There were a suspected two more underneath the rubble. My stomach churned as I glanced up, eyeing the piles of brick.
Skye shook her head. “Why were they down here? How did no one notice the Crusader coming and going?”
I cleared my throat uneasily. “I’d seen my father and the Crusader come from the dungeons, I just didn’t know what I was seeing. My mother had also told me the Crusader was visiting more often, trying to get into her mind. I’d bet anything Alejandro is the reason this went undetected for so long.”
Skye shook her head, then stood quickly as footsteps echoed from the stairway.
I raised my eyebrows in surprise as none other than Marion Holmes came hobbling into view, her cheeks flushed from exertion.
“Your Grace,” she said breathlessly. “I came as soon as I heard you were back in residence.”
I narrowed my eyes at her.
That wasn’t my title.
Wyatt didn’t waste any time, responding to her before I could decide whether or not to throw a fit over the incorrect address.
“You knew these people were down here.”
Marion straightened up, forcing her breathing to slow as she looked him over. Her blue eyes darted from Wyatt, to me, to the rubble, to the investigators.
“You knew they were here.”
Marion whirled around, as quickly as an old woman could, seeming a little alarmed that Skye had slipped around her without her notice.
The Chain had her surrounded.
“You didn’t make those comments about that dull book for no reason,” Skye went on. “You knew these people were down here. Why didn’t you do something?”
Awkward silence filled the space, and the two investigators that’d been lingering awkwardly looked to me.
“Leave us,” I said.
They scrambled to the end of the hall, the heavy door slamming behind them like the bars on a prison cell.
“Why didn’t you do something?” Skye asked again, this time her voice quivered slightly.
Marion picked at an errant thread on the wrist of her sleeve, then looked back to me. “Your Grace–”
“I didn’t ask the question,” I said, irritation rising. “You will address her.”
And then something I really didn’t expect – Marion’s jaw clenched. She turned to Skye.
“I didn’t know exactly what was happening here.”
“That’s a lie,” Isaiah’s soft voice echoed as he spoke for the first time. “She wants to believe it, but she doesn’t.”
“How interesting,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “It seems Isaiah is more than a pretty face.”
Aiden narrowed his eyes at me.
“Fine. There were rumors, rumors that I chose to believe. I did not know for certain that they were true,” Marion snapped.
“That sounds better,” Isaiah said.
“When did you start believing the rumors?” Wyatt asked. He remained crouched by one of the chalk shapes, his gaze boring into the stone.
Marion didn’t respond for several seconds, twirling her fingers together while gears turned inside her old head. I was just about to demand she speak when she did just that.
“Your Grace,” Marion said, her voice trembling. “What did you think of the Telekinetic Inquisitions, when you first learned of them?”
Skye stopped breathing.
“A vile time in our history,” I answered without hesitation, though I was confused on where this was heading.
“And your grandfather’s treatment of women?” Marion hedged.
“Equally vile,” I replied, again without hesitation. “I always felt it would’ve been hilariously ironic if he’d met his end from a woman.”
Marion blinked at me, then nodded.
“I had a sister,” she said, switching gears again. “A twin, actually. Her name was Perle. An…enigma, not unlike someone else we know.”
My gaze didn’t move from hers.
“And?” Wyatt snapped.
“My sister wasn’t well,” Marion went on. “Mentally, I mean. We never knew if she was meant to be a Link or a Key, the testing wasn’t available in our time. She talked in circles, babbling in and out of lucidity.”
“How sad,” Wyatt commented, his tone flat. Aiden turned around to face the wall to hide the fact that he was stifling a laugh.
Marion glared at Wyatt. “It was awful. She’d say the strangest things. Frightening, unsettling things. She told our brother he’d lose his entire family in a disaster. She told me I’d go on to kill countless people. I’m a Healer. I took the Healer’s Oath. How could I kill someone?”
“Ramblings of a madwoman are just that,” I said slowly. “Why are you sharing this with us?”
“Because she told me of this place,” Marion whispered harshly. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. “Your Grace…I’m sure you’ve heard the story of Rogelio II’s second assassination attempt.”
I began to shake my head, but then paused. Marion and I had discussed this before, at the academy. It was when I was pissed at Wyatt, we were discussing–
My gaze cut to Skye, and Marion nodded.
“The second assassination attempt,” I said. “When a Telekinetic famously tried to squish the King.”
“He was actually still the Prince at the time,” Isaiah muttered from the shadows.
I ignored him. “What became of him?”
“Her,” Marion corrected gravely. “She was murdered by Palace guards moments later…even after Rogelio realized she was his Key.”
The ground dropped out from under me.
My vision began to blur in and out in time with my increasingly erratic heartbeat. I actually stumbled slightly, right into Wyatt’s strong grip. I hadn’t noticed him moving toward me.
I’d known my great-grandfather was a monster, but this…he’d had his own Key killed?
The news must’ve been equally terrifying for Skye, as she took one step toward the stairs.
Without a second thought, shadows burst from my palm, wrapping around her legs and holding her still.
She gasped, then attempted to teleport, and shockingly…
she couldn’t. Her form blinked in and out twice before she realized she couldn’t leave with shadows holding her.
“Dude,” Aiden barked. His arms ignited, the heat from the flames so strong I could feel it searing against me. It was my turn to gasp.
Wyatt was between us quickly, his hands up placatingly while Marion shuffled out of the way to brace herself against a wall.
All my earlier optimism was gone. This was such a metaphor for our mess of a Chain, something for me to ponder later when I wasn’t panicking. Wyatt and I were always on one side of an invisible line while Aiden and Skye were on the other.
“Let her go,” Aiden said, pointing a fiery finger at me. “I’ll burn your other half.”
“She was…going to run,” I coughed, feeling the phantom sting of smoke filling my lungs. There wasn’t any, but the flames on Aiden’s arms were enough to paralyze me.
“Yeah? She just found out your great-granddaddy killed his Telekinetic Key, so she’s rightfully scared, and you decide to restrain her?!” Aiden shouted.
Skye’s hands were shaking again, like when my mother had shouted at me earlier. I should’ve known better than to trap her, but the paranoia made me panic. Even the shadows were miserable. They didn’t like touching Skye this way.
“Everyone relax,” Wyatt said. “Aiden, put your arms out.”
“Tell him to let her go!” Aiden shouted again.
“Skye…he’ll let you go, but don’t go anywhere,” Wyatt pleaded. “No one here is going to hurt you. I swear.”
“She doesn’t trust you, dick.”
“Shut up, Aiden, you’re making it worse!”
“Your Royal Highness…”
I looked up, blinking Isaiah into focus.
Isaiah…who stood opposite me.
Next to Aiden.
How interesting.
“My Prince. Release the Royal Key,” Isaiah said slowly.
I nodded, clarity finally breaking through at the sight of another man defending my own Key from me. The shadows fell away from Skye’s legs a moment later. I couldn’t keep holding her while the shadows disagreed with me, and she probably could’ve gotten out of them with her telekinesis anyway.
Aiden grabbed Skye, his arms still sizzling hot, and she didn’t react. Her wide eyes were on me, full of fear and betrayal.
Darling, I tried, but she dropped her gaze, dismissing me. I was locked out.
Isaiah stepped away from me, but he took his steps backward, clearly on the other side of the proverbial line drawn in the sand. I still didn’t know what to think about that.