Chapter 56 Get Dragged Out of Bed
(for Apocalyptic News and Dead Flowers)
Arabella
The pounding on our chamber door could have woken the dead. Which, given Griffin’s recent experiments, wasn’t entirely hyperbole.
“Go away,” Kazimir growled into my hair, his arm tightening around my waist.
The pounding intensified. “Lady Blackrose! Lord Blackrose! It’s urgent!”
Sebastian. Of course it was Sebastian. I groaned, burying my face deeper into my pillow. “What time is it?”
“Too fucking early. It’s not even light yet.” Kazimir’s voice rumbled through his chest, the vibration doing interesting things to my already oversensitive body. Last night’s birthday celebrations had extended well past midnight, and I was deliciously sore in all the best ways.
His shadows began to stir, responding to his irritation. I reluctantly extracted myself from my husband’s embrace, ignoring his sound of protest. “Five minutes!” I called through the door.
I fumbled for a robe, trying to make myself presentable while Kazimir remained sprawled naked across our bed. “You’re not getting up?” I asked, hunting for something to tie my hair back with.
“I’m contemplating murder. It requires focus.”
“Kazimir.”
“Fine.” He rolled out of bed, yanking on pants but not bothering with a shirt.
I opened the door to find Sebastian looking haggard, his usually perfect hair messy and sticking out in interesting directions. Flowers—wilted and gray—were blooming along his collar. “If this is about Torok challenging another child to combat—”
“It’s not!” Sebastian’s voice cracked. His eyes widened as he took in Kazimir’s state of undress, then immediately snapped back to my face. “I—sorry. I’m so sorry. But we have a problem.”
“When don’t we?” Kazimir leaned against the door, radiating menace despite—or perhaps because of—his lack of shirt. “Speak quickly, before I remember how much I enjoy throwing people off lightning bridges.”
Sebastian swallowed hard. “Auremar’s accelerated his timeline. My contact in Solandris just sent word that he’s taken more people.”
The last vestiges of sleep evaporated. “How many?”
“At least thirty individuals with confirmed heroic bloodlines. Including…” He thrust a crumpled paper at me. “Including multiple Princess Violets who’d gone into hiding when they heard Auremar was collecting people. He found them anyway.”
Kazimir read over my shoulder, his body radiating heat and barely contained violence. “When?”
“Two nights ago.” Sebastian’s hands shook as more flowers bloomed and immediately withered at his feet.
“My contact only just managed to get word out. The captives are being held in the lower levels of Sunspire Palace, and”—Sebastian’s voice cracked—“he’s already started preparations for some kind of mass ritual.
Something about the moon phases being optimal in five days. ”
“Five days.” I felt the blood drain from my face. “The ritual the Alchemist described—”
“Will be worthless if Auremar completes his first.” Kazimir’s voice had gone deadly quiet, which was always more terrifying than when he shouted. “How many families does that give him?”
Sebastian swallowed again. “Combined with the ones we couldn’t reach in time? Between seventy and one hundred individuals with heroic blood. Maybe more.”
“War room, twenty minutes,” Kazimir ordered Sebastian. “Bring Vex, Griffin, and Thorne.”
Sebastian fled, leaving a trail of dead petals in his wake.
I turned to find Kazimir already grabbing clothes with sharp, economical movements. The playful husband from moments ago had been replaced by the Dark Lord, all business and barely contained violence.
“We can’t let him complete that ritual,” I said.
“We won’t.” He yanked on a shirt, then paused to cup my face in his hands. “But this changes our timeline. We need those bloodlines to agree to help us now, not after lengthy negotiations.”
“They’re terrified nobility who think we kidnapped them.” Which, to be fair, we had. “How exactly do we convince them to willingly bleed for us in the next few hours?”
“That’s your department.” He pressed a quick kiss to my forehead. “I’ll handle the military logistics. You handle the people things.”
“And what are those?”
“You know.” He waved a hand vaguely. “Emotions. Empathy. Not threatening to eviscerate them if they don’t comply.”
Twenty minutes later, we assembled in the war room. The massive table was already covered in maps, troop deployments, and what looked like Griffin’s calculations for portal stability. Kazimir stood at the head.
“Report,” he commanded as Sebastian entered, still trailing dead flowers.
Sebastian pointed to Sunspire on the map. “The prisoners are being held in the old wine cellars—stone walls, limited access points, and heavy magical wards. The kind that prevent portals.”
Kazimir’s fingers drummed against the table.
“Can we break the wards?” I asked, thinking of the Heirloom’s power thrumming beneath my skin.
“Not without alerting every mage in the palace,” Griffin said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Wards that strong are tied to alarm systems.”
Vex leaned forward, her newly black hair catching the light. “So we need a distraction. Something big enough to pull the guards away from the palace.”
Kazimir nodded toward the map. “I’ll take our main force and hit their eastern garrisons.”
I frowned. “But our army is at the northern outpost. It would take days to march them into position.”
Thorne scratched the side of his scarred face. “And their forces are between us and the capital. Already marching to meet us.”
A dangerous smile curved Kazimir’s lips. “We’re going to save them the trip. We portal our forces inside their defensive line—just outside Sunspire itself. Let them scramble to defend their own capital while their army is marching in the wrong direction.”
“Why not just move Skyspire itself?” I asked. “Position the entire citadel over Sunspire.”
“Takes too long.” Kazimir’s response was immediate. “The citadel’s movement enchantments require days of preparation for a journey that distance. We don’t have days.”
It made sense tactically, but something in his tone felt off. “Besides,” he added, “I don’t want Skyspire anywhere near the Shadow King’s prison. Not until we understand the full extent of the corruption.”
I wondered why, but he changed the subject.
His shadows spread across the map, marking positions. “Griffin, can you create a stable portal large enough for five thousand troops?”
Griffin’s eyes went wide. “That’s… theoretically possible. But the power requirements—”
“I’ll handle the power.” Kazimir’s voice brooked no argument. “You handle the calculations.”
I watched my husband carefully. The casual way he dismissed the massive magical expenditure, the slight tremor in his left hand that he was trying to hide—something was different. The struggle within him, whatever it was, was growing worse as the conversation continued.
“Even with the distraction,” Thorne said, “extracting seventy prisoners from a warded location won’t be simple. We need an exit strategy that doesn’t involve fighting our way through the entire palace.”
“What if we prepare an extraction point outside the ward boundaries?” I suggested. “Somewhere close enough to move the prisoners quickly, but far enough that we can portal out?”
Sebastian nodded slowly. “Just outside the Palace Garden. They’ll be beyond the ward perimeter, and there’s a service entrance near the cellars that’s usually only guarded by two men.”
“Usually,” Vex emphasized. “With prisoners this valuable—”
“They’ll have sufficient guard,” Kazimir finished. He studied the palace layout Griffin had produced. “We’ll need to be surgical about this. In and out before they realize what’s happening.”
“I’ll lead the infiltration team,” I said.
“No.” Kazimir’s response was immediate, shadows darkening the room. “Auremar wants you specifically. Walking into his stronghold is exactly what he’s hoping for.”
I recognized the possessiveness for what it was—fear.
Real, bone-deep terror at the thought of me in Auremar’s hands.
But it wasn’t going to change the facts.
I folded my arms. “Would you prefer I lead the military distraction? Because I will, but I think my magic would be more useful freeing prisoners than playing general. Other than Sebastian, I know Sunspire Palace better than anyone here.”
Kazimir’s hands gripped the table hard. My new ring flared cold on my finger. For a moment, I thought he’d forbid it outright, Dark Lord commands and all, and then we’d have a repeat of the Gilded Gallows. But then he surprised me. “Fine. But you’re not going alone.”
“I’ll accompany her,” Sebastian offered. “My magic might help with distractions. Plus, I know some of the prisoners. They’ll trust me.”
“And I’ll be there,” Thorne added, in a tone that suggested arguing would be pointless.
“Shadow warriors,” Kazimir said. “At least a dozen. And if things go bad—”
“We handle it,” I interrupted.
Kazimir nodded sharply. “The moment you have the prisoners, you get out. No heroics, no side missions.”
“Agreed,” I said, though we both knew I’d do whatever was necessary in the moment.
“The primary objective is the rescue,” Kazimir said, his shadows spreading across the map. “But I’m not wasting this opportunity. While their forces are scrambling to respond to our ‘invasion,’ we take the capital.”
Thorne’s eyebrows rose. “You’re planning to hold Sunspire?”
“I’m planning to make Auremar understand he’s already lost.” Kazimir’s smile was sharp. “When he crawls out of whatever hole he’s hiding in—and he will hide, the coward—he’ll find his capital under new management.”
“What about the Hero’s Guild?” Sebastian asked, his flowers wilting faster. “They’ve been different lately. More aggressive. Less coordinated.”
“The Shadow King’s corruption,” I said quietly. “They’re addicted to his magic now.”
Kazimir’s expression darkened. “I have plans for the Guild.”
“What plans?” Vex asked.
“The kind that work better as a surprise.” The casual menace in his voice suggested those plans were decidedly unpleasant.