Chapter 31 #2
Her eyes were wide. “Why? What will that do?”
“If you are deemed worthy, then a butyker will answer you.”
“They do not exist.”
“Two exist,” I said. “You must ask the butyker a question for me, Gratia. I do not know if it can or will answer you, but here is the question: How do I destroy Carmine’s crown?”
Gratia stared. “Why do you need to do that?”
“Because Carmine stores power in the crown.”
“He does?” She rubbed her temples. “I thought I knew what went on in this fortress.”
“So did I for a time.”
“Go to the dungeons, summon a butyker, ask to destroy the king’s crown.” My sister-in-law shook her head. “How does any of this save my mate?”
I rose. “Because it helps me take the throne for Adeuto, Gratia. Once that happens, he will end the war, and we can arrange the return of our people. Can you do what I’ve asked of you?”
Her voice was hoarse. “Yes, I’ve said that I will do anything.”
I’d noticed in her, and in others, that danger to a demon’s mate could rob even the sharpest demons of their senses. Gratia had been raised to possess a poisoned smile. She was a dangerous demon in terms of politics. But a threat to her mate’s life had robbed her of all control.
Which suited my ends just fine.
“Good,” I told her. “Then open a portal to your mother. There is not much time to see what else might be done to save Raes and the squadron.”
I jerked as a presence within me disappeared.
“What is it?” Gratia demanded.
“Ty—uh, Carmine,” I blurted. “He’s left the realm.” There were still plenty of intact gates for him to access the three supernatural territories. Only the three exiting close to the Vissimo’s royal mansion were gone.
I fixed my sights on Gratia. “Go to the dungeons now. Do not delay. I will go to Athira myself. Better that we operate where he cannot see.”
Her breath quickened. “Why has he gone to Earth?”
“Go,” I commanded, and Gratia took a deep breath and nodded several times before leaving.
I opened a portal to Athira. This could be a trap. He could return as quickly as he’d left.
“Wake up,” I called through.
Athira sat in a flurry of dagger and snarl. “What?”
“He’s on Earth. Come through.”
She wanted to sleep, I could tell, but Athira was a soldier.
She hobbled through the portal to my room, and I closed the entrance.
My ghostly kings still surrounded us. Some stooped over, and the rest watched on with serious or sad expressions.
Now that they’d been around for a while, my divination affinity had gleaned that they were here to offer protection and help.
They wanted to end Tyran’s reign for good, as they’d never managed to in life.
Perhaps they’d find some eternal peace in the act.
“Did you know they’d cursed you?” I asked.
She hissed, “No. He could’ve killed me for that.”
I smirked. “A risk they were willing to take.” I liked that the alliance were playing a little dirty. “What news from Tempest?”
My mother-in-law staggered to the armchair. “They aren’t going to kill the squadron, but they will make it appear so. She apologized for the oversight of leaving the trap in place.”
“Tyran knows that she’s alive.”
“She knew as much. Somehow.”
From her weaving magic. “What else did she say?”
“She said that a battle in the demon realm is imminent, but not everything is in place to achieve a healing for Carmine. The information she has is incomplete. What does that mean?” Athira arched a brow.
“I’m aware of what she means.” Tempest’s quipu needed a certain amount of information inputted before it could give her answers.
Athira continued, “She said there is something that must be destroyed, and that the answer to healing Carmine is linked to your mating ritual.”
The crown and the siphoning of Tyran’s magic into me after each ritual. “Nothing new then. I was hoping for more.”
“What does Tyran plan?” Athira asked.
I told her the truth. “He plans to use the sacrificed power of the squadron to make his first attempt at creating a master race. He doesn’t intend to save anyone.”
Carmine’s mother appeared genuinely shocked and disturbed. “You jest.”
“Not my idea of a joke, Athira. He told me as much an hour ago, and he could return at any moment. You need to go back to your room. Oh, and Gratia is on our side, but only because I said Carmine would kill her twins in the future unless we remove him from the throne and place my son there instead.”
“And my daughter believed that?”
My lips twitched. “She is upset about Raes. On that topic, I said that you and Raes are friends and that you like to discuss daggers. Also that the only reason you’ve pretended to hate him is because we don’t want Carmine to be suspicious.
Also, you are only willing to do this for her future children, and that hasn’t changed even after the way she’s treated you.
And… Oh, she doesn’t know anything about Tyran.
Just that Adeuto will be able to refuse the power in the kings that makes them kill any and all challengers to the throne. ” I smiled at her. “Got that?”
Her brows had steadily climbed. Athira cursed under her breath. “Open the portal. I’m too old for this shit.”