Chapter 37
“Syera,” my father’s ghostly voice echoed. “The yellow seeks entrance to the room.”
I shifted my focus from Athira to nod at him. “He can come in.”
The kings nearest the door parted ways, and Tsan slipped inside, turning sideways to avoid touching any ghosts.
The kings completed their circle again.
Tyran had encouraged me to try my best, secret meetings included, so I was taking him up on that. Athira had only just arrived too.
My lucky yellow planted himself in front of me. “I think I have it.”
“This will be good.” Athira’s jaw cracked on a yawn. Her deceased mate wasn’t here today, and I’d noticed he tended to disappear when she came. Their past was still too painful, if I had to guess. Maybe they’d get their chance to figure it out one day.
Tsan paced. “If Tyran is moving from Carmine to you, then there will be a moment he’s not in either of you. That must be the moment to strike.”
Athira stared.
I dipped my head. “Yes, I believe so.”
“You’d already thought of that?” he asked after a beat.
Was that so hard to believe? But… “No, I had inside information.” I tilted my head at the watching kings. “Tyran will transfer into me through some means—not the crown and not the arena, either, if the qer were successful.”
I’d confirm that at Tiers in a matter of hours.
I continued, “He’ll leave some of his magic in Carmine to immobilize him.
There is a possibility he will try to sever our mating after transferring into me, and then he’ll use me to kill Carmine.
Tyran will then reabsorb the power from Carmine’s body.
Before Tyran transfers to me, we need Neti to heal Carmine. ”
“No,” Tsan and Athira said in unison.
My circle of kings went—dare I say it—deadly still.
My brows rose. “Is there something you know that a room filled with past kings doesn’t?”
“How could they know?” Athira asked. “They’re the ones being occupied. They don’t have an outside perspective.”
Tsan summoned a book and flipped it open. The title read The Coronation of Kings.
He read aloud, “‘The old king shall kneel, if alive, and the new king shall stand before the throne while the demon of next highest-ranking places the crown upon his head. The great words of rulers past are spoken as kingly power fills our new leader—a powerful moment that onlookers cannot fail to feel.’”
Athira wrinkled her nose at the book. “I’ve seen and felt a king’s coronation three times.
There is a minute or so after the crown is placed on the new king’s head where that king seems overtaken by new power.
It’s almost tangible, and during that time the new king is unresponsive.
Once the words are spoken, it’s as if the king suddenly comes to, more powerful than ever. ”
I replied, “Except now we know the words are a cover for the process of Tyran taking over the new ruler. How long did you say there is between the crown being placed and the new ruler coming to?”
“A minute at least. My point is that the nismus will have more than a few seconds to heal Carmine of whatever magic is left within him, and I would guess that taking you over will demand Tyran’s focus too. He may not be aware of what is outwardly happening as he settles in you.”
I wrinkled my nose, and a few of the watching kings grimaced. “I might not be either.”
“I will open a portal for the nismus at the moment Tyran leaves my son,” Athira said.
She’d have to. “Tsan, you’ll need to bring the gems.”
And there were still two to collect. Dang. Tyran would be waiting for me to attempt a retrieval, so I didn’t want anyone else, even Athira, to attempt to get them. That had to occur as last minute as possible.
“Father,” I said in the silence that had set in.
Athira jerked her head and looked at the king who’d murdered her mate.
He ignored her hiss. “Daughter.”
“I need you to take a message to Tempest. Through Adeuto.”
Athira said, “Tyran will notice the gate opening.”
“He can notice.” I lifted a shoulder. “We’re past that. He has guessed the alliance will appear.”
My father bowed his head. “If you wish it, then I can deliver this to my grandson.”
He didn’t want to, but he had unique knowledge. “I need you to take my sword to Tempest and tell her what our mother did to your sword. I need every possible advantage.”
Tsan rested his elbows on his knees. “Long enough for what?”
“To trigger the last mating ritual with Carmine,” I said.
“Which has to happen after he’s healed. If Carmine can take back some white magic after he’s healed, allowing us to split the remainder, then we’ll have the best chance of surviving.
To do that, though, I need to have control over my movements and thoughts.
Tyran will try to prevent that ritual with everything he has. I need to do the same. Father?”
“I will take your sword, daughter, and convey your message.”
I crossed to the table and passed him my sword and matching daggers. “Here.”
His ghostly hand touched mine as he took them.
I held his gaze. “Please tell my son all that we have guessed. Tempest needs to know what plan we have in place for healing Carmine, and then triggering the last mating ritual. The other supernaturals may need to fight Carmine and maybe myself. They’ll need to protect the white-scaled creatures from any attack too.
Their armies must hold off the entire demon realm while it’s happening.
They’ll certainly attack. She will already know much of this, but please convey everything you can anyway.
Make sure she knows that if there’s no way to save Carmine and me, then we both accept our fate.
Whoever strikes the final blow, will do so with our gratitude.
Neither of us wants to be left alive in Tyran’s power.
Neither of us wants Tyran to live. He dies tomorrow, and if we die with him, so be it. ”
The lines on my father’s face appeared deeper after my speech, which I knew was impossible for a ghost.
“I shall tell my grandson everything you say, then answer any questions my daughter might have.”
I touched his hand. “Thank you. And my son…” My eyes burned, and I tried again.
“Please tell him that he’s the most wonderful being I have ever known, and I miss him.
I wish that I could be with him now, and I regret that we couldn’t see much of each other lately.
He has always been on my mind, and he will always be in my heart.
He has nothing to fear because we will meet again. ”
In life or death.
I wiped away a tear, and it wasn’t as simple as feeling devastated that those may be my last living words to Adeuto.
A divination affinity was a surprising and unexpected reassurance to this mother.
I could see my son again in death. And again and again.
If he needed me, then he could invite me forth.
How many mothers could walk to their potential death saying the same?
I might leave the world of the living tomorrow, but the possibility of conversing and protecting my son would remain open to me. Even if the thought of leaving him made my mind scream in panic, a spark of gratitude existed in me too.
My father swallowed and bowed before fading away. Another king appeared to fill the gap in the circle.
I wiped my face again, then joined the others.
Tsan said in a low voice, “If there’s more of a plan to be had, then I can’t think of it.”
I snorted. “If you can’t, then I’m shit out of luck.”
“Not while I’m here,” he said. “I’m your lucky friend. Also your only friend.”
“Thanks for the reminder. I am glad my gravestone won’t read friendless. I hit that milestone before the end.”
Athira cocked a brow. “After more than two decades alive.”
I threw her a glare. “Thanks.”
“I don’t know what all the fuss is about,” she said. “I don’t have any friends.”
My smile dropped.
We weren’t the same.
“I don’t know what use I’ll be in a fight,” Tsan said next. “But I’ll do whatever I can to eliminate Tyran, Syera. You know I will, and… I promise that if there’s a way to save Carmine, I’ll do my best to help with that too.”
I leaned forward to hug him. “Thank you. I know that will be hard.”
“Life isn’t meant to be easy,” he said. “I guess if it gets that way, I’ll probably be dead.”
“Guess so.” I chuckled.
Athira groaned. “If the planning is done, then I need to go give my pathetic son-in-law another dose of sleeping poison.”
I looked at her. “Raes?”
“Do I have another son-in-law?”
“What are you doing to him?” I demanded.
“We can hardly have him wake and tip off my daughter, can we? I drugged him after the curse was triggered and told Gratia that he’d recover with enough rest. I crack a new scale every few hours to keep him weak, and the sleeping poison keeps him unconscious.”
Tsan slid a glance my way, and he didn’t need to say the words aloud.
Your mother-in-law is a fucking psychopath.
He wasn’t wrong.
My main concern was that I saw less and less to worry me in her decisions. “All right, and if our plan works? What will you do then?”
“Corner him. Threaten him until he agrees to go along with the story.”
I pursed my lips. “The story where you want a relationship with your daughter, so you’ve pretended to be in secret alliance with Raes all along instead of being a monster bitch to him since the beginning? That story?”
Her gaze narrowed.
“Here’s an idea,” I said cheerfully. “Tell Raes you were worried about losing Gratia, and you may have acted rashly. You’ve seen some potential in him since, but even if he’s weaker, then you’ve realized that you don’t want to lose any time you might have with your daughter.”
Athira stared at me, opened a portal, and left without another word.
Tsan grinned. “Well, you tried.”
“The thought of dying grows more appealing,” I answered. “What will you do if worse comes to worst?”
He smiled. “You want to know my secret? I never think about the worst. I do my thinking and make my choice, and then I pursue the outcome that I’ve decided on. There is no worst. There’s only what I’ve decided will happen. That’s why I’m ‘lucky.’”