Chapter 9 #2
He sighs impatiently, as if we’re supposed to know the significance of the necklace. “Our mother used to warn us away from playing with her jewelry. She said that some of it was bad. I think that she spelled them with dark magic. I think that’s how Marik’s keeping Elle in line.”
I still. “What do you mean?” My voice is a whisper.
His eyes find mine, pity now lining them. From anyone else, that look would piss me off. But pity coming from Asmo makes my blood run cold. “If what I’m thinking is true, then Marik is using that necklace to control Elle.”
I close my eyes, thinking of Marik being in control of anyone.
I only saw Marik’s true self for a moment after we said our vows.
He set William on fire. What is he like with Elle, when they’re alone?
What happens when nobody is around to step in?
What happens when his victim is powerless? A shiver runs down my spine.
“Think about it,” Asmo continues. “Elle was never afraid to say what was on her mind before. But she seemed skittish. Afraid. And I would bet everything that it was because of that necklace.”
Luca begins to pace in the small living room.
“What can we do?” Ivan asks.
Asmo shakes his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it since I saw it. All I know is if we have any chance of rescuing her, we have to find out how to remove that necklace. Otherwise, any attempts we make will be useless.”
“Wait—how did you get Cally out?” I ask.
Asmo hesitates, but he says, “Someone had been begging Elle for help when she came down. They said there was a woman in her cell that was near death. But I knew Elle wouldn’t be able to do anything.
I was considering bringing the woman back, anyway.
Maybe dumping her at an apothecary. But when I finally got to her, I saw it was Cally.
I used my shadow sword to get out of my cell, then I funneled us out. ”
“Your shadow sword?” I ask.
“Remember when I saved you from the cambion the first time?” he responds. “It’s a sword made of shadows that can be used from a distance.”
Ah, yes. When the cambion’s head went flying from its body.
Ivan straightens. “The cells mute your magic and the dungeons are warded. There’s no way you could have used your magic, let alone funnel out.”
Every muscle in my body freezes. I detected no deception from Asmo at all. If he lied, he just got around it perfectly. I check that my nets are intact. “Tell me a lie.”
Asmo furrows his brow. “What?”
“Now. Anything,” I demand.
He locks his eyes on mine and says, “My name is Mae. I’m the High Queen.”
The net tugs. Okay, so I haven’t suddenly lost the ability to detect lies.
“How did you escape the dungeons with Cally?” I repeat.
He drops his gaze and wrings his hands together in his lap. “Before we went in, I carved another mark on myself that makes me immune to wards or anything that mutes your magic.”
Warning bells, once again, go off. But there’s not a hint of deception in his answer. Just how much does he know about dark magic? What else is he hiding?
“That is not possible,” Luca growls. “The wards are imbued with ancient magic. There is nothing that can get around them.”
Asmo’s gaze sears into Luca. “But there is. Because I did.”
Truth, again.
“How do we get the necklace off?” Holly asks, her chewed fingernails hidden in a tight fist on her thigh.
Asmo shakes his head. “I’m nearly positive it requires venom. That was always my mother’s favorite trick for activating dark magic.”
Holly stares at Asmo with disgust, and I feel too hot and too cold, and like I might burst out of my chest if I don’t get up. I stand and head to the kitchen, the only place I can get space without leaving the room. I grab a glass and fill it with water from the pitcher.
“Anything else?” Luca demands.
Asmo twists to face me, his chiseled jaw looking even sharper than usual. “The wedding guests…They’re all in the prison.”
It’s a small relief that they’re still alive, but if they’re in the same condition as Cally, they may not be for long. “Are they okay?” I ask.
He rubs the back of his neck. “They’re alive. They’re being fed. But it’s not an existence.” That evil bastard. “They stared at you—Elle—with resentment. They think you’re the one doing this.”
My teeth grind together. Well played, Marik.
“Elle’s alive, though,” Holly says with the first bit of optimism from any of us in days.
Asmo nods. “I don’t know why, or what it means, but she seemed to be really interested in me. There were other prisoners down there with me, but she only asked me questions.”
I grab an apple and head back into the living room. Asmo’s gaze drifts to it. I toss it to him, and he snatches it from the air before giving me a thankful nod.
“What kinds of questions?” Ivan asks.
“She asked me my name and occupation mostly,” Asmo answers before taking a huge bite from the apple with a satisfying crunch. He closes his eyes as he chews.
“She knew you were lying,” I say as I plop back onto the couch beside Holly.
His eyes fly open mid-chew.
“Elle and I are able to detect lies,” I explain. “No clue why, but that’s one of the powers we hold. I don’t know how, but Marik got around it with me. Elle would have known you were lying the moment you said your name. Did she ask these questions in front of Marik?”
He shakes his head.
“Good. That’s good,” Ivan says.
“Asmo,” I say, holding my chin high and bracing myself for what I’m about to ask him. “Did you give anybody any information about us?”
Holly shifts nervously on the couch beside me.
Asmo’s gaze is unflinching. “No. I would never.” Truth.
“Okay,” I say calmly, even though my body threatens to collapse from the intensity of his gaze and the sheer relief that comes with his answer.
“Did you get any other helpful information? What’s going on in the castle? What’s their security like?” Luca asks.
Asmo swallows a bite of the apple he was chewing.
“It’s…somber there. They’ve gotten rid of anybody that was there before and replaced them with Serpent guards.
They keep at least two guards on Elle at all times.
The castle is locked down, and they’re not letting anybody inside.
That’s all I was able to get. They kept me locked in the dungeon the whole time. ”
“Did you see Cora? Or any witches?” I ask.
Asmo shakes his head.
Holly puts her head in her hands and groans. “How are we going to get Elle out of there?”
“I don’t know,” I say, feeling utterly doomed. Asmo getting Cally out was one thing, but sneaking into the castle and getting Elle out will be an entirely different mission.
“We have to get her, Mae,” Holly says.
“I know,” I whisper.
But I have no idea how to do it.