Tobias #2
“Silvius likes to talk,” I muttered just as Dolion said the same. His eyes narrowed at me, his gaze locking on my neck—and the scar banded around it. He gave me a nod of understanding.
“Seeking sanctuary here was no accident,” Dolion continued.
“Without the Enclave’s resources, there are few who would be able to create a cure that could stop Silvius’s plan.
And without the High Queen and her use of the magic of the land to cure the realm, there’s no telling how many he could infect if we go along with this. ”
The room was silent for a long beat.
“Can it be done?”
I didn’t want to know the answer even as I asked the question. Quinn and Dolion exchanged a loaded look.
“There’s little that can’t with magic, intention, and the right research,” Dolion said heavily.
“And time,” Quinn added, her voice bleak.
“Though even if we had all the time in the world, we can’t go along with this.
I can’t speak for Queen Sariyah, but Pari is my friend.
She would never forgive us if we traded her life for innocent people.
Especially since there’s no telling how far this could spread. ”
Of course we couldn’t. But that didn’t mean I was about to give up yet.
“Can we trick him, somehow?” I kept my voice low, though the guard showed no sign he understood me. “I don’t know how long we were unconscious, but Pari needs that cure yesterday.”
I knew Marin and Rivan would do everything they could to keep her stable. But without an anima bond and someone in her mind fighting alongside her to keep her memories, her very self intact…
“Or we use the time to find a way out of here,” Quinn murmured. “Do you know where Silvius could be storing the cure?”
Dolion shook his head. “It’s not far but that doorway is keyed to Silvius’s blood alone. We’re trapped here until he returns. Even the guards can’t go anywhere without him.”
“I could try to ambush him when he reenters,” Quinn said hesitantly.
Dolion could barely stand up unassisted, and I was chained to a wall. She would be on her own.
I shook my head. “With that gas in play…we can’t risk it without getting the cure first.”
“Without my magic, I won’t even be able to tell if he gives us the real one.” The despair in Quinn’s voice made me want to gather her in my arms and promise everything would be okay, though I couldn’t do either. “Or if he does, whether he’s tampered with it somehow.”
“Tamper with ours right back then.” They both stared at me.
“You two are the geniuses. There must be a way to give him a plan with a fatal flaw but still be believable enough for him to hand over the cure. Then we demand he send Quinn to administer it to Pari. Her magic will be able to confirm if it is what he says it is.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Quinn protested. “Dolion can—”
“He knows you’re my anima,” I said exasperatedly. “That you’ll come back for me. It’s the perfect leverage, especially if he wants to ensure you don’t replicate the cure while you’re there.”
Quinn’s gaze was sharp and searching. “Then you should go.”
“I’m not getting anywhere fast,” I said, nodding at my leg. I didn’t bother to add that there was no way Silvius would let me leave. “You and Dolion are the only options.”
“He won’t agree.” Dolion sighed, leaning against the bars.
“He’ll want to go himself, wearing my face.
” His voice shook on the last three words, disgust tinging his horror.
“His plan is to return with my queen at his side once he can control her. To use her to infect the entire city until everyone is under his control, or dead.”
It was a solid plan, especially since Silvius wouldn’t need to keep up the facade for long. Once the Enclave fell, its greatest minds erased? There would be little anyone in the realm could do to stop Silvius.
“Let’s worry about that once we have a way to trick him,” I said.
“He’s counting on the fact that he can use the ones we love against us, but I promise you, what he hasn’t accounted for is that he’s up against someone smarter than he is.
” I nodded at Quinn. “This can work, as long as we stay ahead of him for a change.”
Quinn’s lips formed a tight line, but she nodded. “We can try.”
Dolion hesitated, his eyes dropping again to my neck.
I tapped my finger once against the banded scar, ignoring the way my chains rattled. “The dagger Silvius stole from Quinn—the silver one on his belt. If we can get it back, I can remove that for you. Though his blood should also do the trick.”
The diamond on its pommel was Bash’s mother’s creation—and had the ability to draw magic into it.
Quinn blinked at me in surprise. “When you gave me that gift, I didn’t realize…”
“That I was giving you the key to my freedom, should I ever need it again?”
Quinn swallowed hard, then nodded.
I shrugged. “Maybe I wanted to make sure you had the key to yours.”
Quinn didn’t say anything. She only took my face in her hands and kissed me.
I never wanted it to end, but this time I was the first to pull away. “Get to work, Sagray. I’ll be here if you need someone to check your notes.”
Her smile was fleeting before she left the cell, Dolion by her side. The guard looked down at me as I crossed my arms. His empty eyes sent a chill down my spine.
Quinn’s and Dolion’s low voices blended together as they started working through the notebooks, the faint scent of leather drifting my way as they looked for an answer and a loophole.
I was grateful they were facing the opposite direction as I closed my eyes. The pounding in my skull was only getting worse, the sense there was something wrong multiplying by the minute.
If what I suspected was true, she couldn’t know. Not when she needed to focus on saving everyone else.
Besides, there was nothing she could do.