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I scoffed. “That’s it?”

“Ye know what ta do. Practice ‘n I will be back t’morrow ta see if ye are ready for somthin’ else. Touch zem as much as ye can. Ye must become one wit’ zem ‘n when ye do, zey will become ye greatest weapon.”

Chapter thirty-four

HYACINTH

Aharshwindrustledmy curls as I pulled the collar of my coat higher around my neck to protect against the chill it held.

“We should use this ceremony as a distraction. The Silliands and Ammord are bound to find out it is happening with Cain lurking. They will not expect us to break into Camp Bane that same night,” Andrues said, holding a map out in front of him as Wren, Landers, and I huddled around to look at it.

“That could work,” Wren said, nodding as he looked up at Landers. “We should place Dukovich and Ata in Sethros before we do it. Having them cause a commotion in the capitol while we are moving toward the island will keep their eyes off of us, and hopefully flush out the spy that bought the information from Nox.”

I sidestepped into Landers’s warmth as I pulled my eyes away from the map. “And we are sure Cain is still loyal to Ammord?”

Andrues and Landers exchanged a glance before Andrues tucked the map inside his jacket and looked over at me.

“I cannot say for certain that he still is, but with Redelvtum fallen, his only other choice would be The Silliands, and they do nothing without Ammord’s blessing.”

I nodded, rubbing my hands together as I looked up at Landers. “Well, breaking into a death camp seems like the perfect wedding night.”

“Nothing like a little infiltration on your first night as Queen,” Landers said, grinning down at me.

“Is that Yenne?” Andrues asked, looking over my head and I looked over my shoulder to see Ata and her walking toward us.

I nodded.

“She’s teaching Ata now I guess,” I said, glancing back to see a small, proud smile creep onto Andrues’s face.

“Coven Mother,” Landers greeted, bowing his head in respect as they reached us.

Yenne dipped her head toward him. “Me King. What are ye doin’ out in ze cold like zis?”

“Unfortunately, we have some business that cannot be conducted inside those walls,” Landers answered, gesturing his head toward the castle.

“Ah, issit because of ze evil ye ‘ave in ye prisons? Zere ‘as been an evil lurkin’ ‘ere since ye came inta Locdragoon nine months ago. But ze feelin’ ‘as doubled in ze last few weeks.”

My brows furrowed as my eyes flashed between her and Landers. “What do you mean, Yenne?

She stared at us for a long moment before she nodded. “Ye d’na know what is in ye dungeons do ye?”

“It’s just petty criminals and Taft down there,” Ata said, looking at me with the same confusion etched onto her face before looking back to Yenne. “He is a piece of shit, and I would definitely call him evil, but why do you think that?”

“Zat issa daemon, I ‘ave sensed it. Ye c’na keep a daemon caged, it is only ‘ere because it chooses ta be.”

I could feel the color drain from my face as I turned toward Landers to see the vein in his neck rapidly pumping.

Andrues took a cautious step toward Yenne. “You can sense daemons?”

“All witches can.” She gestured her head toward Ata. “If zis one can learn ta control ‘er visions, I will be teachin’ zat next.”

I nodded, slowly taking a step away from them.

“Thank you, Yenne,” I said, bowing my head as I took another step backward. “I think . . . I will just go pay our friend a visit.”

Before any of them could respond, I tethered, my heart pumping furiously in my chest as I tore through the blackness toward the prison’s entrance.

Daemons were not born, they were made. And could only be made with the use of black magic and pure Hanth blood. They answered to no one except their creator. They were bonded to them in a similar way that I was to Nithra with the fastening.