Page 13 of Anatomy of the Immortal Species

“Do you think the manticore killed her?” Sevar asked.

“Oh, I don’t know!” The Queen flipped the dress on the board. “He claims to be some sort of saviour. I imagine it would be beneath him to kill her. Perhaps he has her locked up somewhere.”

“If that’s the case, would the nymph remain silent?” Kathrinesaid, about to remark that the nymph had probably not been discreet for a long time, but then the Queen’s eyes flicked to her with a broad, unsettling grin.

“Unlikely. Once a traitor, always a traitor.”

Kathrine’s insides twisted. There was no way the Queen didn’t know – she must have suspected. A wave of dread washed over her while she fought to maintain her composure. “Does this not trouble you, Your Majesty?”

“Not in the least.” The Queen shrugged, her smile widening. “It was amusing to toy with them, but I believe it’s time to introduce ourselves properly. Besides, as I mentioned, I’ve caught wind of some intriguing developments at our favourite hospital. The human girl, Amelia, is the new Oracle.”

Sevar’s eyes flashed with realisation. “Then all this time, we were right to chase her.”

“If only you had managed to capture her first.” The Queen shook her head. “Perhaps you have a chance to fix this little hiccup.”

Kathrine and Sevar exchanged a tense look.

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?” he asked.

“It’s time for the Oracle to come home.”

Kathrine crossed her arms. The Hospital for Immortal Creatures was one of the few buildings they couldn’t break into at this stage. Korovin wouldn’t risk Amelia’s safety by taking her out. “The manticore was hovering around her before, and now he surely protects her as if his life depended on it.”

The Queen raised her eyebrows. “It was reported to me that the new Oracle left the Hospital on her own. She’s not with the manticore.”

“How do you know this, if the nymph is no longer providing us with updates?” Sevar’s question mirrored Kathrine’s own.

“Sweet children! Did you really believe the nymph was my sole informant?”

“If not just her… Then who else?” Sevar asked, his voice firm but tinged with curiosity.

The Queen’s smile was cryptic. “I would like to keep that secret for now. But I will tell you where you can find the girl.”

Sevar cleared his throat. “If she is the Oracle, won’t she have a vision and realise we’re coming for her?”

The Queen deliberated, her eyes cold. “It’s not entirely impossible, but it is highly improbable.”

Kathrine pursed her lips. Clearly, the much-needed break she had hoped for was not forthcoming. “When do we leave?” At least she had managed to keep her disappointment out of her voice. She was an obedient soldier, after all.

The Queen’s gaze turned frosty. “You’re not going anywhere, Kathrine. This time, Sevar will go alone.”

A shiver of dread ran down Kathrine’s spine. “Only Sevar?”

“You heard me right.”

Kathrine’s face fell, for the Queen’s decision was like a sharp blow. She wanted a break, but being sidelined for such an important task was crushing. It weighed down like a personal failure, a stark reminder of her inadequacies.

“Take some time for yourself, my beautiful daughter,” the Queen said with a dismissive wave. “It’s not right to work without pause. Look what happened to David and Ikon. They worked so hard that they began making mistakes. That’s why I reassigned them to a new task – much less engaging, with a minimal margin for error.”

Kathrine’s brow creased while she processed this. David and Ikon were among the Queen’s most trusted subjects. Unfortunately, they had made a mess during their mission to coordinate the delivery of a message to the Hospital for Immortal Creatures using a witch portal. Not only had they allowed themselves to be outsmarted by the vampire they had hired, but in their effort to fix their mistake, they had exposedtheir secondary form.

“What do you mean, Your Majesty? Have they been demoted?” Sevar asked.

“I don’t know if they see it as ademotion.” The Queen’s tone was almost gleeful. She patted her chin and returned the turquoise dress to the rack. “I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to voice it.” She ran her hand slowly along the length of the clothes rack. “But they do make a splendid hanger.”

Kathrine’s eyes fixed on the horizontal bar between the two massive parallel ivory-coloured columns. No, not ivory-coloured…

Bones.