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DANTE

I crash back into my physical body with such force that I’m thrown backwards, crashing into Felix, so we both go arse over tit.

The underground chamber spins around me as I struggle to reorient myself, the taste of blood sharp in my mouth.

“What happened?” Luke demands, hauling me to my feet.

“She wants us to kill her.” The words taste like ash. “She thinks it’s the only way to stop the Blood Queen.”

Felix’s face drains of what little colour it had. “No. Absolutely not.”

Moving back to Gaida’s side, I hiss at her. Her body convulses on the altar, sweat beading on her forehead as she battles for control of her own mind, and then she stops. Everything goes still, and I gulp.

“There has to be another way,” I insist, gripping the edge of the altar until the stone cracks beneath my fingers. “I won’t accept this as the solution.”

Luke’s expression darkens. “The founders built this chamber for a reason. They must have had a way to contain the Blood Queen’s power.”

Felix runs his hands along the ancient symbols carved into the walls, his eyes narrowed in concentration. “Shame Draken had to die. We could use his form of cryptic help right about now.”

I turn at the same time as Luke lunges for Felix, gripping his collar. “Draken.”

Felix glares at him. “Yes. What of it? He’s dead… isn’t he?”

Luke narrows his eyes, his face going completely blank as that remarkable centuries-old control falls into place. “Quite.”

Why don’t I believe him?

“What aren’t you telling us?” I growl, going to him.

He releases Felix. “The connection clicked. Draken, the chalice. The sword was destroyed but the chalice is still connected to this idiocy so somehow, we have to be able to use it to help Gaida.”

“Don’t give me hope if you are just talking out of your arse,” I murmur. “I just had to say goodbye to her! To hear her give up and…” I choke up. I can’t go on.

Luke’s hand grips my shoulder, steadying me. “Dante, listen to me. You know me well enough by now to know I don’t give false hope. The chalice was designed to contain Draken’s essence. If we could adapt it to contain the Blood Queen’s consciousness instead...”

“But Draken said it was dangerous even empty,” Felix points out, his fingers still tracing the symbols on the wall. “There’s something familiar about these.”

“They are the exact same markings on the chalice,” Luke says. “This chamber and the chalice were created using the same principles. Both were designed to contain ancient power.”

“So, the chalice is what? A portable version of this chamber?” I ask, a dangerous flicker of hope igniting in my chest.

“Essentially,” Felix murmurs, excitement building in his voice. “If we could use the chalice to draw out the Blood Queen’s consciousness from Gaida, we could trap her indefinitely.”

“We’d need to modify it,” Luke says. “The chalice was specifically attuned to Draken. We’d need to recalibrate it to target the Blood Queen instead.”

“How?” I demand. “We’re running out of time.”

A violent tremor shakes the chamber, and dust and small stones rain down from the ceiling. Above us, the merging of worlds accelerates. We have minutes, not hours.

A tiny flicker screams at me that this isn’t the way. Gaida specifically said we had to destroy the Blood Queen. I shove it aside with as much force as my willpower will allow. I raise my chin defiantly against my traitorous thoughts.

Felix’s eyes widen, an academic breakthrough lighting his features. “The blood bond. The chalice responds to blood, Draken’s blood specifically. What if we used Gaida’s blood to recalibrate it? The Blood Queen’s power is within her.”

“It could work,” Luke says, his eyes boring into me, making me squirm. He moves closer and lowers his voice to a dangerously low octave that makes my skin want to crawl off my body. “If you are considering killing her before we have exhausted every single other possibility, I will stake you without a second thought. Are we on the same page?”

“Crystal clear,” I growl, fangs descending involuntarily. “I would never hurt her.”

“Good,” Luke says, his voice still carrying that deadly edge. “Because I’m not convinced you weren’t considering it.”

“I wasn’t,” I lie, knowing he can probably sense it. The truth is more complicated. I would do anything to save Gaida, including respecting her wishes if it came to that. But not until we’ve tried everything else. “Where’s the chalice?”

He stares at me for a moment longer before he steps back. “Still in the vault where Draken was being held. It seemed the safest place.”

“You mean the vault that is probably under ten tons of MistHallow right about now?”

Luke’s expression tightens. “The vault was designed to withstand catastrophic failure of the academy. Even if the entire structure has collapsed, the vault should remain intact.”

Another tremor shakes the chamber, more violent than the last.

I glance at Gaida’s still form on the altar, torn between staying with her and ensuring we retrieve our only hope of saving her.

“I’ll stay with her,” I decide. “Felix, go with Luke. Your combined magickal power might be needed to get through whatever’s left of the academy and whatever is up there that has bled into this world already.”

Felix nods.

“If she wakes up...” Luke begins.

“I’ll keep her here,” I promise. “Whatever it takes.”

Luke’s eyes meet mine, a moment of perfect understanding passing between us. Then he and Felix are gone, teleporting out of the hole to the surface and whatever awaits them there.

I turn back to Gaida, taking her hand in mine. Her skin feels unnaturally hot, almost feverish. Through our connection, I can sense the battle still raging within her.

“Hold on,” I whisper. “Just a little longer. We’re finding another way. Do not give up. Do you hear me, ma reine ? Do not give up.”