Page 85 of Cursed Evermore

“That may prove difficult eventually,” Bastian pointed out.

“I know, but until such time, we need to make sure they see what we need them to see. The moment I lose my leverage of keeping Elariya secret, things will get substantially harder. I need to be way ahead by then.” Or have the ring upon my finger.

“Leave the investigation to us. You do what you need to do,” Alaric said, his tone echoing the reminder that I didn’t have to do everything myself.

I dipped my head in gratitude, then turned to Garrick and Arielle. “You two will assist me with the spell. We're the most powerful practitioners here.”

Arielle’s visit to the ghost roads had come in more useful than I thought. I would need her help crossing the planes, and Garrick’s healing magic in case anything went wrong. They were both perfect to assist me. One was an expert in Galdrlore, the other in Fray magic.

I’d mastered countless forms of magic where I could manipulate shadows, silence a heartbeat with cold fire, and rip the soul out of a being, but I lacked the refinement of a true Galdrmester. As for the Fray, there was no better person to help me than a high-level mage.

Garrick was already nodding enthusiastically.

I looked at Arielle, noting she appeared more troubled than before. “I need you to assist Elariya and help her restore her magic. Portaling has burned her out a lot longer than I’d hoped. For the spell to be successful her magical connection has to be whole, or at the very least healing. I think she’ll respond better to another mage.”

Arielle shifted uncomfortably in her seat, uncertainty clouding her features. “I’m not so sure thatmehelping her will be a good idea. Especially if she’ll be in a dungeon.”

I clenched my jaw, hating that she was trying to coax me back into seeing things her way. “That’s not how things work.”

“Forgive me, my Lord, but you may need to do thingsdifferentlyin this situation.”

“Arielle,” Bastian cut in because she was stepping over that line again. “Tone itdown.”

“No, Bastian. This is important. I must speak.” She looked back at me. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do with the spell, but I won’t sit outside a dungeon and watch Elariya hate me even more than she already does.”

The bite in her tone suggested I'd missed something between Arielle and Elariya.

“What makes you think she hates you?” I asked.

Arielle’s chest caved as she placed her palms against the table. “I tried to speak with Elariya earlier. She didn’t want to see me. She could barely even look at me. She thinks of me as a betrayer.”

Great.That was the last thing I needed. More hostility. “You didn’t betray her.”

“Idid. She knows I reported everything to you. Besides that, I invaded her mind. That’s not a nice thing.” She paused for a beat, glancing down at the swirling patterns the wood made on the table. She looked back at me, her eyes heavy with shame. “It wasinappropriate. I saw everything. Things she didn’t show me. I felt her pain, her fear, her desires, everything. You only share that information with those you trust. She doesn’t even know me.”

I understood her, but things like compassion would slow us down and maybe even ruin my plans. “You need to do this for me whether Elariya wants your company or not.”

“I’m not going to be much help if she sees me as an enemy. Her resistance could destabilize the entire spell.”

“Then you need to find a way to make hercompliant.”

“Wolfe,I’m telling you that being around me while she’s locked up will only make things worse for you. Right now, she probably hates all of us. She's still refusing to eat and won’t even change her dress.”

Something dark and possessive stirred beneath my skin at her words. “She still hasn’t eaten?”

“I took her food earlier only to find that everything Sirril cooked her remained untouched, including the clothes.”

Of course, my little mage would choose defiance. A small part of me admired her spirit, but the darker, desperate part wanted to break her.

“I'll deal with her.”

“Wolfe—”

“No.” My voice came out as a growl. “She needs to understand that her cooperation isn't optional.”

“I think she already understands that. As your advisor, I’m merely suggesting things that will make this easier for you. She’s a person. A person youkidnapped.You took her away from her family.Andher fiancé. Imagine how she must feel being away from them, especially the man she was to marry. He gave her that dress. Maybe that’s why she won’t take it off.”

Rage flared hot and sudden in my chest.