Page 162 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

“Who the hell did this?” Mikhail slammed the box onto one of the wooden tables. The crash drowned out the footsteps of the others entering the room behind him.

A cold weight settled in his chest. He had buried this once, and yet here it was, unfolding all over again. A box with the severed head of someone he cared about. First, it had been Kaliope Gazis; now, the twin. His fists clenched, trembling with the urge to smash the box into splinters. He held back – barely. Maybe he shouldn’t have. This wasn’t a Council meeting where he was expected to lead with calmness and self-control.

“Does it matter how it got here?” Presiyan rested his palms on the table. “What matters is that we’re screwed! She found our location.”

Jasmina perched herself on the edge of the table. “Someone betrayed us.”

Presiyan patted her thigh. “There are over three hundred guards, if we count the far posts. Go and find the snitch! I was afraid this would happen with so many of them, but we needed the muscle.”

“Why hasn’t the Queen attacked if she knows where we are?” Viktor asked.

“Because it’s not her priority,” Callan said. “She wants to gather the Sacreds. Why attack us here and waste strength and soldiers, when she could lure us onto her own territory?”

Amelia sat on the edge of one of the benches, her expression thoughtful. “But why call us to the Hospital? She could attack ushere on the twenty-first.”

“Maybe she’s not sure we won’t have escaped by then,” Presiyan suggested. “Like we planned.”

Mikhail, however, had another theory. An idea that had been circling in his mind for a long time, but he never had the evidence to take it seriously. “It’s because of the Hospital. There’s… something there. Something the Queen wants.”

They all stared at him, waiting for clarification, but he couldn’t provide it.

“Whatsomething, my friend?” the leader of the Tribunal asked.

“I have no damn idea.” All he knew was that the last hours of the nineteenth were slipping away, and the next day would turn into night before they even realised it. “How many of our people were in the building last time?”

Viktor crossed his arms. “Too many for us to ignore the threat.”

“Over a hundred,” Callan added.

Damn. He’d hoped for fewer. Not that it would alter his decision. He’d made his choice the moment he’d seen the head of yet another creature who had served him loyally for years.

And still, he couldn’t demand that Amelia hand over the Sacreds to save the creatures at the Hospital, when the alternative was war.

They needed to figure out a way to deal with the Queen without the Sacreds.

Mikhail met Presiyan’s gaze. The Tribunal leader nodded as if reading his thoughts. “It’s probably time for a consultation.”

***

Mikhail

Presiyan returned with Kathrine and a large paper scrollunder his arm. The reptilian scanned the people in the restaurant, lingering a little longer on Callan before fixing her gaze on the closed box on the table.

“Look inside,” Mikhail told her.

Kathrine lifted the lid. It didn’t take long before she closed it again, wrinkling her nose. Mikhail handed her the note. Her gaze swept over the letters. “It’s her handwriting…”

“Literally and figuratively speaking, as far as I understand,” Presiyan said. “Why does the Queen want us to bring the artefacts to the Hospital?”

Kathrine’s brow furrowed. “I have no idea…”

The door creaked, and Zacharia, dressed in a T-shirt and sports trousers, made his way towards them with unsteady but determined steps. “Someone forgot to invite me to the party?”

“I didn’t want to worry you while you’re recovering,” Mikhail said. A mere few hours had passed, yet Zacharia appeared to have lost weight. The nymph poison should have diluted in his bloodstream by now.

He halted in front of Mikhail and Kathrine, trying to peer at the box over their shoulders. “Do you mind if I take a look?”

“Go ahead.” Mikhail took a step back. The dead twin was under Zacharia’s command and trained by him, which made Mikhail want to deliver the news in person – but not yet. Unfortunately, the rumours were quick to spread throughout the winery.