Page 165 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Yes, the necklace would protect her. Under one condition – a condition she hadn’t shared with anyone. It could cost her… everything. But at least it would stop the Queen once and for all.

“Do you realise that if you’re wrong, the Queen won’t just take the Sacreds, she’ll also kill you?” Presiyan asked.

“But if I’m right – and I am – then we’ll stand against the Queen, save the Hospital and the creatures in it. It will save you – those of you planning to attack the reptilians without a clearplan of action.”

“Amelia, this is my hospital,” Mikhail said. “I have no choice but to go, but you’re not obligated—”

“On the contrary. The Oracle’s letter states that this is my mission: to gather the Sacreds and secure them. Even if we wait for the twenty-first to pass, we’ll still need to come up with a plan to reclaim the Hospital and retrieve the relics.” She took a breath. “The Queen has decided to take advantage of the upcoming shift in energies. Why shouldn’tIdo the same and activate the Sacreds? It’s something the Queen would never expect.”

A deep wrinkle appeared between Mikhail’s eyebrows. “And still, if you’re wrong…”

Presiyan shrugged. “So, you’re suggesting ‘all or nothing’? I’m fully on board with that approach.”

“Do you trust Renenutet’s claim that the necklace will protect you?” Mikhail asked her.

“Yes.” Her insides twisted even as the words left her lips without hesitation. “Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given me the names.”

Presiyan leaned over the map. “All right. Let’s discuss our options again.”

59

Mikhail

Mikhail paced around the courtyard, exchanging words with Tribunal agents. He’d been struggling to stay put for the last few hours, with the Hospital’s creatures’ futures all at stake – and it all hinged on their plan working.

Darkness descended on the winery faster than expected, giving them little time to think about alternatives. In any case, it wasn’t like they had many options left, so they took a few hours’ rest before regrouping at dawn.

No matter how much he disliked admitting it, Amelia’s attempt to activate the Sacreds was the only somewhat viable plan.

He didn’t want Amelia on the battlefield, although her presence would improve their odds. It tugged dangerously at the threads of fate. If the plan unravelled, the surest death would be hers. Everyone else had a fallback, however slim, but she would be trapped. And that thought bothered him far more than it should have. They weren’t lovers. Weren’t even friends. They’d forged an alliance and exchanged a few kisses blurred by adrenaline and impulse. Still, the idea of her dying clawed at something visceral in him – and it had nothing to do with logic, and the lost ring.

He scowled at the moon, but in truth, his anger was aimed at himself. Then, his feet carried him to Amelia’s room.

He hadn’t confessed to her that lately, he’d been having glimpses of her in his past. It was like a dream whose details escaped him, but he knew he’d dreamt it. A picture he saw in hismind, but whenever he picked up a pencil, the lines refused to follow.

He could understand why he’d wanted Amelia in his bed. Still, how had he allowed that desire to override a two-hundred-year-old promise? Whatever the previous Oracle had written in their letter, things would be different now – if he hadn’t let his feelings for Amelia push him into giving the Queen the ring.

He hesitated at the entrance of the corridor leading to her room. What had he even come here to do? Talk her out of going to the Hospital on the twenty-first? Undermine their only real plan… just because he was worried about her?

The thought caused him to halt several paces from her door.

He was not a saviour.

Not for Amelia or anyone else. He was simply atoning for his sins.

And he still survivedthanks tohis anger towards the past.

***

Amelia

For Amelia, everything had started as a gentle nudge to her mind. An idea. She wasn’t sure which had taken shape first – the names of the Sacreds or the realisation that this was where her path had been leading her all along. Activating the Sacreds was the way to stop the Queen,Preni, and to protect their integrity.

That was why Gea had always spoken of free choice. Amelia had to choose whether to sacrifice herself. It was no coincidence Renenutet had given her the names in such a veiled manner. She’d needed to be sure that Amelia’s desire to surrender her life was strong enough to dig deeper.

Throughout it all, the purpose of her becoming the Oracle had been to connect her to the Sacreds. After her death, another Oracle would appear. Someone who could help Mikhail solve theproblem of regeneration once and for all.

But that someone wouldn’t be her.