Page 39 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

She could think of only one creature for whom hearts held any value.

18

Amelia

If the heart was a trap, it had already snapped shut around Amelia’s neck.

The pouch hung on its string from her waist. Her thick coat concealed it, as well as Gea’s letters.

She couldn’t gauge how long it had taken her to descend the slope, but by the time she reached the outskirts, her thighs burned with exhaustion, and she was gasping for breath.

The sting of salt pinched her nose as she approached the sea. A few metres from the dark waters, she spotted the silent boatman. She edged towards him, struggling with what to say. Last time, the Queen had boarded his boat without uttering a word.

The shrouded figure of the boatman remained still as Amelia stood at the edge of the cliff. She raised her voice to be heard above the wind. “Will you take me to the ayradjakli?”

For a moment, there was no reaction. Then… It might have been her imagination, but he nodded. Time was pressing on her, so Amelia climbed into the boat and settled herself on the bench. The oar in the boatman’s hands dipped into the sea, slicing through the dark waters. Had the one who left her the heart warned him to wait for her?

Within minutes, they rounded the rocky outcrop and reached the hollow, its entrance marked by lanterns. The boat halted just shy of the shoreline, and Amelia stepped onto solid ground. She slipped a hand beneath her coat, fingers brushing the leather at her waist.

Before entering the cavern, she glanced over her shoulder. The boat and its oarsman hovered in place, eerily still – more like they were suspended above water than floating on it.

Once she trod between the rocky walls, a familiar oriental melody rose to meet her, drowning out the sound of her footsteps. A nervous shiver raced down her spine.

As before, disappointment pressed heavily in her chest when the music stopped. It had to be some sort of enchantment – ordinary music couldn’t possibly have such a powerful effect.

“To what do I owe the honour, Oracle?”

Amelia spun around. Barefoot and dressed in a black vest and loose trousers, the witcher moved across the cavern floor without making a sound. In the flickering candlelight, his face appeared younger than before, his hair tousled as if he had spent hours outdoors.

“I’m here to propose a deal,” Amelia said.

He studied her with an unreadable expression. Taking his silence as a prompt to act, she retrieved the pouch and tossed it to him.

He caught it deftly, a smile playing on his lips. “I imagine this is quite the offering if the heart you’ve brought me is so unique.” He flipped the pouch into the air before catching it again.

Amelia wasn’t wasting any more time. “Everything between a witcher and their client remains confidential, correct?”

His irises flashed like purple lightning. “Even the assumption of a witcher betraying a client is an insult of the gravest kind.”

She had no choice but to trust him, just as she’d trusted the one who’d left her the heart. Still, it was reassuring to hear it said aloud. “I need your help to get Mikhail Korovin out of Antambazi. Somewhere safe. And unharmed.”

The purple discs in the witcher’s eyes began to spinfaster. Amelia took it as encouragement to carry on. “I also want Constantine di Angelo freed. He’s another prisoner of the Queen, and he, too, must be taken somewhere safe and unharmed. He’s in the palace. Lastly, I want you to tell me more about the Seven Sacreds.”

The witcher and the spinning stopped. “That’s impossible.”

Amelia’s chest tightened with disappointment. “Why not?”

“I could guarantee the safe extraction of those individuals by opening a portal. It can take them anywhere you wish. But this heart”—he nodded towards the pouch”—is worth one portal. Unless those two individuals are in the same place at the same time, I cannot do it.”

“Then get Mikhail out.” She would find another way to help Constantine. Once Mikhail was safe, her thoughts would be clearer.

The purple irises started spinning again. “The Higher Powers refuse your request. There’s an obstacle to Mikhail’s passage through a portal. I can extract the necromancer instead.”

Damn witchers and their connections to the Higher Powers. Of course, nothing could be simple.

“Obstacle? What kind?”

“I don’t know.”