Page 42 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

An unusual melody seeped through the crack beneath it,slithering across the carpet and spreading over Constantine’s skin. He rested on the velvet armchair and committed to his sole desire – to savour the beautiful music.

Snap.

“Constantine!”

The music stopped, and he jolted, startled to see… Amelia? The two of them were alone in his room, but he had no recollection of her entering. “What are you doing here?”

“Saving you!”

It was the funniest joke Constantine had heard in a while. He crossed his arms. “Are you trying to get us both killed?”

Although he’d had little desire to engage with those courtesans, he was even less willing to involve himself in whatever Amelia was plotting. This could be another one of the Queen’s tricks.

“I have music that distracts the reptilians. We’re going to free Mi—”

“Weren’t you on the Queen’s side?” Constantine recalled the smug expression on Kathrine’s face when she’d boasted about taking the Hospital, detaining Mikhail, and, most of all, the Oracle’s involvement.

Amelia shook her head. “Of course not! Mikhail and I planned it together – I gave her the ring and pretended to be on her side. Come on, we don’t have much time.” She scanned the room. “Do you have anything we can use as a weapon?”

“Does sarcasm count?”

Apparently, it did, because Amelia glared at him. “I believed your behaviour around the Queen was part of some plan, but I’m starting to think there’s no such thing. What’s wrong with you?”

“Me?” He touched his chest. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Except maybe for the fact that, for the first time in my life, I passed on a threesome…”

“Damn it, shut up and move! Otherwise, I’ll have to explainto Mikhail that his best friend isn’t with us because he annoyed me so much I left him behind!” Amelia turned her back on him.

Constantine sighed. Whatever the Oracle had in mind, it wouldn’t work. But if this was just another way to rile up the reptilians… He caught up with her and stood beside her at the closed door as she eavesdropped on the corridor beyond. “So, what’s your grand rescue plan?”

She lifted one hand, using the other to grip the door handle. Music filled the corridor, brushing over Constantine’s skin like a thousand invisible kisses.

Someone approached him and rose on tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “I am music for the senses, but you listen with your soul.”

The words shattered the melody’s enchanting hold over him – the same hold that had turned the guards outside his door into two love-struck fools staring into nothing. Constantine didn’t have time to bask in their dazed expressions, because Amelia was already sprinting down the corridor.

When they stopped to check their surroundings at the first corner, he whispered, “What kind of magic is that?”

“It’s not hypnosis, because you can’t command them, but it disconnects them from everything,” she explained. “The ayradjakli said it works only seconds after the music stops, but they don’t remember what happened while they were under. You just have to enchant them before they see you.”

“And it affects all immortals?”

“You’re immune if you’ve already heard the cypher – what I whispered in your ear. Snapping one’s fingers in front of you is another way to break the trance.”

“Impressive trick. What did it cost you?”

“I ate half a heart.” Amelia peeked around the corner to check the next stretch of the corridor. “It’s clear.”

They stepped into the section of the corridor that overlooked the central foyer like a balcony. Amelia descended the stairsfirst, moving with the certainty of someone with a plan. Constantine trailed behind, carrying the air of a man with nothing better to do. He was far from convinced this venture would succeed. Besides, they currently had the advantage of night, but dawn came early in Antambazi, and soon the realm would wake. No matter how captivating the melody, it couldn’t hold back an entire city.

When they entered the central hall, Amelia once again summoned the magic with her raised hand. The two reptilian guards succumbed to the melody.

“You’re getting better,” Constantine remarked.

Amelia led the way down the steps. The door closed behind them, plunging them into shadows and faint light from scattered lanterns. Somewhere among the rocky recesses was a secret path blocked by an iron gate, beyond which lay a dungeon.Thedungeon where Constantine had endured some of the most harrowing days of his life. A place where he’d come to understand the depths of his despair. His personal abyss.

“We have to reach the laboratory before dawn,” Amelia whispered. “The witcher gave me directions, but we’ll still have to search. I’m not sure where Mikhail is being held, but…”

“I won’t bother asking who this witcher is,” Constantine drawled, seeking the bannister for support. “Nor will I waste my breath dissecting your doomed plan…” He collided with Amelia’s back. “Damn it, don’t stop so suddenly!”