Page 44 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

Constantine shot her a sideways glance. “Issues? You make it sound worse than it is, Oracle.”

Amelia, despite having gained immortal abilities only recently, already understood she would never willingly part with them. That essence – animal spirit, invisible force, or whatever it was called – had fused with her being. “Mikhail would have found a way to help.”

“There’s no way to fix this.”

“It doesn’t seem that way. The stone the Queen has is one of the seven Sacreds…”

Without warning, Constantine yanked Amelia behind a nearby tree. Headlights swept across the slope. A luxury SUV slowed, pulling up to a house on the opposite side of the street – a two-storey stone building with large windows and a welcoming garden. Moments later, the engine cut out, and the back end of the car peeked out past the house.

“We’re taking that car,” Constantine said.

“What?”

He started towards the vehicle. The house obscured the front, leaving only the rear bumper in view, but the driver probably hadn’t stepped out yet.

“Wait!” Amelia hurried after him.

“Be ready to use your little trick.”

Before she could stop him, he rounded the corner. On the other side, they found the car’s owner entering the housethrough a back door. He glanced over his shoulder—

“Now!” Constantine called out.

Amelia obeyed, focusing on her hand. She turned her palm and willed the music to release. The same haunting melody began to flow. The reptilian’s surprised expression melted into bliss.

Now that he was unmoving, Amelia recognised his face. “He’s one of the Queen’s advisors.”

Constantine approached and searched the man, pulling a key from his wallet. “Any idea how fast reptilians regenerate?”

“Um… slower. Like the other species after the Changes. Why?”

“So they can die from trauma?”

“I suppose it depends on the type and—”

Constantine moved behind the advisor and snapped his neck in one swift motion. The reptilian’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

Her eyes widened in shock. She glanced at her hand, still radiating the melody – that same magic that had rendered the reptilian defenceless and enabled his effortless killing.

Constantine shoved the corpse behind the house and concealed it with gardening tools. “Get in,” he ordered, heading for the driver’s seat.

Amelia hesitated before getting into the passenger side.

He started the engine and drove off with practised ease, as though he knew the car and the route by heart. Killing a man to steal his vehicle hadn’t rattled him in the slightest. It seemed like just another routine for him.

When the luxury SUV started descending the slope, Amelia asked, “Was it necessary to kill him?”

Constantine steadied the wheel, guiding them towards the outer streets of the hub. “When your magic wears off, and that fool realises his prized car is gone, do you think he won’t ring thealarm?”

“That man is one of the Queen’s advisors. Everyone will recognise his car. Here, vehicles are a rare privilege. Not everyone even has the right—”

“Exactly. People will clear the way for us.” His features softened slightly. “We needed a quicker means of navigating the realm. By the time his body is discovered or someone realises it’s not him driving, we’ll be long gone. Trust me. We don’t know where the laboratory is, meaning we might have to search Antambazi to find it.”

He was right, yet she couldn’t help but wonder – was one life worth one car? “Couldn’t we have waited for him to go inside and stolen the car later? He might not have noticed until morning.”

“Without the key?”

“You could’ve hot-wired it or something…”