Page 31 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)
Kathrine
Kathrine regained consciousness in the infirmary. Her engagement ring was on the bedside table, next to a card and a bouquet of annies. She would have been much happier if her fiancé had occupied the empty chair beside her bed, but he was overwhelmed with his duties to the Queen.
She turned over the card to read its contents. Get well soon, Commander! Lina and Kristo had signed below it. Kathrine relaxed slightly, reassured that Kristo was safe.
But another weight settled in her chest. Despite her usual discipline, which left no room for emotional introspection, she couldn’t ignore the sting of disappointment. Was Sevar that busy, he couldn’t even be bothered to check on her?
The bitterness brewing inside her soon gave way to anger as the recent events resurfaced. That damned vampire had shot her in the lung! It was fortunate she had the Chosen’s quick regeneration. Such a wound would have killed any ordinary reptilian.
Her thoughts shifted to the necromancer and the Oracle.
She recalled the determined expression on the unfamiliar vampire’s face and the satisfaction written all over the necromancer’s features.
Kathrine pursed her lips in displeasure.
It seemed that once she allowed herself to open Pandora’s box of emotions, it became impossible to close it again.
Now, reflecting on the brief exchange between the necromancer and the vampire, an unwelcome wave of jealousy washed over her.
Was that the woman he had accused her of supposedly killing?
The door creaked, and she stirred, expecting Sevar’s dark figure. Instead, it was a healer.
“You’re awake, Madame Dawalis! This is excellent news. The Queen wishes to see you in her chambers at your earliest convenience.”
The enthusiasm in his voice made her want to throttle him. Her fiancé clearly didn’t care whether she was awake – why should this stranger be so delighted by her improvement?
***
Kathrine
After she arrived at the Queen’s chamber, Sevar filled her in on the recent events.
Kathrine learned that four days had passed since the necromancer, the Oracle, and the manticore had all slipped away.
Sevar had suffered physical injuries while pursuing the necromancer, though he had already recovered.
The Queen had been trapped in her vehicle but had extracted herself with the aid of the Sacreds.
“I cannot fathom how they reached the portals unnoticed!” Sevar paced around the hall.
“They killed Advisor Troev and stole his car, yet no one can explain how they passed the guards outside the necromancer’s door.
Nobody remembers seeing them! How is that possible?
” His gaze narrowed on Kathrine. “Who was stationed outside his room?”
A lump formed in her throat as it dawned on her. Instead of siding with her in this predicament, Sevar would cover his own ass by finding fault with her command. This explained why he hadn’t been by her bed when she’d woken up.
Kathrine remained silent. After all, Sevar already knew the answer. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been throwing the question at her.
A tense pause followed.
“Who was stationed outside his door, Kathrine?” the Queen ended up asking.
Kathrine’s insides twisted. Yet, there was no way around it. “Lina,” she admitted. “I didn’t take her into the field because she’s been… under a lot of stress lately. She was stationed there with one of the recruits.”
The Queen received this information with a neutral expression.
Sevar resumed his relentless pacing. “They had inside help! Lina let them go. Why else would she persist with this absurd claim that they never passed her? As if a necromancer could leap out of a window!”
Kathrine leaned against the wall, folding her arms across her chest. It was clear they’d had inside assistance, but she couldn’t imagine Lina being complicit. Yes, stress had taken a toll on the guard. Even so, that wasn’t enough motive for her to commit such a reckless act.
“No one in the palace saw them. Nor in the laboratory,” she pointed out.
“True, but none of the others have stationary posts. They might have waited for a gap in the guards at the main entrance, but Lina and Kaan were supposed to be constantly stationed outside the necromancer’s door.”
“Perhaps the necromancer crawled out of the window and scaled the wall,” Kathrine said. Both knew that Lina and Kaan had been drinking witch’s scotch, a forbidden indulgence while on duty. They’d overindulged and fallen asleep. “Or it could be magic?”
“Magic?! Only one creature in the realm is capable of that, and need I remind you, he trades in hearts? We haven’t found a single body with the heart missing.” Sevar circled the throne to stand before Kathrine. “My love, you’re protecting her because she’s your friend, but—”
“Lina didn’t help them escape!”
“That’s enough,” the Queen said. “We have a more pressing issue. The humans have withdrawn their guards from the Hospital. On the night of the rebellion, Petrov warned his son that he was heading there, and when he didn’t return, Vesel grew suspicious.
He still doesn’t know that his father is dead.
After my visit the other night, no further issues will arise at the Hospital, but our own forces are far too few to withstand another uprising.
I want the human guards reinstated. We must convince Vesel that there’s no reason to fear cooperation with us.
” She drummed her fingers against the armrest of the throne.
“However, during my conversation with young Petrov this morning, he was adamant about speaking to his father before reconsidering his position.”
Sevar’s lips curled into a malicious smile. “Unless he fancies a sentimental reunion with the General’s severed balls, I don’t see how we’ll meet his demand.”
“Why is such a heavy guard presence needed around the Hospital?” Kathrine asked. From the beginning, she’d never understood the rationale for committing such resources to a single building.
The Queen’s icy gaze grew even sterner. “The Hospital is a symbol of salvation for many creatures. Its surrender to us was meant to demonstrate that a new order was coming. And when that new order is established, we’ll need all the resources the building holds.”
“The Tribunal guards are stationed there,” Kathrine said. “I’m certain they can handle the defence without issue.”
“Do you recall what the Tribunal did, my love?” Sevar’s condescending tone made her blood boil. “Those who switch allegiances so easily have no true faith. You can’t expect loyalty from them.”
Kathrine refrained from rolling her eyes. She had warned them from the outset that the Tribunal was a dangerous ally. Neither the Queen nor Sevar had paid her any attention. “Then why did we involve them in the Hospital’s defence in the first place?”
“To avoid exposing our mistrust,” the Queen said, rising from her throne and walking towards Kathrine.
She stopped a few inches from her, her unnatural elliptical pupils visible up close.
“You invested a lot of time questioning the necromancer. Did you sense any weakness we might exploit to find him?”
Like the vampire he harbours feelings for?
Kathrine hesitated. She didn’t know the vampire’s name, only that she had taken part in the Al-Hatib Tournament. The list of participants still existed somewhere, and if the Queen found a relative to the vampire, she could use their blood to fuel a seeking spell and find them both.
“He rarely said anything coherent,” she finally replied. “Never enough to reveal anything significant.”
The Queen’s piercing gaze scanned Kathrine’s face like twin laser beams, probing for deeper truths. “So, nothing?”
Kathrine shook her head.
The Queen’s first slap occurred without warning.
The second, Kathrine did anticipate, but still didn’t react.
The third came with claws, drawing blood across her cheek.
On the fourth, she did allow herself to gasp.
By the fifth, she glanced towards Sevar, searching for any sign of emotion. Any hint that he cared. He stood just a few metres away, yet was millions of miles distant, for his face bore… nothing. After that, the slaps lost their psychological power.
When the Queen finished, Kathrine lay on the floor, doing her best not to curl up.
“You allowed the necromancer to humiliate you. Then, you let him escape,” the Queen hissed through gritted teeth. “Get up and clean yourself, then go and eliminate Lina.”