Page 4 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)

Amelia

The Queen gathered the folds of her gown and rose with grace. “Since Arius’ death, my goal has been laser-focused: to free Antambazi of the veil that separates our reality from the rest of the world.” She reached for the telephone receiver mounted on the wall beside the library.

Amelia straightened in her chair. “Arius?”

As in, ‘the Circle of Arius’?

The Queen held the receiver to her ear and instructed someone to bring her a pitcher of raspberry juice. “My late husband, of course. The firstborn reptilian.”

The firstborn reptilian? An inexplicable sense of relief flooded Amelia at the thought that he was no longer among the living.

“Does that make you a firstborn, too?” she asked.

The Queen shook her head and resumed her seat.

“Me? Oh no, I’m just a girl of the folk.

But that doesn’t matter right now. As I told you, the magical veil surrounding this realm is powerful – far beyond what conceals the Hospital for Immortal Creatures.

It doesn’t just hide us; it traps us. Only a select few can leave. ”

“The Chosen?” Amelia cast a sideways glance at Sevar. No wonder he carried himself with such divinely ordained arrogance.

“Yes. They can travel between realms and regenerate faster than other reptilians. They began appearing after my ascension, which, according to legend, is an excellent sign for my rule.”

Amelia thought with bitterness of her first encounter with the Queen, which had occurred not in Antambazi but in Sofia, in the North Park. “The veil doesn’t stop you, either,” she said.

“Some of the older reptilians can also cross it.”

By displaying interest, Amelia was venturing into dangerous territory, but she couldn’t let the opportunity to learn more slip away. “The Chosen are children from the outer districts. How do you decide whom to choose?”

“Aren’t you being a nosy little human?” Sevar’s repugnant voice called from the corner.

If Amelia failed to show boldness, they would never believe she’d been capable of stealing the ring from a creature like Mikhail Korovin. So she lifted her upper lip, revealing teeth. “And you seem to forget that you’re speaking to the Oracle, reptilian.”

His face froze in a startled grimace. Amelia prepared herself for an angry retort, but he… laughed.

The Queen shook her head with a smile. “Sevar can be insufferable, but you’ll soon learn there is no other creature you would want to guard your back in the war to come.”

That final word erased all thoughts of their exchange from Amelia’s mind. “War?”

The Queen tapped her long black nails against the table, mere millimetres from the chain bearing Mikhail’s ring. “Surely, you didn’t think all this was about a gilded trinket and a paltry hospital belonging to a pathetic manticore?”

Amelia swallowed, tempted to point out that neither the manticore nor the Hospital, which had saved countless lives, was remotely pathetic. The golden ring lay still before her, a stark reminder to remain strong for all those who depended on her. “And what is it about, then?”

The Queen turned to Sevar. “Leave us.”

The abrupt order made the reptilian frown. He was quick to mask his reaction with a smirk. Before exiting the room, his focus drifted to Amelia – a silent promise of trouble.

“Don’t mind Sevar. He feels threatened because he understands how important you are,” the Queen said once they were alone. “After all, you’ll help me remove the veil over Antambazi.”

Amelia grimaced. Remove the veil? As in… release a hundred thousand – perhaps more – reptilians on Earth?

It’s not like she possessed the knowledge for how to remove it, but she was definitely unwilling to try after what she’d just heard.

The Queen spoke of equality and freedom for her people, yet the word she had used – ‘war’ – implied there would be no peaceful coexistence.

Was war her real aim? Reptilians versus the rest of the immortal species?

“And what do you plan to do?” Amelia asked. “Destroy the other species to take over the Earth?”

Someone knocked at the door, but the Queen ignored it. “I won’t destroy anything unless it’s necessary. My sole wish is to ensure that my race and I are warmly welcomed.” She called towards the door, “Enter!”

A young girl walked in, dressed in a lovely white gown similar to those worn by trainee Chosen honoured with attending to the Queen’s personal needs. The girl smiled as she placed two glasses of crimson liquid on the table.

“Thank you, my dear,” said the Mother of Reptilians, taking the glasses and setting them down. Watching the girl leave, she continued, “Doesn’t she deserve to walk the Earth as much as any other child?”

“Is that why you’ve caused issues with the regeneration?

” Amelia’s words were a gamble. She didn’t know for sure if the reptilians were behind the illnesses plaguing the immortal world, but they definitely held a cure for it.

Hadn’t the Queen herself said she was ‘developing methods for faster recovery and healing’ ?

“As I told you, I do what I must to guarantee we’re accepted.”

Amelia’s breath caught in her throat. The Queen had just confirmed she was behind the disruption of regeneration. Not that they hadn’t suspected it, but… God! “You speak of peace, yet you prepare for war,” Amelia said, concealing her inner turmoil.

A predatory calm filled the Mother of Reptilians’ eyes, mingled with a flicker of challenge – a cat lazily toying with its prey. “War doesn’t always take place on the battlefield, my dear.”

Amelia clenched her fists beneath the table. “If the veil over Antambazi falls, wouldn’t it seem strange for an entirely new city to emerge in the middle of the Black Sea? It would compromise the confidentiality of the immortal world.”

And it would incite retaliation from the Tribunal. Even if the Queen chose not to declare war, the Tribunal would initiate one in the name of their fundamental law: keeping the immortal world a secret.

“As for the immortal world’s confidentiality, leave that to me.

” The Mother of Reptilians radiated an air of unwavering confidence, likely bolstered by her alliances with humans.

However, no matter how formidable her allies were, they couldn’t possibly suppress the chaos of a potential war within the immortal world.

Amelia crossed her legs beneath the table. A sudden desperation to free herself from the suffocating corset constricted her chest. “How are you causing the changes in regeneration?”

The Queen’s cold eyes swept over Amelia’s face. “Prove your loyalty, and I will share my secret.”

Amelia resisted the urge to fidget in her chair. “I thought I had already proven it.”

“Delivering the manticore’s ring is the only reason you’re here as a guest and not a prisoner. If you help me lift the veil, you will retain that status.”

Was that a threat? Amelia’s jaw clenched. “I have no idea how to lift the veil over Antambazi.”

The Queen smiled. “But I do. All I need from you is to find a few things for me.”

“ Things ?”

“Merely two items, Amelia.”

“Items like Mikhail’s ring?”

The Queen nodded. “I assure you, it will be safe for you.”

Amelia’s focus drifted to the glass display cabinet containing the small figurine of a manticore.

What would Mikhail do in her position? If escape was not an option, he would exploit the situation – just as he had during the Hospital siege.

He’d predicted the Mother of Reptilians would capture both him and the building, taking his ring regardless of their resistance. So, he’d done the only thing he could.

Amelia leaned back in her chair. She was tempted to demand Mikhail’s freedom in exchange, but the risk of provoking the opposite effect was too high – it might provide the Queen with a reason to torture him. As leverage.

So, if she couldn’t secure his release, she would at least attempt to gather more information. “Why do you think I can find these items?” she asked.

“Because they’re shielded against any seeking spells or similar types of magic.” The Queen rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin on her fist. “The Oracle’s clairvoyance is, of course, the sole exception.”

Amelia’s mind raced over the significance of this revelation.

If she, the Oracle, could see them, then the previous Oracle must have been able to, as well…

Which explained why the Queen had imprisoned Gea in Antambazi.

And why, after the old Oracle had fled, the Queen had ordered her assassination in the Hospital.

Which meant that if Amelia refused to cooperate, she would share her predecessor’s fate. And Mikhail would be left alone and defenceless in Antambazi.

“This is also what you wanted from the previous Oracle, isn’t it? That’s why you kidnapped her?” Amelia asked.

The Mother of Reptilians raised her eyebrows. “I assure you, everything between Gea and me was entirely voluntary. How else do you think I learned the ring was in Mikhail Korovin’s possession, if not from the Oracle?”

That was preposterous.

“She saw the ring! She told me it was in the Hospital… But do you know what’s more fascinating?

The previous Oracle was convinced you would take the ring from Mikhail for me.

Have you ever wondered why I sent the nymph Elisanda Grace to spy on Korovin?

It wasn’t to monitor his progress in healing the immortal species, for sure.

” The Queen shook her head, as if the thought was absurd.

“His Hospital is less significant to me than a pebble on the road. Whatever he accomplishes, it won’t reverse the disruptions in regeneration.

I kept an eye on him because I was waiting for you to appear. ”

“If that’s the case, and the Oracle helped you, why did she end up running away from you?” Amelia pressed. “Don’t deny it. I had a vision.”

The Queen’s smile faltered. “Because I refused to accept that certain things could not happen immediately. That I would have to wait for you to arrive. I suppose the joke is on me. Everything she predicted – including Mikhail Korovin falling in love with you and you handing me his ring – came true. Though, she failed to tell me that you would become the next Oracle.”

An invisible hand tightened around Amelia’s throat. “The Oracle told you that Mikhail would fall in love with me?”

“Of course. She said there was no one else in this world to whom he would entrust his ring. I had heard rumours about Mikhail Korovin – cold, obsessed with the cause of saving the immortal species, and didn’t believe he was capable of love…

until I saw the two of you together that night in the mountains, when he transformed and carried the mortal girl to safety.

His drive to protect you was stronger than any other force in the night. ”

Amelia didn’t need to ask which night the Queen was referring to.

She remembered the incident vividly – the first time Mikhail had taken her beyond the Hospital’s walls.

She’d thrown a snowball at him. The memory was both warm and bittersweet.

They’d left the courtyard, and then her intuition had flared.

There, in the darkest depths of the mountain, something had made her blood turn to ice.

Both she and Mikhail had sensed it, though they’d never discovered what it was.

Had Gea brought her and Mikhail together to ensure the theft of his ring?

Amelia’s heart sank at the thought that it might be true. It would explain the Queen’s unwavering confidence in sending Amelia after his ring.

“And the murders at the Hospital? What was their purpose?” Amelia asked.

“To unsettle Korovin, of course! Make him insecure and vulnerable. To drive him towards you, to trust you. If I constantly reminded him that you were a target for his enemies, he wouldn’t doubt your motives when it came time to take the ring. And that’s exactly what happened.”

Amelia refused to let emotions weaken her composure. “You were right. And what about the Oracle’s death? Why did you need to kill her, if you didn’t know I would inherit her role? She was crucial in finding those items you seek.”

“I didn’t kill her. As hard as it may be for you to believe, I had nothing to do with her death.”

Amelia frowned. “You just admitted the murders in the Hospital were done to unsettle Mikhail. If not you, who? Someone tried to kill Gea after she sent Mikhail to me.”

The Queen shook her head. “That was a thoughtless, foolish act by Elisanda Grace. The nymph always believed my ultimate goal was to sabotage Korovin’s work on regeneration.

She couldn’t see past her own greed, and made stupid decisions as a result.

” She paused, tapping her chin. “I’ll admit, after your predecessor’s death, I was concerned about how and where I would find the next Oracle, but my worries were unfounded.

Not only are you the new Oracle, but you’ve also come to understand that Mikhail Korovin cannot be trusted. ”

The Queen was in a sharing mood, and it was in Amelia’s best interest to let her keep talking. But she cracked, driven by a desperate need to know: “Where is he?”

The Queen narrowed her eyes.

Amelia realised her mistake. She cleared her throat, masking her grief for Mikhail with fury. “Mentioning that night in the forest reminded me… how utterly deceived I was by him.”

The Mother of Reptilians’ expression softened.

“Of course. I never expected you to forget your desire for revenge. Don’t worry.

Mikhail Korovin is in a safe place and will soon be at your disposal, to do with as you please.

” She rose, circled the table, and gently grasped Amelia’s chin between her fingers.

“But before that, my dear, we have far more important tasks to accomplish.”