Page 73 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts (Hospital for Immortal Creatures #3)
“I figured that out when he first showed up at the cabin and you threw yourself at him.” The golden hue in Mikhail’s eyes darkened for a second, but when he shifted his focus back to Presiyan, his expression seemed calm.
Amelia turned her head towards the empty fireplace, pursing her lips. And immediately, faced Mikhail again. Was she imagining it, or was he… jealous?
“The reptilian claims Constantine is imprisoned in Antambazi,” he was addressing Presiyan. “We must extract him as soon as possible.”
At least they agreed on this.
Presiyan stroked his missing moustache with his thumb and forefinger. “Hmm…”
“If you don’t have agents, I’ll get him myself,” Mikhail said.
“I’m not saying I won’t handle it. It can be done – with careful consideration.”
The door creaked, and two agents brought in Kathrine. Shackles bound her wrists and ankles, restricting her movement. Blood and dirt marred her short hair, and she hadn’t changed her clothes.
“Thanks, lads. Now leave us!” Presiyan dismissed the agents with a wave. “Welcome in our midst,” he said with a thin smile, without standing up.
Amelia pointed at Kathrine’s wrists. “Why is she shackled?”
“Because trust isn’t given freely, Oracle. You’d do well to remember that.” Presiyan gestured for Kathrine to sit.
Because of the chains around her ankles, she couldn’t leap over the bench, so she sat on the edge.
“I really don’t think this is necessary,” Amelia said.
“No problem. I understand.” Back ramrod straight, Kathrine waited. The fact that she took it all in stride made Amelia more keen to believe she was on their side.
“So, Constantine is in Antambazi?” Presiyan asked.
The reptilian nodded. “Yes, but his life is not in danger. I think his necromancer nature isn’t the only reason the Queen keeps him.”
Mikhail leaned towards the table. “What do you mean?”
“Others have lost their lives for behaviour like his…”
“Others have lost their lives for many of the things he does,” the manticore said. “Once we finish here, I’ll want a detailed description of the route we should take to reach him.”
“All right.” Kathrine placed her shackled hands on the table.
“Repeat what you told me about the disrupted regeneration,” Mikhail pressed.
Amelia clenched her fists beneath the table. Of course, he had already spoken to Kathrine! How else could he feed his pathological need to control everything?
But Kathrine’s next words made Amelia forget her irritation. “The problem with the regeneration comes from Kamchatka.”
Presiyan arched an eyebrow at Mikhail. “The location you told me about when you were imprisoned at Prokaliya?”
The manticore nodded. “That’s where Jaguar lost two fingers.”
“The humans guarding it are instructed to shoot anything that gets close to the magical fence,” Kathrine explained.
It was the first time Amelia had heard such a thing. “There’s a magical fence?”
“It’s like an electric fence, but with magic,” Presiyan said. “I assume it’s stretched between four draconium stones?”
“It is,” Kathrine confirmed. “It feels like electricity, but in practice, it’s much worse. It fries anything alive. And also, although it’s referred to as a ‘fence,’ it’s more like a dome.”
“Are draconium stones real stones?” Amelia asked.
Kathrine shrugged. “They’re pink and shimmering – honestly, beautiful. According to the Queen, they’re born in places of ancient magic. Though she never cared to say where hers came from.”
Presiyan growled. “Magical fences are the bane of the Tribunal. We’ve encountered a few over the centuries.
The only way through is with a counterstone.
They’re made with serious magic, and they come at a hell of a price.
I had one… before I was removed from my post, and that bastard stole it.
I couldn’t send agents to check the location, for the same reason. ”
Kathrine’s violet eyes shifted to him. “You could disable the fence by destroying one of the draconium stones, but they’re often difficult to reach. Anyway, even if you had sent agents, they wouldn’t have found anything.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “Because, apart from some ancient equipment that doesn’t work, there’s nothing in the rock behind the magical fence.”
Mikhail remained impassive. “And yet you’re convinced that the cause of the disrupted regeneration is hidden there?”
“The Queen wouldn’t have been sending Chosen to check the place regularly otherwise. The humans provided us with a landing platform, and we’d go weekly to patrol the field. All we had to do was ensure that nothing was happening.”
Mikhail placed his palms on the table. “And this entire time, not once did you ask what was there? Or how the Queen is disrupting regeneration?”
“When you’re raised and trained by her, the first thing you learn is to obey without asking questions.”
Presiyan whistled. “She sounds like someone I’d take advice from on training agents.”
“Why did you run away?” Mikhail asked.
Kathrine’s steady gaze met his across the table. “Because my fiancé tried to kill me.”
She then recounted the same story Amelia already knew about the Queen. Afterwards, she spoke of the Sacreds. How the Queen had forced Constantine to take Belphegor’s Gloves from Hell…
“Damn it!” Presiyan slammed his hand on the table.
“But she wasn’t sure if Amelia had taken the necklace,” Kathrine said. “At least, not until today…”
“What’s her plan?” Mikhail asked.
“No one knows all her plans, but from what I was told, everything will end on the twenty-first of June.”
An icy shiver ran down Amelia’s spine. “That’s in five days!”
“What’s meant to happen then?” Mikhail asked.
Kathrine pursed her lips. “She’ll grow her powers.”
“How will she grow them if she doesn’t have all the Sacreds?” Amelia reached for the necklace around her neck.
Presiyan furrowed his eyebrows. “And what’s so special about the twenty-first?”
“No idea…” Kathrine followed Amelia’s hand on the necklace.
Presiyan exhaled sharply. “Futile babbling to intensify the situation.”
Kathrine shifted towards him. “The Queen never babbles. And nothing about her is ‘futile’. The sooner you understand that, the better your chances against her.”