Page 25

CHAPTER 25

As soon as the demigod disappeared, Innes’ stomach twisted and she closed her eyes, forcing herself to remain calm in the aftermath of a situation that had come straight out of her worst nightmare.

‘Are you okay?’ Remi asked softly, as if she were approaching a wounded animal.

Innes pushed herself up, hissing as her palm nicked a piece of shattered glass.

Blood welled and Remi gasped, reaching for her to help.

Innes pulled back, spikes of fear overriding the pain of the cut.

She couldn’t let Remi see her palm, not when her pinkie finger displayed her marking of a High Witch apparent.

Remi’s face clouded, confusion and hurt rippling across her features, but Innes pushed back the guilt and pain at causing it.

Way, way back.

‘What the hell was that?’ she asked instead, funnelling her fear into anger.

‘A demigod,’ one of the medics said as he made the blessing of the diamond.

‘Why was he here?’

‘The patient had been reported as Ever Blessed.’

She laughed harshly.

‘Some blessing.’ She was frantic, and the fear buzzing through her system was making her paranoid.

Remi stared at her, eyes wide, but didn’t approach.

‘It’s a remnant of the Old Ways,’ the medic said, shuffling his feet.

‘A term so common even the Seacht couldn’t outlaw its use.

’

Her eyes twitched.

‘Why didn’t they take you?

I thought anyone helping an Ever Blessed was deemed a traitor as well?

’

It was Remi who responded this time.

‘Medics are not included in such laws in Vincentia. Queen Una made sure of it when she came into power.’

Innes grunted as she wiped her palm on her dress, the fabric catching in the open wound.

‘What about the boy who was brought in the other day. Did he survive?’

The medic shook his head, face grave.

‘No. Your remedy eased some of his suffering, but it was administered too late. Probably for the best, considering.’

Anger blossomed in her chest and she closed her eyes, trying to force the image of the boy’s blue lips out of her head.

Innocent people were dying because of superstition and propaganda, and it made her want to scream.

Innes shoved her injured hand into her pocket and forced herself to stand upright, the world spinning around her.

Remi grabbed her shoulders, steadying her.

At her touch their bond shimmered, and the relief it offered against the ache in her head was almost immediate, broken only by the crash of the door when Kella burst through.

‘I told you to remain unseen,’ Queen Una said as she paced behind her desk.

‘How the hell does visiting a medical centre with a demigod abide by this?’

‘I’m sorry,’ Innes said, heat flaming her cheeks.

She felt like she was being reprimanded by Tabita and sank lower in her seat.

‘A demigod appeared, Innes. A demigod .’

‘He didn’t see me,’ she said, pulling at the bandage around her hand.

‘That doesn’t make it any better!

If they find out you’re here, that I’ve sanctioned you being here.

.

.

’ She pinched the bridge of her nose.

‘Then gods help us all.’

‘It was an accident.’

The queen nodded and sank into her seat, a look of exhaustion coating her features.

‘Are you sure he didn’t see you?

’

‘Yes,’ Innes said, hoping it was the truth.

‘He was there for a patient.’

The queen nodded and silence lapsed between them as they each caught their breath.

‘How often are the murders occurring?’ Innes asked quietly, unable to help herself.

‘More and more frequently. Doctrine is growing as the blight continues wreaking havoc on daily life. The Seacht offers a solution to people’s suffering.

’

‘But it’s not the Ever Blessed’s fault; the gods and demigods are the ones draining the magic.

’

Queen Una looked at her.

‘Do you want to try telling that to the masses?’

Innes sighed and sank deeper in her seat.

Briony’s face flashed through her mind and she swallowed a pang of homesickness.

The reality of what she was doing crashed into her, of the risks and rewards, of how little time they all had until an outcome was thrust upon them.

‘Why are you helping me?’

The Queen looked at her, face blank.

‘I owe Tabita a debt.’

Something prickled along her skin, and she sat straighter.

‘You could have said no. Tabita would never force you if it risked your queendom or your life.’

The queen stared at her, and Innes shuffled in her seat, uncomfortable with how vulnerable she felt.

‘There are things at play far greater than either you or I can comprehend, Innes. However, one tangible fact remains: the blight is creeping, and my people are hurting because of it. There is a possibility, a small one, that Aurelia is so oblivious she has not realised her blessing is fading. Beseeching her will give us an answer, and while that answer might not be the cure – it will point us in a direction.’

‘Do you think she will be able to help us?’

The queen pierced her with a look.

‘You’re the one who has travelled here to ask why her blessing is fading in the first place.

Isn’t it too late to be asking these types of questions?

’

Innes ducked her head.

She sounded pathetic, yet was unable to stop herself.

Too much rode on the whim of a god.

‘Go back to your room, Innes. And please, for the love of the gods, do not get caught.’

She nodded and closed Queen Una’s door with a soft click.

She wanted to sleep for a thousand years, but when she rounded the corner she found Remi and Kella standing in the welcome hall.

They stopped talking when they saw her, voices hushing in an obvious manner.

‘Everything okay?’ Remi asked softly.

Innes wanted to wrap her in a hug and feel the comfort of her body heat, but Kella was watching, so she nodded.

‘Yeah, I forgot I had a meeting with the queen in the chaos of today.’ The lie was terrible, and they both stared at her.

There had been no meeting with Queen Una, only a summons to come as soon as word of the demigod had made it back to the palace.

‘Why did the queen want to meet with you?’ Kella asked sceptically.

Innes swallowed.

‘I’m here representing the medical community.

I’m looking into the spate of Ever Blessed poisoning that is sweeping Vettona at the moment.

’ The lie was easier than she expected, and only a sidestep away from the truth.

Remi’s brow furrowed, but Kella nodded.

‘Wild that you’ve seen it in action twice already.

’

Innes kept staring at Remi; the look on her face made her feel like she was being cleaved in half.

‘How long will you be looking into this?’ Kella continued, oblivious to the silent agony occurring between Remi and herself.

‘A few days,’ she said absentmindedly.

Remi stood ramrod straight, and guilt surged as Innes realised she hadn’t mentioned this to her.

In all of their talking, why she was in Vincentia had not come up.

She silently cursed herself.

Of course it hadn’t come up – she’d made sure it hadn’t.

She took a step towards Remi, reaching out unconsciously as if to grab her hand, but Remi backed away, the bond pulling between them, bruised and aching.

Kella frowned.

‘What’s going on?

’

Innes looked at Kella, then at Remi.

Apprehension blurred her vision.

Surely Remi wasn’t going to—

‘We’re twinsouls.

’

She did not just say that.

Innes clenched her fists, the gash stinging painfully, but the physical pain was better than the emotions running riot through her body.

Her disbelief was only broken when Kella’s eyes widened and the captain opened her arms with a shout, throwing herself on Remi with such force the warrior’s breath whooshed out in a humph.

Just when Innes didn’t think it could get any worse, it got worse.

Four warriors and a woman in a vibrant blue dress came strolling through the door, looking at the commotion.

Kella turned, tears in her eyes.

‘Remi has found her twinsoul!’

Whoops erupted, and Innes was dragged into the centre of a group hug where random hands grasped at her.

Wasn’t announcing a twinsoul bond meant to be happy?

This was intolerable, and her panic rose.

This group of women were family to Remi, but to her they were strangers and she didn’t want them touching her.

She backed up a step, and when she was out of the huddle her claustrophobia morphed into annoyance.

Why the hell had Remi said anything?

They hadn’t even figured out what the bond meant to them – whether they would even live as a couple, and now they were official ?

Remi didn’t even know she was a—

‘Congratulations,’ a quiet voice said to her right, and she turned to find a striking woman with high cheekbones and sun-kissed hair standing next to her.

The woman looked on at the flail of limbs before her, then turned to smile at Innes, her green eyes the colour of seafoam.

‘I’m Myrra.

It’s nice to meet you.

’ Myrra dipped her head.

Innes hid her shock and dipped her head in response, raising her fingers to her brow.

‘It’s nice to meet you, Your Highness.

’

Myrra’s nose crinkled at her words, but her eyes were bright.

‘Myrra is fine. Especially now we’re almost family.

’

Innes opened her mouth to respond, but didn’t know what to say.

She was angry.

Angry that Remi had said anything, angry that this announcement was happening without her consent.

Where was her family in all of this?

Where was Briony?

She was saved from responding when a hand wrapped around her shoulder.

Without even looking, a small part of her relaxed into the touch.

‘Have you heard, Myrra? I found my twinsoul,’ Remi said, her grin fading when she saw Innes’ expression.

It was Myrra who broke the tension, planting a kiss on Remi’s cheek.

The gesture reminded Innes that these two knew each other intimately.

If Remi and Elva had dated, that made them, what, almost sisters?

It was hard to wrap her head around the dynamics of the warriors when there were so many of them.

‘I’m so happy for you, Remi,’ Myrra said.

Remi grinned, her happiness dimming when Innes didn’t so much as smile.

Sensing the shift, Myrra nodded at them and joined the fray, hoots of laughter erupting from the circle of warriors that no longer included Innes or Remi.

‘Hey, I’m sorry I—’

Innes turned to Remi, a firestorm raging under her skin.

‘We need to talk.’