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Chapter Thirty Three

A fter we had a solid meal in our bellies, we dressed ourselves for the winter, pulling on cloaks and gloves. Camilla was about my size and easily able to wear the extra items I had in the manor. Elaina was slightly taller, but she accepted what I had with a grateful smile anyway.

“How do we even know this will work?” Clay muttered, voice filled with obvious skepticism. He was less than happy with my plan.

“It’ll work,” I assured him.

He glanced down at me, stepping closer to tighten the clasp of my cloak. His fingers lingered longer than necessary. “You should save your strength for Pasnia, not this.”

Camilla smacked his hands away with a roll of her eyes. “She’s fine, you big Dragon baby. Unless you want to waste three days trudging to Eagirton on horseback, in the freezing cold I might add, just let your bedmate use her very plentiful magic to speed this process along.”

A chuckle escaped me, and Clay shot me a disapproving glare. “I like the fact that you two are actually getting along less than I like this plan.”

“Oh, come on already.” Camilla grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the door. Clay followed reluctantly, his boots crunching on the snow-covered ground. Outside, Elaina stood waiting for us with her head turned up to the sky, her cheeks pink and a serene smile on her face.

“The snow reminds me of home,” she confessed.

“Yes, yes, that’s lovely Elaina,” Camilla sighed, though her voice lacked any real annoyance. She turned her attention to me as we came to stand by Elaina. “So, how does this work?”

I hesitated under their combined attention. “Well, I’ve never really done it before.”

The glare Camilla gave me could have frozen the dessert.

“Okay fine,” I sighed, thinking. “Describe to me where we’re going.”

“I told him in my letter to expect us,” Camilla explained. “I suppose the dining room will be easiest.”

I nodded. “Tell me what it looks like. Be specific.”

Camilla folded her arms, thinking. “There are chandeliers. Two of them. The walls have dark paneling and there are tons of paintings. Expensive ones.”

“Stolen ones,” Clay interjected under his breath, earning an eyeball from Camilla, who ignored him and continued on.

“The table is long, made of dark wood, always polished so it shines, and the chairs are high-backed with white upholstery.”

I closed my eyes, forcing myself to picture the space as she described it.

I painted the image in my mind’s eye with every detail she provided, pulling my magic toward it like a thread through a needle.

When the space felt tangible enough to touch, I reached out with my power and tore open the distance between us.

I knew it had worked when Elaina gasped softly.

“I wish I knew I could do that before that awful boat ride to Tenebris,” I mused, blinking my eyes open to admire the shimmering golden portal.

Clay’s hand squeezed my hip in silent reassurance. “Everyone in. Be prepared for anything. ”

He darted a quick glance at my dagger, ensuring I had it firmly in hand, before stepping through the portal first. Camilla followed, her movements slower and still difficult.

Elaina hesitated only a moment before following.

With a steadying breath, I stepped in, sealing the portal tightly behind me.

The sensation of traveling through a portal in the Mortal Realm was different from stepping into the Underworld. While that felt instantaneous, this felt like a journey. The air roared in my ears, rushing past me, before my boots landed on the soft carpet of the warm dining room.

Camilla’s contact sat casually at the head of the table, his glass of wine glinting in the firelight.

He was obviously tall, even while seated, with a carved jawline and strong arms. And even though Clay and Camilla both had warned me he was dangerous, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he was.

He tucked his russet hair neatly behind his ears, and his green eyes danced with amusement as he appraised us.

“Well, that is something you don’t see every day,” he said smoothly, his eyes lingering on me for a moment too long. Clay stepped closer, his presence sharp and protective.

“Nikolai,” Camilla greeted him, before forcefully clearing her throat. Her voice was firm, but a flicker of unease passed across her face. “We need to talk.”

He gestured broadly to the table with a roguish smile. “Sit down, dear. We’ll talk over drinks.”

N ikolai Legum’s reputation preceded him.

Known for illegally trafficking magical goods, relics, and secrets, he was one of Athenia’s most infamous criminals.

After murdering his only real competition in the months before I arrived in Athenia, he was now the undisputed king of the criminals, and I had no doubt that he could rally a small army against us if we managed to piss him off.

I didn’t even want to know how Camilla and her grandmother had gotten involved with him.

He refused to speak until servants had brought each of us a drink and offered all of us something to eat. None of us touched a thing. I looked down at the wine in front of me suspiciously, not willing to trust it.

“I typically don’t conduct my business with the wayward granddaughter,” Nikolai pointed out to Camilla, his tone teasing as he studied her.

She pushed her long hair behind her ears, her posture defiant. It was actually quite… refreshing to see her looking so impetuous again after being on the brink of death for the past few days.

“Alina is dead,” she told him.

Nikolai’s lips pursed, a faint smile pulling at their edges. Did this man take anything seriously?

“Well then, I officially do business with the wayward granddaughter,” he announced with playful formality before glancing at Clay and I. “Although I am surprised the royals wanted to be present for this little rendezvous.”

“We’re not here to cause you trouble,” I assured him, though the low growl rumbling from Clay’s chest said otherwise. I reached out, placing a hand on his arm in a silent plea for restraint. Nikolai caught the motion, his sharp eyes lingering, his expression too knowing.

“Then what are you here for, Councilwoman?” He asked, his voice smooth as silk.

I cleared my throat. “I’m looking for something. An artifact. I was hoping you could help.”

His brows rose, and he pulled the glass of wine to his lips, drinking deeply as he appraised me. “If I was the kind of person who could help with that, which I’m not admitting I am, I’d be a fool to get into bed with a Council member.”

Clay stiffened next to me, just the mention of Nikolai in bed with me upsetting him. Even if it was just for the sake of a phrase.

“We’re very aware of your dealings Nikolai,” Clay told him, voice hoarse from the fire building in his lungs. “What we need supercedes the Council. Supercedes Athenia.”

Nikolai only glanced at the prince before returning his narrowed eyes to me. “And what kind of artifact might you be looking for?”

My stomach someraulted. “I’m searching for a book.”

He waved off my words with a dismissive hand. “I have dozens of books. Hundreds even. You’ll have to be more specific.”

I glanced at Clay from the corner of my eye. His jaw was tight, tension radiating from his shoulders. “What we’re about to discuss does not leave this table.”

Nikolai’s amused smile faded slightly as he met the prince’s eyes without fear. “You don’t command me, prince. Not here.”

“Nikolai,please,” Camilla said, eager to diffuse the tension. “We have reason to believe that someone is looking for the Book of the Gods. Someone who intends to use it to free Hyrax from the Underworld.”

Nikolai stilled, the playful light dimming in his eyes as he turned to Camilla slowly. His grasp tightened on the glass of wine and, for a moment, I readied my magic, prepared to defend my people if he moved against us.

“You cannot expect me to believe that,” he drawled.

“We do,” I replied evenly, working to appear calm even as my stomach tied itself into knots.

“Why should I?”

“Because Hyrax is my father,” I announced, voice steady as the weight of the truth settled between us. Clay tensed beside me, his disapproval with my disclosing that information unspoken but palpable. I reached under the table, squeezing his knee in silent reassurance.

Nikolai’s sharp gaze bore into me. There was neither fear nor awe in his expression as he assessed me, even knowing that I was a Goddess. His face just bore calculated interest. “There have been rumors,” he murmured softly. “Of an unnatural power living in the castle.”

Unnatural was a bit harsh.

He leaned back in his chair, pulling the napkin from his lap and tossing it onto the table. “I don’t have the book.”

I deflated. Air rushing out of me in a disappointed exhale.

“But,” he continued, “I might have some ideas of where to look. I’ll put people on it immediately. I expect the compensation will be commensurate with the size of the task.”

Clay’s lip curled back. “Your compensation is me not arresting you right now.”

“Not good enough,” Nikolai said simply with a shrug.

“We’ll handle it,” I interjected him, cutting off Clay before the situation escalated and we lost this shaky alliance.

Even if I had to go to the Underworld to retrieve some random magical artifact that he would accept as payment, so be it.

The only thing that mattered right now was getting that book before Pasnia.

Nikolai nodded, smoothing a hand over his jaw. “Very well. I might also have information on… other useful items. I’ll keep you informed if I learn more.”

“Thank you, Nikolai,” Camilla said softly, a flicker of relief in her tone.

Clay rose from his chair first, waiting until Camilla and Elaina crossed the room to join him before turning his back on Nikolai, clearly eager to leave.

“Hey, Dragon Prince,” Nikolai called, halting our exit. His tone was playful, but his eyes glinted with something sharper. “How’s that cousin of yours? Still happily killing people?”

Clay froze, his body taught with tension. “Count yourself lucky she didn’t come with us.”

Nikolai chuckled under his breath, watching as we stepped through the shimmering golden portal. “Oh, I do,” he mused softly.

The frozen lawn of Hyrax Manor crunched under our boots as Clay and I emerged hand in hand. The cold air burned against my cheeks, but Clay’s arm around my shoulders was warm and steady.

“Does he know Iris?” I asked quietly, Nikolai’s parting words gnawing at me. Something about the way he’d asked about her, the way his playful tone carried an undercurrent of seriousness, set me on edge.

“Only by name,” Clay assured me. “A year ago, the Order sent her to kill one of his rivals.”

I nodded, pondering it, pondering Nikolai himself. “I didn’t quite like him.”

Clay chuckled, and he tightened his arm around me. “I’d feel offended if you had.”

I grinned, stepping towards the manor and dragging him along with me, eager to shed these cold clothes and spend the evening warming each other between the sheets of my bed.

“Clay!” Iris’ scream fractured the air around us and we spun.

She sped towards the house on horseback, Rankor and Kent close behind her.

And an army close behind them.