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I wasn’t sure which of her hundreds of stolen powers she was calling upon, but the bubble grew and grew until something dark emerged from within. Noris’s eyes widened, the liquidly blue light reflecting in his pupils as the shadow solidified.
Then popped.
A goblet clanged to the table, the blue light fizzling out.
Mydusia summoned it with a beckoning finger. It zoomed straight into her hand with more speed than even Sasha or Sylvie would have been able to manage. Embossed with several swirling lines that made up the vague image of a bat, the goblet began to smoke as soon as it touched Mydusia’s skin.
“There,” she said pleasantly. “Take this back to your governor and tell him to place it in the center of your capital. As long as it is smoking, it should ward your country against intruders within a hundred-mile radius of where it is placed.”
She scooted the goblet toward Noris, who took it with trembling hands.
“Thank you, Majesty, thank you! This will save so many lives. The nation of Pliyith will be forever indebted to your kindness and generosity.”
He bowed in her direction, eyes planted on the table. Even though he didn’t have an ounce of magic in his own blood, he’d still avoided looking at where her eyes were hidden beneath the veil, as if afraid she might suck something else out of him.
Mydusia smiled. “Of course.”
It was only after Noris Madran left with the smoking goblet, the door clicking shut behind him, that the youngest Good Council member spoke again.
“The smoke will run out as soon as the goblet crosses the Pliyith border.”
“Why, of course it will,” Mydusia said, still smiling. “Those wretched weapons of theirs contain metals that disrupt all forms of our magic. What are they called again, General Steeler? You would know, as my head of war.”
I swallowed. “Iron and steel make little disruptions, but lead does the most damage, Your Majesty.”
“Lead.” She snapped her fingers. “Yes, that’s it. Clever male, you. Well, it’s not my fault that the goblet will fail, then. It’s theirs.”
The New Good Council burst into laughter that twisted my stomach into knots. I knew I’d be pushing it, but my temper rose up my throat anyway, and my fingers dug into the edge of the table.
“The humans are our allies, Your Majesty. We should be helping them, not sending them on their way with false promises.”
The room stilled. Five pairs of eyes turned to study me, some with shock, others with outrage, while Mydusia’s veil ebbed and flowed before her face.
“And so we will help them, General Steeler,” she finally said, each word slow and syrupy. “Once you take care of that island across the sea and deliver me my traitor sister’s head, I will be able to assign you more important tasks such as these.”
The one with hooded eyes coughed, turning to me without blinking. “Yes, we’ve all been so eager to see you accomplish your first fated mission, General…” She breathed through her nostrils. “…but it seems to be taking longer than anticipated. When do you think you’ll succeed?”
Mydusia’s eyes weighed on me through her veil. I conjured forth images of my latest nightmare, my sword swinging, blood spurting, flesh melding, and reshaped it into something else. My goal. My desire. My plan.
Just in case she was prying into my mind.
Then I scooted my chair back and stood, sweeping toward the door and uttering one, deadly word over my shoulder.
“Soon.”
CHAPTER
13
RAYNA
I shut the door behind me.
After more quicksand and an hour of our first History class of the year—during which Mrs. Smetlar had berated us over the last Branding and then proceeded to give us a test filled with nonsensical questions—everyone was muttering about needing a drink. Or a bath. Or…
“A kiss from Ms. Pincette,” Rodhi sighed as Emelle and I followed him and Gileon up the History classroom’s stairs. “That’d do it.”
Gileon nearly stopped in his tracks with his mouth hanging open, as if truly processing Rodhi’s obsession with our Spiders, Worms, & Insects instructor for the first time. “Whoa. That’s…” His eyes bulged. “Have you…?”
