Page 68 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“It seems surreal, doesn’t it?” Arianna asked. “To imagine a single person having that much control over the world?”

“One person controls a country. I’m sure his magic works the same. He likely has a council who closely believe in his cause and that council has trusted warriors under their belts. Those warriors have their own commanders and the commanders have soldiers. It’s all a line of power and if no one stands up against it, the power never shifts.”

“But this is a continent,” Arianna said. “The sheer amount of people—”

“Keep in mind he’s had nearly a millennium.”

Millennium. It was still an unfathomable amount of time. Arianna kept hoping she’d wake up from a dream. But that’s exactly what they were trying to do. Wake everyone up and recover their lost history.

They arrived to find Talon, Raevina and Conall leaning over a map. Talon was pointing to something, in the middle of a question when the trio turned at their approach.

Gavin was indeed sulking, though he sat in the same circle, watching with his hands neatly placed in his lap.

“My Lady,” Conall said, standing before bowing at the waist. He didn’t rise before saying, “My Lord. What can we do for you this morning?”

“Your queen is hungry,” Rion declared, making her face flush. “And quite frankly, so am I. Where is breakfast served?”

Conall only smiled. “It’s nearly done and will be brought out shortly. Do you need anything else?”

“A bath,” Saoirse said, her tone just as clipped as her brothers.

“You two are horrible,” Arianna grumbled.

The siblings exchanged a glance, then Saoirse snickered. Rion couldn’t hide his smile either.

“Can you please aid us in satisfying our hunger and point us in the direction of a warm bath? Saoirse mocked. She turned to Arianna. “Is that better?”

Even Conall laughed. “As I said, breakfast is on the way and baths can be discussed once we have a plan laid out.”

“Don’t stop on our account,” Saoirse said before straddling one of the empty chairs backwards. Rion helped Arianna settle into the one beside Talon, but Rion remained standing, his eyes already roaming across the detailed map and the points they’d marked.

“Once we’re inside, our first objective will be sneaking into the lower dungeons to retrieve the prisoners. We’re already aware many of the Fae will be in less than optimal condition, so we’ve made arrangements to sedate them to prevent any unnecessary outbursts.”

“Do you think Ellie is in those dungeons?” Arianna asked hopefully.

Conall grimaced and shook his head. “We’d have to be very, very lucky. Unfortunately, being that she’s your sister, she’s likely kept closer to Vairik.”

“She is,” Gavin confirmed. “She’s often in his study and when she’s not there, she’s in a cell below it.”

A chill swept down her spine. “What is he doing to her in there?”

Gavin clenched his fist. “I don’t know. I was never allowed to stay long.”

“How are we supposed to get her out if you don’t want a confrontation with Vairik?” Talon asked.

“Distraction. If something big starts happening in his city, then he’ll have no choice but to investigate and handle it himself. If there’s one thing we’ve learned about him, it’s that he craves power and control.”

“I don’t suppose you’re going to share the details about said distraction?” Raevina pushed.

“I have several in mind, but isn’t that why were here? To formulate the plan?” They all nodded and Arianna was surprised to find herself relieved. Conall wanted to build this mission from the ground up with help from her and her companions. She wondered if he knew how much that likely meant to them and the trust it bred.

Conall continued. “Getting past the guards and inside is simple enough. Navigating the lower levels is even easier, especially given that they’re not routinely patrolled, but we’ve never attempted to go higher, which means,” His eyes turned to Gavin. “Unfortunately, we have to rely on you for information.”

Gavin straightened. “If it’s for Evelyn, I’ll tell you anything you want to know, but I have a condition.”

Talon growled. “You’re not exactly in a place to negotiate conditions. I thought you wanted to save Evelyn?”

“I do, but Conall mentioned blowing the place up. I just want safe passage for my mom and sisters.”

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