Page 250 of Lady for Embers

The Sorceress eyed him thoughtfully, before she stooped down and began drawing in the dirt of her cell with her ?nger. “How much blood do I get for this?”

“Enough to play with,” Alaric replied. “Along with company.”

The Sorceress’s head cocked again, indicating she was listening as she continued to draw the Marks. Alaric ambled closer to the bars, watching her intently. “I thought you may want to... practice some before you are released.”

“I do not need practice. I just need my spell book,” she muttered, wiping away at the dirt before drawing again. Cyrus couldn’t help but think of how Scarlett often did the same thing when she would work with the Marks.

“I bet he knows where she hides it,” Alaric said nonchalantly.

The Sorceress’s head snapped up. “Who?” she snarled.

Alaric nodded at Cyrus. “This one is particularly close with Queen Scarlett. I bet he has knowledge of where she keeps your spell book hidden.”

“Is this true?” she hissed, furious eyes landing on Cyrus.

“What? No,” Cyrus said, stepping back again from the crazy female behind the bars.

“You are lying, Fae of Fire,” she sang. “I can taste it in your words.”

“My locating Mark, Gehenna,” Alaric encouraged, nodding to the dirt at her feet. “Then I give him to you.”

Cyrus looked at Ashtine and Neve, who both looked as shocked as he felt. He turned to Nuri. “Did you know?” he hissed at her.

Nuri’s lips were pressed tightly together. “I was not told of this, Cyrus.”

“No,” Alaric sneered, glancing back at them. “Mydaughteris not told all of my plans.”

“Your hand,” the Sorceress demanded.

Alaric pulled a small knife from his side, sliding the blade along his palm, before slipping his arm between the bars and letting his blood drip onto the Marks she had made.

“It will call to you within the cliffs,” the Sorceress said, standing upright once more. She licked her lips, eyes moving to Cyrus. “My gift.”

“Of course, Gehenna. I am, after all, a man of his word,” Alaric said smoothly. He nodded at Nuri. “Take the females up. I will be along shortly. I have a meeting with a Water Prince tomorrow morning that I need to prepare for.”

Nuri began ushering Ashtine and Neve towards the stairs. The look in her eyes was full of regret as she glanced back at Cyrus, but he did not need her pity. She had made her choice to swear loyalty to Alaric. There was nothing she could do for him.

A slice of pain at his forearm had him lurching back, but Alaric had a ?rm grip on his elbow. His blood was dripping into a small vial, and when it was full, he corked it. The Sorceress was at the bars, watching eagerly, that hunger back in her crazed violet eyes. Alaric reached through the bars, extending the vial of blood to her, and she snatched it up, clutching it close to her chest.

Alaric slipped his hand into his pocket producing a small key and ?tting it into the shackles on Cyrus’s wrists.

“These are rather pointless down here, don’t you think?” Alaric asked conversationally.

He wasn’t wrong. Once you passed a certain point in the prison, magic was locked down. No one could access their gifts, including the royalty.

“You are going to leave me down here?” Cyrus asked, trying to ?gure out what exactly was going on.

“You are a prisoner, are you not?” Alaric asked, unlocking the other manacle.

“You cannot open her cell,” Cyrus said.

“I am well aware of that,” he said harshly. “Are you taking me to another?”

“That will not be necessary.”

“You are going to leave me down here?’ Cyrus asked again in confusion.

“I promised Gehenna some company in exchange for her services,” Alaric said, stepping back, the shirastone shackles in his hand. He turned and headed for the stairwell.

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