Page 256 of Alchemised
Since when was Soren on a first-name basis with a hospital orderly?
“Yes, the orderly. Do you know who she is?”
“She’s the one who knows where Luc might be.”
Helena stared stunned as it dawned on her why Purnell was there. This had Crowther’s fingerprints all over it. This wasn’t Soren’s rescue, this was Crowther, pulling the strings once again.
But then, what was he planning to do with Kaine? Was Kaine a distraction? Or was this because Crowther hoped to avoid losing Kaine prematurely?
Helena’s molars ground together.
“And how would she know that?” she asked, trying to get Soren to see how insane this all was.
Soren gave a tight smile. “Crowther uses her to keep an eye on us, but she doesn’t like it. She came clean with Luc a while back. She’s seen maps for a secret prison that can be accessed from the West Island’s waterways.”
“Soren.” Helena exhaled, closing her eyes. “Why would she have seen maps like that?”
Soren shrugged, not seeming concerned about it. “Crowther uses her for carrying messages. I guess she peeked.”
If Crowther was the mastermind behind this, Helena wanted him directly involved, giving clear instructions about how he thought it was going to work, not some shadowy an orderly saw a map sleight of hand.
She was sick of how Ilva and Crowther both defaulted to manipulation to get their “miracles” to show up. As if people couldn’t be counted on unless they were tricked.
“If that’s the case, then that means Crowther knows about this prison, and he might have a lot more information than just a map. We should talk to him.”
Soren immediately shook his head. “No. The Council is adamant that no one can take any action until they ‘know’ who has Luc. Ilva somehow thinks she’s going to negotiate a trade to get Luc back. No mention, though, of what she possibly thinks we could offer.”
Helena knew exactly what it was that Ilva probably had in mind.
“My duty is to Luc,” Soren was saying, “not the Eternal Flame. As long as Lila’s out, I’m primary. The Council doesn’t command me, my duty is to my vows and my vows are to Luc.”
She’d thought they wanted Kaine to rescue Luc—to risk his cover to spare their own troops. But if that failed, Ilva would sell him out without a second thought.
Which meant Crowther was being forced to go behind Ilva’s back. That was why he was using Sofia Purnell to pass the relevant information to Soren, the one person with the ability to act on his own.
“All right,” Helena said, nodding. “I’ll come.”
Soren looked startled, then sagged with relief. “Good. I don’t think I can do this without you.”
Helena scrutinised him. “What do you mean?”
His eyes were heavy-lidded. When he was pensive, they got soulful. Now there was just one, but she still recognised the expression.
“I need you to do anything, Hel, whatever it takes, to save him. No matter the price. Anyone in the Resistance would die for him; I need you there because it might take more than that.”
Her eyes went wide. “Do you realise what you’re asking?”
He held his head high. “My vow is to protect my Principate with my life and my death. You’re the one who said that if someone’s willing to die, why not give them a chance to keep fighting.”
Her hands had gone numb. “You can’t volunteer the others for a mission like that. Are you planning to tell them that’s why I’m here? That you chose me because you want necromancy as your backup plan?” Her voice dropped to a furious whisper as she retreated, but he caught her by the arm.
“That’s not the only reason,” he said. “You are the best. I’m not volunteering them, just me. If something goes wrong, you do anything you have to to get them out. This is me giving you permission.”
She shook her head. “I don’t even know if I can. I’ve never—”
“We both know that if someone can do vivimancy, they can do necromancy. And if there’s anyone who can figure it out on the fly, it’s you. I’m not going to do anything stupid. I just—” He swallowed. “I need to know this is going to work. Hel, this has to work.”
She wavered a moment longer, but what were the alternatives? Every choice had become unbearable. And this was the price she’d already offered to pay.
