Page 77 of A Queen Of Broken Realms
A few moments later, Davina and Imani enter, and after that Cole, Ediye, and Eryx, the group escorted by Cyrus and two other guards. Cole looks tired, the grief of the recent revelations about his former lover still etched into the dark circles that sweep beneath his eyes. He glances at Davina and Ashen only briefly, then keeps his bloodshot eyes on mine.
“Cyrus told me you needed me,” Cole says when our brief greetings have passed. “What can I do?”
“Two things, but only if you’ll have them. You can refuse and no one will hold it against you,” I reply. Cole’s eyes dart to Davina, but when they return to me, he gives a decisive nod. “First, Ashen told me back in Ravello that the human scientist you used to free me from the dungeons is still alive, still here.”
A crease flickers between Cole’s brows. “Yes, Dr. Keller. He’s being kept under guard at House Urbigu.”
“I know you weren’t at the Gauntlet tonight—”
“I’m sorry, Lu, I just couldn’t—”
“I know, it’s okay, Cole. I didn’t expect you to be there,” I say. Cole’s fallen expression seems to lighten a little, and Eryx squeezes one of his hands as Ediye holds on to the other. “But you missed the best part. The hybrids made an appearance.”
The surprise in Cole’s face is the first genuine curiosity I’ve seen in him in days. “Hybrids? Here?”
“Yes, and Valentina as well, though I’m not sure how long she’ll stay. I know Dr. Keller was working on a serum to finish my transformation. If he’s been making progress, maybe he can find something to reverse it. Perhaps he can find a way to treat the hybrids and return them to their previous forms in exchange for his freedom. I’d like you to work with him and supervise this, if you’ll do it.”
Cole’s eyes widen and he takes a little shuffle forward. “Yes. Yes, I would love to do that, Lu.”
A wave of relief passes between Ashen and me. I’d hoped we could find something that would inspire the angel in Cole, the part of him that wants to serve. He needs to heal and protect others, and in time, I hope, he can heal himself too.
I lean forward in my throne, bracing my forearms on my knees as I regard him. “The other thing, Cole…it might be a little harder. It’s okay to say no.” I cast a glance up at Imani and she smiles, knowing implicitly that I want her to continue because he’ll be more comfortable telling her no, if that’s what he wants.
“We still need a representative for House Mushussu on the Council,” Imani says in her soothing, lyrical voice. “Queen Leucosia has found a soul who might be a good fit. She’s quite rare. In speaking with Davina and a few others, we began looking into her background. We feel as though she might be able to help us rehabilitate even the crawlers and perhaps get them to the point where they too can be safely resurrected.”
Cole looks between us as his head tilts and his brow scrunches. I get a flash of the youthful side of him in the way he looks at us, trying to work it out. “Rare immortal? What do you mean?”
“She was a witch,” Imani answers. “A Dreamwalker. Her name is Naya.”
Cole seems to crumble from within, even though his body stays upright between the grip of his two lovers. His knees tremble. His shoulders drop and shake. An anguished breath tumbles from his lungs. But as his eyes fill with tears, there is deliverance in the way he says her name. “Naya? You found Naya?”
I nod and Ashen’s grip tightens on my hand, my heart pounding in my palm. “We can bring her back now, or we can wait until you’re ready. There’s no rush. No time limit. But when we do bring her back, I would like you to help her adjust, because she’ll need somebody. Maybe it should be you.”
Cole doesn’t hesitate, even despite the tears that flow down his skin in glistening channels. “Yes.Yes, I will do it. Now is good.”
“You’re sure?”
A vigorous nod is his only reply.
I look to Cyrus and he whistles toward the open door behind us. A moment later, a guard walks in, his hand gently clasped around the arm of a soul with cloudy grey eyes and wispy, shoulder-length hair. They draw to a halt in front of Davina.
“Are you ready?” Davina asks, her words soft and kind. Cole nods once more and wipes his face, but more tears replace the ones drawn away by his sleeve. When Davina turns toward the soul, she raises her palms and begins to chant, the sigils etched into her skin glowing with golden light. She closes her eyes as she whispers, and when she opens them, the green flame within reflects on the soul’s translucent skin.
Davina pushes her palm to the soul’s chest. “Sag anir niggiggaa udmi nibzal zale,” she says.
Light erupts from the specter’s skin and she falls to the floor.
Convulsions spasm through her muscles. She thrashes on the cold stone, her alabaster skin warming to a rich, medium brown as golden light eats through her flesh. Tattoos burn to the surface of her chest and arms. The geometric face of a hyena, the symbol of House Mushussu, overlays patterns of honeycomb and flowers that spread from her heart to her shoulders and back. She gasps for breath, curling her legs to her chest as Davina kneels at her side and covers her with a black silk robe. After a few moments, she’s able to sit up, and she pushes her dark hair from her eyes to take in her new surroundings.
“What…what is this place? Where am I?” Naya says between the shelter of Davina’s hands. Her dark eyes land on me, her confused mind already recognizing the authority a golden throne conveys.
“You’re in the Shadow Realm, Naya. You’re safe now,” I reply.
Naya looks down at her arms. She flips her hands over as though she can’t believe they’re real. She touches her chest to feel her beating heart. “I was in a dream. A nightmare.”
“This is real,” Cole says, and he takes a step toward her.
Naya registers his presence for the first time. A sharp inhale sets her heart racing and she recoils in fear, but Davina’s there to hold her steady.
