Page 43 of Prisoner of Darkness and Dreams
I wish I’d been there when she heard the news. Now that I’m looking for it, I feel the deep sadness rolling off her in waves. It’s overwhelming, like a heavy weight settling onto my bones.
“How long will it take to come back?” Tira asks Mal, voicing one of the many questions running through my head.
“I don’t know,” he says. “It depends how long it takes for her inner flame to replenish, I suppose.”
“And how does she dothat?” I ask. The question comes out harsher than I intend, but I’m afraid for Ana and angry at myself. I should’ve prevented this.
“I’m sorry,” Mal says. “But this kind of thing is really beyond my expertise. I’m only half Agathyrian, and I don’t have any formal viatic training, remember?”
Wadestaff clears his throat. “Not to be insensitive, but if Her Highness is, er,incapacitatedright now, is it really the time for her to go up against Lady Oclanna for the throne?”
“He has a point,” Harman says to Ana. “A formal challenge often involves some kind of duel. Something you won’t be up to until you fix this problem with your magic.”
Ana bristles beside me. She doesn’t like her lack of magic being referred to as a “problem.” Does it remind her too much of her childhood? Or is something else going on there? I can sense her frustration, but I don’t know the thoughts behind it yet.
“If Oclanna’s coronation is as imminent as you say, we need to prioritize stopping it,” I point out. “If we think Oclanna and Caledon present a challenge now, they’ll be even harder to topple when she’s officially queen. Right now, there’s probably plenty of Trovians in the court at Elmere who are, openly or secretly, questioning Oclanna’s authority. See how quickly those people back down when she’s got the might of the crown on her side.”
“Well, that’s easily solved,” Damia says. She pulls her knife out and uses it to clean under her fingernails as she continues. “Morgana’s not up to it right now, so send someone else to Elmere to assassinate Oclanna on her behalf.”
A sharp spike of emotion runs through me, and I look to Ana. She clearly dislikes the idea.
“Go on,” I say softly, reaching for her hand. “Speak your mind.”
“I won’t lie,” she says. “I want to be the one to make my aunt pay, personally. I want to look her in the eyes as I deliver justice for what she did to my mother and our father.” She looks to Harman. “But I can see that I’m…limited at the moment.”
The last sentence sounds like it’s physically painful for her to admit.
“Beggars can’t be choosers, Your Highness,” Alastor says. “If you want your aunt dead as soon as possible, you might not get a say in how it happens.”
“Exactly,” Damia nods sharply. “An assassination mission is just the most practical solution.”
Ana sighs. “If my powers don’t return in the next few days, I suppose I have no choice but to say yes.”
I squeeze Ana’s hand tighter. “Wewillfind a way to get you better,” I say. “Even if I have to kidnap every healer from here to Agathyre to make it happen.”
I still, a thought coming to me.
“Uh-oh,” Alastor says. “I know that look.”
“What is it?” Esther asks.
“That’s the look he gets when he’s about to commit to a plan without thinking it through.”
“I’m thinking it through right now,” I growl. “We might not be able to trust any of the healers in Trova right now—they’ll get cagey about helping the princess and picking political sides. But the dryads in Agathyre are a different story.”
I sense Ana’s hope at my suggestion. It’s a small spark, but it’s there, nonetheless.
“You think we should go tothem?” Tira asks. “I didn’t think outsiders were even allowed in.”
“We’ll find a way,” Ana says, suddenly more confident. “We have to, because we’ve got something even more pressing we need to discuss with them.”
I give her a questioning look, wondering what could be more pressing than making her well again.
“We need to know if Sophos was telling the truth. We have to find out if Caledon’s plan to become immortal, or invincible, or whatever he thinks he’s doing, is even possible. Whatever he’s planning will have to use viatic magic in some way. You can’t change the body without it. I bet Agathyre’s experts could answer a lot of questions for us.”
“I still say it’s not possible to become a god,” Esther huffs.
“I hope not,” Ana says, staring the rebel down. “But I’d rather know that for certain than wait around for Caledon to potentially become unkillable. Besides,” she flips her hair back, a steely look entering her hazel eyes. “I already know someone in Agathyre who owes me a debt. They can get us inside.”
