Page 34 of Forged By Heart and Claws
The lamps inside had all guttered out except one at the far end of the chamber. The soft yellow glow barely illuminated the nearest patient rooms, which held empty beds and scattered blankets. There were no bloodstains here; it looked as if people had fled rather than been attacked. So where was the smell coming from? My wolf bristled.
No bodies. No guards. Just a wet, sucking silence that felt too loud.
Vad stepped ahead, Thalen a pace behind him. Our footsteps made barely any sound as we edged forward. Each breath pressed tighter against my ribs.
We passed the two stone columns at the end of the hall, and Vad turned toward a circular room deeper in the Healing Hall.
The dark door was firmly shut, and he pressed it open.
A soft, glowing light came from farther back in the room, and Vad froze.
His entire body went rigid, and horror shot through our bond.
CHAPTER 8
Vad
I’d seen death before. Delivered it more times than I could count. But this?
This felt personal.
I stood frozen in the doorway of Physician Morlo’s medical chamber, my hand braced against the frame.
Morlo’s body lay slumped over the long stone table—the same table where we’d sat just days ago, discussing the coronation and threats.
Now his skull was cracked wide at the crown, and the brown eyes that had always been half-lidded with exhaustion had been burned from their sockets. Blackened veins spidered down his face and throat, the flesh around them brittle and singed. His hands were splayed across the table like offerings, fingertips raw and nail-less, each bed caked in dried blood.
This was a warning, a message, and a punishment.
The underlying scent hit next. Cloying lavender and sharper rosemary—his signature blend—tainted with iron and something darker.
Merlinite.
Behind me, Briar gasped.
“Scaff—” Thalen started to swear but stopped. A strangled sound followed, as if he’d swallowed the words.
I couldn’t move or breathe, because I knew who had done this.
Colm.
He must have killed Morlo before the wedding and coronation. He’d been planning this from the start. His magic had been enhanced, and his powers strengthened and mutated.
And I’d handed him the object that had allowed his plan and powers to amplify. I hadn’t expected the consequences to come so swiftly.
Shadow magic was difficult and demanding, and even painful for those who shouldn’t channel it. But this wasn’t the work of natural progression.
A memory snapped into place like a blade at my throat.
Elias.
The chained prisoner, drained for power, whom Briar had met in the Aureline dungeons and begged me to save. What if he hadn’t been the only one? What if Colm had perfected a way to siphon life, not just to fuel spells but to transfer power?
It had been happening in Colm’s prison. If they’d been careful, who was to say that any number of individuals hadn’t also been drained? How likely was it that Colm would assist someone like Kaylen without also gaining something for himself? And why would it be limited to only those two?
I dragged a hand down my face, fury rising within me.
I’d been so desperate to get Briar back that I hadn’t stopped to consider the possibility that he could be draining another’s magic and essence to transform himself. I’d banked on the merlinite orb being an easy way to gain favor and navigate the situation.
