Page 108 of Madness of Her Mages

“Cordelia?” I mouthed, remembering the gust of wind she’d blown into the chamber adjoining the throne room. Then a thought struck me. This was it. My chance to question Felicity and get into that tower. I blinked at my aunt, feigning innocence like I’d seen Lady Veronica do many times. “Is her blue magic as powerful as Felicity’s?”

“Felicity?” My aunt’s brow furrowed as she crossed her arms. “No. She was my most powerful blue witch.”

Drae squeezed my shoulder. A warning not to push the queen.

“Then shouldn’t I be trained by the best?”

“Felicity?” Malvolia laughed. “You can’t be serious? After she betrayed me and tried to poison you?”

“I understand.” I chewed my lip, pretending to be lost in thought. “Have you decided what you’re going to do with her?”

Malvolia looked away from me, but not before I saw the flash of hurt in her eyes. “Let her rot in the tower for all I care.”

“If I might offer a suggestion.” I cleared my throat while praying my aunt agreed. “Let me go to the tower to question her. If she proves she’s not a threat, you spare her life, and in return, she teaches me how to hone earth shaking magic.”

Her lips twisted in a hateful scowl. “Cordelia’s training will be sufficient.”

“But will sufficient be enough while battling monster demons?” I pressed. I refused to be deterred. I had to get into that tower. “Let me question Felicity. If you don’t feel satisfied with her answers, then we will use Cordelia. Please, Aunt.” I infused a touch of siren into my voice, though not enough to let her know she was being manipulated.

Malvolia’s eyes narrowed, and I feared I’d been too transparent. “Remember what I said about weakness?”

“Hm.” I tapped my chin, giving her a questioning look. “Is it weakness to exploit your adversaries in order to win a war?”

She frowned. “Well, no.”

Hope flared in my chest as I slowly rose on shaky legs while sharing a secretive smile with Drae and Blaze. “Let’s go to the tower, Aunt.”

Chapter Twenty-One

The tower was adjacent to the castle, connected by a stone bridge that was so high up it offered a clear view over the seawall and the deep indigo water that battered the shoreline of the Tribus Point. I shared wary looks with Drae and Blaze as we followed my aunt across the bridge. There were guards stationed all over the bridge and then along the battlements on top of the tower. Two very brutish guards with tattered wings and scars along their hands and faces opened the heavy iron doors for us, and we followed my aunt inside. A chill swept up my spine when the guards slammed the doors shut behind us. We descended the tower’s narrow, drafty stairwell, passing cells with iron doors on the way. Shards of dread pierced my heart when agonized moans reverberated across the damp, moldy walls.

Can you sense which door is his?Blaze’s voice echoed in my head as he followed close behind me.

I gritted my teeth.No.But how I wished I could blast every door open and find my father.

I tensed when I heard a man’s phlegmy cough echoing down the hall. I knew I couldn’t see my father today, but when I came back, I would have to bring Nikkos. There was no telling my father’s condition, but I was sure he’d need a healer. I thought about asking my aunt questions about the prisoners held within the tower, but I was afraid of arousing her suspicions.

When we reached a lower level, we followed two guards, one carrying a set of keys, the other a torch that cast long smoky shadows across the damp walls. They opened yet another door that led into a corridor. I spied four doors down this long, darkhallway, lit only by a few wall sconces. The guard went to the closest door, wedging a big iron key in the lock. A strange feeling came over me when I stared at the door at the end of the hall. It faced us on rusty hinges and had only a few iron bars for a window, though inside was as black as pitch. Surely a prisoner couldn’t have been trapped in the dark. Not even my aunt was that cruel, was she? I tensed when a groan resonated from that cell, the pitch in his voice reminding me of my other father, Derrick. A twisting in my gut told me Marius was there.

Shiri!Drae’s warning echoed in my head.

I gasped, facing forward as the door before us swung open.

He’s at the end of the hall,I projected to my mates.

I’ll be waiting outside the door,Blaze answered me.

I fought back my emotion.Thank you,I answered, for I knew he’d check for me.

I mouthed my thanks to Drae as he stepped aside, holding my hand while I stepped over the raised threshold and followed Malvolia into the room. Drae flashed a grim smile, his gaze darting around the room as the door was shut behind us, leaving Blaze and the guard on the other side. I sucked in a sharp breath when I slipped across the slick floor. It was especially wet in here, and I realized Felicity had probably manifested storms inside her cell, whether by accident or on purpose.

Be careful,I projected to Blaze before focusing on the task at hand.

Felicity jumped to her feet, despite her chained ankles and wrists. Her face, hands, and bare feet were streaked with grime and her once-beautiful ball gown was in soaked tatters. “Your Highness, please,” she stammered when she saw Malvolia. “I-I didn’t—”

“Silence!” Malvolia roared.

Felicity fell back onto a wooden bench in between her stoic mates, their wrists and ankles chained to the wall behind them,their damp, torn clothes clinging to their skin. I wrinkled my nose at a foul smell and caught sight of an overflowing shit and piss bucket in one corner of the room. They didn’t flinch when a rat scurried beneath their bench carrying a moldy apple core in its mouth. This was a far cry from their lovely garden suite. I hoped their change in living situation had humbled them instead of making them more bitter.

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