Page 67 of Madness of Her Mages

I have to tell her,I projected to Blaze.

He stiffened beside me.I know.

I swallowed while I prepared to tell the spymaster what could possibly drive the nails into all our coffins. “Because Flora and Derrick didn’t kill our parents.”

She let out a burst of laughter. “Of course they did.”

“They didn’t,” Blaze and I answered in unison.

Her smile quickly faded as she looked into our eyes, seeing the truth reflecting back at her. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

I refused to break her iron gaze, though I felt like a flower withering beneath a noonday sun. “We really do.”

She visibly swallowed while crumbling the missives in her grip. “Who killed your parents?”

“Thorin.” His name hovered between us in the air like a stagnant fog. No taking it back now.

Her brow scrunched, confusion flashing in her eyes. “Thorin?”

“The mind spinner,” Blaze answered.

Her jaw dropped. “How?”

I looked at Blaze before answering. “If we told you, you wouldn’t believe us.”

She dug her nails into the wooden table, leaning toward me. “Try me.”

“He’s demon possessed and incredibly powerful,” I said while doing my best to keep my tone even, my features impassive.

“Demon possessed?” She let out a low whistle. “Like Lieutenants Sol and Bertram?”

I nodded.

“Exactly,” Blaze said.

Of course she’d heard about the demons. I imagined the hunt for more demons was probably taking up the bulk of her time.

“He killed our parents and altered everyone’s memories,” I continued, “so they thought Flora and Derrick did it.”

She scratched the back of her neck, looking at us as if we’d sprouted horns and tails. “Why would he do that?”

Blaze snorted. “Didn’t you hear the part about him being demon possessed?”

“But why?” She shook her head. “What’s in it for him?”

“We still haven’t figured it out,” I answered, “other than he wants to create chaos because he has a much darker plan in the works.”

She pushed off from her chair, chewing her lip while pacing the room. Finally, she spun on her heel and faced us. “Have you told our queen this?”

“Not yet,” I said. “We’re waiting for the right moment.”

She threw up her hands, her deep voice cracking. “When would that be?”

“When she trusts us,” I answered, doing my best to hold her intense stare.

“So you have no regrets about not killing Flora and Derrick?” She leaned over the table, resting on her knuckles. “What about the fact that Flora tried to take the throne from our queen?”

Fuck, Drae.Blaze’s words echoed in my skull.

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