Page 91 of Madness of Her Mages

Brace yourselves,Drae warned through thought as Nikkos and Blaze tensed beside me.

Her lips twisted into a scowl. “Your mother never told you?”

I shrugged. “Her version.”

Malvolia’s eyes widened then narrowed. “First, the seers told me that my sister wanted my throne, that she was coming tokill me.” She averted her gaze, her eyes clouding with distant memories. Or were the clouds due to something else, perhaps Thorin’s spell still at work? “I didn’t want to believe them, but then she did come, along with her mates, and they killed all the seers.”

I knew without a doubt it was Thorin who’d killed the seers and then altered Malvolia’s memories. I swallowed my sorrow at the unnecessary loss of life. “You saw my parents kill them?” I pressed, hoping maybe she would start to question her own memories.

“Yes, but it was years ago.” She scratched the back of her head. “My memory is fuzzy.” And so were her eyes. They were hazy, reminding me of foggy mornings in the Periculian Forest after a light drizzle. Come to think of it, I remembered my parents’ eyes doing the same thing whenever they spoke of the past. A sickening feeling twisted my gut when I realized how powerful the mind spinner’s weave was.

The mind spinner still has a strong hold on her,I projected to my mates.

We know,Drae answered.Hopefully the spell will wear off in time.

We don’t have time,I warned.War is coming.

I cleared my throat, pinning Malvolia with a look. “My mother told me it was you who killed so many Delfians.”

“I only killed those who sided with your mother,” she said casually before taking a long sip of tea.

“She said you killed thousands.”

“So did she,” she said, as if that justified her murders.

I wasn’t reassured when Malvolia didn’t deny her hand in the Crimson Tide. There was no nice way of putting it. My aunt was a murderer, guilty of atrocious crimes against her people, which made me fear more and more her reaction when she finally realized she’d been fooled by Thorin. Would the weight of hersins be too much for her to bear, or was her heart already so calloused that she wouldn’t care?

AFTER WE LEFT MALVOLIA’Ssuite, I was struck by a painful ache in my chest, like a giant was stomping on my heart, and I had an overwhelming need to check on Ember and Aurora. Perhaps I’d inherited some of Malvolia’s paranoia, but I had a bad feeling they weren’t being treated well by their nursemaid. Even though my stomach felt as hollow as a drum and I wanted to return to our suite and eat luncheon, that pain in my chest intensified, and I knew it wouldn’t go away until I checked on the girls.

Of course, when I told my mates, they were happy to ease my fears by taking me to the nursery. I walked with alacrity in my step, anxious to get to the girls. Just as we’d turned the corner leading to their nursery, we were nearly mowed down by four guards soaring past us. My heart stopped then took off at a race when I saw them fly straight for the nursery doors.

I gasped when Blaze swept me into his arms and flew us the rest of the way, nearly plowing into two guards at the door. I didn’t like the way they exchanged worried looks before bowing.

“What is it?” I demanded.

The taller of the two guards visibly swallowed before answering. “The princesses have gone missing.”

The breath was stolen from my lungs as my world came to a standstill. “W-what?”

“What happened?” Drae demanded as he joined us.

“We’re not sure.” He motioned toward the door. “Their nursemaid is in hysterics. She’s saying they vanished into thin air.”

My hand flew to my throat. “Oh, Aurora.”

A terrified scream rent the air, and Drae yelled at the guard to move before shoving open the doors. What happened next was a blur of movement, Nikkos holding me while Drae and Blaze ran ahead of us, flames arcing off their hands.

Drae and Blaze swore, then parted, their flames extinguished as they let me through. I cried out in shock and relief when I saw my darling girls in Mrs. Euphemia’s arms.

I ran, falling in front of them when my knees gave out. They flung themselves toward me, and I cradled them in my arms. I kissed their foreheads, tears spilling over my eyes. “Thank the elements you’re okay.”

“What happened?” Drae stood between Mrs. Euphemia and Miss Grethel.

“The girls went to Abyssus,” Mrs. Euphemia said to us. “As soon as they found me, I made them return here.”

“Why would you do that?” I brushed Aurora’s hair from her eyes. “I told you not to leave unless there’s an emergency.”

“Your Highness,” Mrs. Euphemia interrupted, “Ember needs to be seen by a healer.”

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