Page 30 of The Stygian Crown

Nothing happened at first. Then ice gripped her veins. Bitter cold raced along her skin, and Kara grit her teeth. She forced herself to finish pushing in the potion. Her hand shook as she pulled the needle free.

Thin black tendrils began to spread beneath her pale skin, branching out from the injection site. What the hell was happening? Salizar hadn’t mentioned this. The tendrils moved quickly, twisting and curling towards her navel. Then they abruptly stopped. Kara let go of a shaky breath. She’d been afraid they were going to travel across her whole body, marking her flesh. Hopefully it wasn’t permanent.

Pain staggered her, blossoming in the pit of her belly. Kara bit her tongue to keep from crying out. It was like the worst menstrual cramp she’d ever experienced, magnified by a hundred, and it feltcold.Her mark flared a bright orange color, then slowly dimmed, fading until the mark was just a scar on her wrist, as it’d been before she’d awakened.Must be working.The fading of the familiar glow unnerved her—like she’d snuffed out some vital part of herself.

Kara stumbled towards the bed and crumpled to her knees when another wave of pain wracked her. Claws raked the inside of her skin, struggling to get out. She drew her knees up to her chest, curled into a tight ball, and rocked back and forth until the pain started to subside. She crawled the rest of the way to the bed, pulled herself into it, and collapsed.

Chapter Seven

Merry arrived at her usual time in the morning, which was way too fucking early.

Kara screwed her eyes shut against the light stabbing at her eyes when Merry threw open the curtains. Merry knelt to gather the dress from last night and cursed when she saw the torn fabric. It was the first time Kara had heard her swear using anything other than ‘trickle biscuits.’

“My lady…”

“I know, Merry. I had far too much to drink last night.”

“Lately your room looks as if you turn into a beast once the sun goes down!”

Kara chuckled, then winced as the movement sent pain shooting through her head. Her body was a collection of dull aches. Is this what normal people felt like in the morning?

Merry sat the coffee tray on the small table beside the vanity. Her eyes fell on the empty vial and syringe Kara had left out last night.

Fuck. Kara was getting way too sloppy. She was naked beneath the covers, black veins all over her belly, and the silver cuff that hid Namirah’s mark was still wherever she’d tossed it last night.

Merry turned to look at Kara, her lips twisting into a tight frown.

“It’s a tonic I take. For health. When I was a child I was quite sickly, so I still take medicine to ward off illness.”

Indecision flickered in Merry’s eyes, then she returned to tidying the vanity. “And ye’ve got to stab yourself with it? You poor thing. Makes me shiver just to think of it.”

If only you knew.

“Shall I pick out a dress for you to wear today?”

“Is the princess throwing another surprise event?”

“Not that I know of.”

“I’ll be wearing pants, then. I’m going to have a bath first, though. Thank you for your help.”

Merry finished tidying the room and left. Kara hoped she kept her lips sealed about her mistress’sanomalies.

Kara dragged herself out of bed and went to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She gasped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. A black, twisting sunburst arced its way across her left hip and abdomen, dark as ink. The scoop of her navel was a disconcerting purple color. Had the marks spread further overnight?

From here out she’d have to don her undergarments before Merry arrived to dress her, so she didn’t see it. Kara began running her bath, trying not to think about how she’d traded one mark for another.

Kara finished dressingand sought out Serena in her workshop, eager to see if she could trace the origin of the shadow spell. The spire’s endless stairs had her slightly out of breath, when usually she would’ve been able to jog up them. She glanced at her abdomen and sighed. She’d have to take things easy for a while as she adjusted to the side effects of the demon’s drip.

Serena was bent over her workbench, hammering at a silver sword. She turned when she saw Kara enter and wiped sweat away from her brow.

“Kara.” She frowned and crossed the room to Kara, dark eyes quizzical. “Your aura’s different. Did something happen?”

Kara smoothed her expression and shrugged. “Could it be an effect of the shadow spell?” She had no intention of telling her she was taking Salizar’s antidote. The less people who knew she was in a weakened state, the better.

Serena’s lips curled into a frown. “Maybe. I expected you last night.”

“I needed to calm down after the feast. Plus I was drunk.”

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