Page 60 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts
“What kind of magic?”
“An illusion designed to trick you into believing I’d fall under the influence of a woman. More absurdly – that I’d trust a woman again. And to the point of being ‘consumed’ by her? Really?”
“If it’s an illusion, then how do you explain the new Oracle?”
“A new Oracle?”
“Yes! Amelia.”
Mikhail shook his head. “The Oracle died at the Hospital. There is no Oracle anymore.”
“You’re wrong! Ameliais… Fine, wait! The Oracle sent you to help Amelia. You must remember that.”
“I wasn’t helping any Amelia.”
Viktor gaped at him. “Then who were you helping? Who did the Oracle send you to, after ten years of silence?”
“If you’re referring to the first time in a decade the Oracle spoke to me, she said someone would ‘need help.’ But when I got to the address, no one was there.”
Victor struggled to maintain his composure. “And how do you explain the siege at the Hospital? How did your ring end up in the Queen’s hands?”
Mikhail’s expression hardened. “My ring is in the Queen’s possession because I was a fool. I should have hidden it somewhere safe years ago instead of leaving it in the Hospital’s corridor. It couldn’t have been difficult for the reptilians to find it when they’d searched the building.”
Viktor clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch the wall. “No, Mikhail. Amelia gave the ring to the Queen, probably because you entrusted it to her. I’m not privy to the exact circumstances, but I assume you had some kind of plan—”
“What?” Mikhail’s voice lowered. “That woman’s the reason I lost the ring?”
“That’s how it appeared, but I assumed you’d agreed on something beforehand…”
“Take me to her!”
Viktor led him down the corridor, uneasy about the shift in Mikhail’s thoughts. Viktor himself didn’t understand what had transpired during their escape from Antambazi, but he’d never once thought of Amelia as a traitor.
He paused at the door, knocked, and entered the room.As instructed, Alex was by Amelia’s bedside, watching for any changes in her condition.
“He’s awake!” Alex exclaimed.
“Hello, pup.” Mikhail nodded before stepping up to the bed.
Amelia lay on her side, blonde hair splayed across her cheek, almost obscuring her face.
The manticore wrinkled his nose and turned to Alex. “Do you know who this woman is?”
The girl’s brown eyes widened. “Amelia, of course.”
“And what is she to me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do I have any connection to her?”
“Uh… You’re… dating?”
Mikhail snorted.
Alex searched Viktor’s features for help. He held his hands up in defeat. “Partial amnesia, perhaps?”
“Amnesia?” Alex echoed.
