Inside, something dark writhed against the glass. Shimmering gold danced through the viscous, moss green liquid as it worked against gravity.
“Officially, that isn’t what’s in here. No one’s meant to gather anything from either tree, but…” She spread her hands. “Well, sometimes rules must be broken in the name of science.”
I exhaled, not quite a laugh. In the name of science, she’d done things so terrible I’d entrusted my mind to a stranger to erase them. And now this—something that had to come with a much steeper punishment.
In that moment, I finally understood her.
She wasn’t interested in hurting me. Nor was she interested in helping me. There was only science. Understanding. A puzzle to be solved.
I wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than it being personal.
She held my gaze a long while, then lifted her eyebrows. “You realise this is a danger to me. I have to trust you not to reveal what I’ve done with the acorn, and you have to trust me to take this. It works both ways. Understood?”
I dipped my chin, and she held out the vial. Its contents lapped at the glass where my fingers touched. “How is this supposed to work?”
“It’s an updated version of what we tried before. I’ve refined it, so it won’t be so painful. Your magic fights the manticore venom—a distraction—while the antidote, powered by the acorn, deals with the aconite in your bloodstream.”
I nodded like I understood what she was talking about. One of the appointments I’d erased. “So the venom won’t harm me?”
Frowning, she cocked her head and gave me a long look. “I told you before—you’re immune. Are you having memory problems? Perhaps I need to—”
“No, I just… I haven’t been sleeping well—since the attack, you know?”
“Right.” She was still giving me that odd look, though.
I cleared my throat and tilted the vial so the liquid shimmered. “And my magic?”
There was a long pause before she pulled another vial from her pocket. “You have a choice. Take that alone and the poison attacking you will be cured. Take this after, and the iron in it will nullify your magic.”
“Iron?” I grimaced at the memory of how unpleasant it had felt to wear the ring for a long time. “You said I should steer clear of it.”
“Because it’s dangerous. It will wrench your gift away. This isn’t a cure but… an injury. It’s normally hard to get hold of, but I used your ring to make this. You must take it immediately after that—it’s reliant on the acorn and antidote and venom all working together. If you drink it in a week’s time, it won’t work. This is a now or never deal.”
I stared at the rust-coloured liquid.
All I’d wanted for so long was a cure. It had meant going back to what and who I was before. Here she was offering me that.
And yet…
There was no going back. I didn’t fit in that mould anymore. I may still be haunted by memories of the old Kat’s lessons and rules, but I didn’t live by them.
When I shot Rose a look, she gave me a reassuring smile.
Swallowing, I drew a deep breath. “I’ll just take this one.”
Elthea smiled at that, shoulder sinking.
Before I lost my nerve, I removed the cork and downed the fortified antidote.
It slithered over my tongue, making me gag as it wriggled against the back of my throat. I covered my mouth, afraid of coughing up a precious drop. It burned on the way down, and I braced for pain, but it faded a moment later as my gift fought back. Magic hummed over my skin, my body sucking it in on instinct.
Then, nothing.
In fact, I felt… good—better than I had in months.
“Kat?” Rose leant in.
I blinked, touching my belly. “It’s… it’s gone.” A constant feeling of wrongness in the pit of my stomach—only now it was gone did I realise how much I’d forced myself to ignore it.
Elthea smiled wide enough to show her canines—I hadn’t seen them before—and Rose leapt up with a crow, like my victory was hers. Tears stung my eyes as I laughed and let her grab me in a hug, secure in my ability to hold in my magic and not hurt her.
I was free. From Robin. From needing a daily antidote.
I wasn’t bound to Bastian by an accident of magic. Every touch between us was our choice.
Everything that happened now was for us to decide.
81
Bastian
For the second time in as many days, Kat burst into my office. Anyone else, and I’d have destroyed them, but for her I preferred the kind of destruction I’d enacted on this desk yesterday.
I looked up from another dull report. A delivery of guard weapons missing… or perhaps not. It wasn’t clear if this was a clerical error or if they’d really disappeared. Thankfully this was the last of the reports, since the wedding was tomorrow.
I arched an eyebrow as Kat shut the door. “Don’t tell me—you’ve found the Crown of Ashes this time? I wouldn’t put it past you.”
She shook her head as she caught her breath and approached. “She did it.”
With a gasp, I sprang to my feet. “Elthea. Your appointment.”
Half laughing, half panting, she clutched my arms and gave them a little shake. “I’m cured.”
My pulse tolled loud in my ears. She’d wanted to be rid of her magic and the poison, and she looked so happy…
I swallowed, searching her grip. Her nails dug into my shirt, still purple. “But you’re still marked.”
She nodded, smile widening. “The poison in my system is gone—it isn’t killing me. But I chose to keep my gift.”
As she made the stain spread over her fingers, she looked just as happy to have her magic as she was to no longer be poisoned.
I exhaled my relief and bent, kissing her fingertips. Her poison tingled on my skin, a pain I’d grown to enjoy. A shiver skittered through me. “And I’m still immune to it.”
Eyes bright, she nodded. “Poisonous, but not poisoned. At last.”
“And you don’t need me anymore. You’re free to go where you wish.” I smiled as I said it, like I wasn’t torn apart by the idea. I didn’t want her bound to me, as she’d put it. I wanted her to be free.
But I also wanted her… maybe even needed her.
Her lashes fluttered, and she swallowed. “I… I am.”
A long moment passed, and I tried my best to look entirely happy. Maybe she could read me—maybe despite my efforts she knew that I was crumbling as I held this smile.
“And…” She spoke very softly, gaze flicking away before edging back to me. “What if I wish to be right here?”
My breath hitched like I’d just found solid ground. I cleared my throat and managed a laugh. “Well, it would be a little inconvenient to have you in the middle of the floor, but I’m sure I could work around you.”
“Bastian!” She swatted my arm. “I’m being serious.”
Grinning so much my cheeks hurt, I pulled her close. “I know. I’m sorry, I just…” I bent close to her ear. “I was afraid.”
She arched back and gave me a wide-eyed look. “That I’d leave?”