Thawing her was a tedious process that was taking longer than I’d anticipated, but it had to be done properly or she could revive “wrong,” according to my husband.
I normally wouldn’t care about any ill effects she’d suffer, but I needed her to tell me how to activate the blade, and I wouldn’t risk any chance of losing that opportunity for petty vengeance. My sister would roll her eyes if she saw me now, but this was how I hoped our House of Sin would handle such matters once reestablished.
Wrath stepped into the small subterranean chamber and pressed his lips together at the sight of Sursea. His hatred for the witch was palpable. If she weren’t immortal and if he didn’t want his wings back, he’d have killed her long ago. The temperature dropped a few degrees, which would not do the thawing process any favors.
“Once she’s thawed enough to speak, is there a certain amount of time I should aim to complete the interrogation by?” I asked, successfully dragging Wrath’s attention away from the dark place he’d been descending to. The temperature returned to the normal chill that nipped at the air this far below ground.
“Take all the time you need. Once you’re done questioning her, send for me. She’s not to be left alone until she’s frozen again.”
I gave my husband a quick smile. When I told him what I needed, he didn’t hesitate to make it happen. Even when I’d asked him not to be present or ask questions. Now that I could also sense emotions, I knew with certainty he’d not experienced even a moment of doubt or hesitation. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“Try not to maim her too terribly.” He kissed my forehead and headed for the door.
Anir skidded to a halt outside the dungeon and nodded at me before following Wrath from the room, their heads bent in hushed conversation. The other Houses of Sin were still on high alert after the failed attempt to attack House Greed. With the constant correspondence coming in and interruptions of emissaries and war room debates, I hadn’t yet asked Wrath about how much time was left to break the curse. Not that I’d had more than two minutes with him since my return from the Well of Memory. I’d rushed here immediately following my request.
In case something went wrong with my questioning of Sursea, I didn’t want to get his hopes up and tell him what I’d learned. But we needed to speak. Soon.
That is, if the stubborn witch thawed in this century. I swore she was taking her time, twisting the blade any chance she got. My fingers strummed against my forearms. Water slowly dribbled from the thick wall of ice surrounding Sursea. Drip. Drip. Drip.
I added one more burning flower to the flaming bouquet above her, then turned my attention back on Sursea’s face, taking the time to truly look her over. The resemblance between her and Claudia wasn’t overwhelming, but it was there once you knew to look for it. They had the same shape to their faces, and arch of their brows. Sursea’s dark hair had waves and Claudia’s had a bit more curl, but it was the same shade of luxurious brown.
With my own memories intact again, I knew I had never met Claudia when she was still Lucia and I was Fury. Seeing that revelation in the Well of Memory had been a shock.
I casted my mind back to the time before I was spell-locked, to remember what I could. From the beginning of our scheme, Vittoria and I never showed up to the same party while playing our role of “Nicoletta.” She attended any meetings or parties with Pride, and I did the same with Wrath. Sursea insisted that we couldn’t be caught until the time was right, as she wanted to ensure both princes had time to truly fall in love.
Through all the parties and events, I couldn’t recall Claudia at any function I’d attended. Still, I dove deeper into my memories. I recalled that Vittoria and I would take turns ruling our House of Sin every other week to allow Pride and Wrath to question the whereabouts of our combined persona—Nicoletta—when we weren’t with them. Of course, we’d told them the truth in part. We were returning to House Vengeance, a House they knew little about, thanks to our mother’s magic and our secrecy.
I recalled how we took care of every detail, just as Sursea asked—we even timed our visits to the Houses, to convince the princes there was adequate time for “Nicoletta” to have visited the other prince during the time she wasn’t with one, driving a wedge between brothers as it was revealed they were courting the same woman.
The only event that Vittoria and I both attended was the fateful night that the First Witch asked us to make our pivotal move—the night of the Feast of the Wolf. That evening, on the one night when all seven princes gathered, her plan for vengeance was simple: Vittoria was expected to lure Wrath to “catch” her in the act of seducing Pride. When he walked in on the scandal, we’d expected him to let loose his fury and fight his brother. Pride would lose his wife and possibly his court if Wrath unleashed the might of his House. Thus securing the ultimate revenge against Pride for the First Witch.