Chapter 89: Chapter 89

I hadn’t heard anything and, barely awake, I saw only too late the knife in the hands of Thelion planting itself in Eric’s stomach. It took me a few seconds to realise what had just happened, and I was still looking at his attacker with terrified eyes when his gesture finally imprinted itself on my brain. At that moment, a ruthless rage shot through my body and triggered an explosion. Thelion stepped back and tried to protect himself by raising his arms, but it was too late, I had him! A scream escaped my throat, I got up naked on my bed, now badly damaged by the blast of the explosion. And, as I was about to turn the youngest brother into a red mist, an intense pain shot through my neck. I was ejected backwards and rocked violently on the ground. The air disappeared from my lungs so quickly that I still gasped when Althea materialised in front of me, alongside Priam. The look in our eyes said a lot about the fierce hatred we shared for each other. She freed the nape of my neck from the yoke of her mind, and I spun past Eric’s body. He was breathing.

“We may heal him,” Althea said, “but your little adventure ends here.”

I looked up at her, my rage was palpable. Then they took Eric’s lifeless body away. Seeing him leave brought tears to my eyes as I realised the sudden end of our romance.

They didn’t lock my door. The old lady who was taking care of me, before the two young servants, resumed her place at my side. At 8 p.m., and after a long, agonising day, I was summoned for dinner. On the landing of the stairs, I passed Connor. He had time to raise an arm and say “Wait!”, before being ejected against a wall. He got up with difficulty.

“You could at least let me speak!” he shouted.

“I don’t want to listen to you!”

“What did you want me to do for Eric?! If I hadn’t captured him, he would be dead by now. He wouldn’t have taken two steps into the temple before Althea killed him. I didn’t have a choice!”

“Don’t talk so loud!”

Connor came running towards me, and grabbed my arm. He dragged me to a deserted corner. Once sure it was safe, he whispered.

“I told the Five that Carmichael had deserted the castle for some time, but that’s not true, he’s busy recruiting other castes.”

“You saw him? How is he?”

“He worries. What do you think? But I reassured him that you were safe and sound.”

“Why haven’t I heard from you? And why didn’t you convince Eric to go back to the castle rather than smash his head in?”

“I could leave here! They hold me too. And then, quite frankly, your plan was flawed. As for Eric, he wanted to see you at all costs. He was going to die if I hadn’t pretended to have captured him.”

“He was covered in bruises!”

“It had to be believable.”

“They just stabbed him.”

“And that’s not all.”

“What do you mean?”

“They filmed everything, Everliegh.”

“What are you talking about?”

“With Eric, they filmed everything. At the moment, the video is circulating in the mailboxes of all the castes listed.”

“But they don’t even have electricity! How…?”

“Just because they have decided to live by candlelight doesn’t mean there’s no electricity in the temple.”

Blood drained from my face as shame washed over me. I took a step back, Connor grabbed my hand. Not knowing what to think of this revelation, I found nothing better than to stare at him without expression as he escorted me into the dining room, where, as usual, the Five were seated. My mother was there, as well as Magnus and my brother. Cassandra and the historian were obviously no longer welcome.

“Finally, sit down!” ordered Priam, whose patience didn’t stifle.

I did, tired. I thought about what Connor had just told me. They had all received a video.

“The 21st century is full of wonderful inventions,” Priam said to his brother with a laugh, obviously thinking I didn’t know what it was all about.

“But not so good ones too,” Soban went on, “I’m not a big fan of the progress of science in terms of….”

I was no longer listening to their conversation about the inventions of the last century, when my mother’s voice mentally burst into my head.

“You have to escape!”

“I’ve been trying to reach you for weeks!”

“They locked us up, your brother and I. We couldn’t get out until today.”

“Ah… I understand better.”

“You have to leave, your friend is in very bad shape.”

“They’re not healing him?!”

“No, and tomorrow they plan to execute him in the Nave of Statues for what he did to you.”

“What did he do to me?!”

“They released a video showing you two. All the castes here,” Ethan interjected, “will seek justice by executing him because he turned you away from your husband.”

“Lord! I have to escape!”

“I know of a hidden exit,” my mother continued.

“Do you think it’s possible?”

“Your brother and I are going to help you. Tomorrow morning at five o’clock, get ready.”

“But you risk paying dearly for it.”

“We’ll manage, don’t worry,” Ethan said, his mental voice filling me with emotion.

“There’s no way I’m putting you in any danger!”

“They won’t risk killing us if you manage to escape,” my mother continued. “They will keep us and use us as bait to get you back. If you attack quickly, then we have nothing to fear, at least not death, if that’s what you mean.”

“Then, as soon as I return to Mortain, I will gather our forces and attack as soon as possible. I promise.”

After useless comments, boring conversations and a last drink by the fire, I was able to leave my jailers and return to my room. Chaos had invaded it, but it wasn’t the disorder that brought tears to my eyes. Eric was no longer there, and his absence filled the room. I clenched my fists as anger and grief gripped me. A gaping hole had formed in my heart. A new howl ejected in a breath everything that was in the suite through the huge window. Then, when my breathing regained a relative calm, and while I was alone in this empty room, my gaze became lost on the horizon. Another good six hours before leaving this damned place, I thought.