He’s barely alive.
Marcus’s white coat is covered in blood, he wobbles as he tries to stand upright. Hildy grasps him in her arms as he collapses onto the floor.
“Where are your healers?” Connor’s face is frantic. “Help this boy!”
“He is of no consequence,” says the Teschio. “That one is only a Novice, after all. He should have accepted Hildy’s offer. At least, he wouldn’t have suffered.”
Hildy rounds on the Teschio, her eyes bright with rage and tears. “I hate you. How would you do this? You knew I didn’t have time to properly prepare the bond.”
The Teschio shrugs. “You shouldn’t have chatted without permission, then.”
Her mouth twists into a snarl. “You’re the one who deserves the torture pits!”
“And you’re a proven Grand Master Monopsyche. I’ll ready the spells to mark your forearm, then your new owner can take you away.” The Teschio steps out of the room, leaving Hildy and Connor behind.
Hildy cups Marcus’s face in her hands. “Stay with me, my love. We can heal you.”
Blood dribbles from the side of Marcus’s mouth. “Don’t call a healer, please. I saw the torture pits.” He shivers. “I’d rather die than remember that.”
I stare at the haunted look on Marcus’s face, my mouth filling with bile. One hour of seeing the torture pits and this grown man would prefer death. What would happen if Armageddon ever dragged my three-year old son there? Everyone says Armageddon’s cruelty makes the torture pits look tame.
Connor fumbles in his pockets. “I’ve spent years on demon patrol, my girl. Let me take a look at his wounds. Perhaps I can help.”
Hildy holds Marcus’s head against her chest. “He’s already gone.” Her voice breaks with grief. “There’s nothing to be done.”
Connor gently rests his hand on Hildy’s shoulder. “You need to leave this place. I can take you away.”
“I don’t want to be a monopsyche anymore. I want to die, too.”
“Now, don’t say that, my girl. Come with me to Antrum and meet my grandson. He’s the one I want you to guard, you know.”
“I don’t want to guard him. I don’t want to be protect anyone.”
“Now, how do know you that if you won’t meet the little chap?” Connor scratches his cheek, his eyes lost in thought. “And I’ll tell you what. If you just meet the boy, I’ll give you your freedom. Your choice. Meet him, then stay or walk away.”
Minutes pass as Hildy scans Marcus’s lifeless face. At length, she inhales a long breath. “He’d want me to leave.” She dries her eyes with her fingertips, leaving streaks of blood across her cheeks. “You have yourself a deal.”
Bit by bit, the image of the stone room disappears. With it goes much of my innocence about what’s really been taking place inside my own family.
Chapter Four
Lincoln and I return to our audience chamber at the precise places where we started our journey into Hildy’s memories. Although my body hasn’t moved an inch, my mind is upside down. The true definition of a Grand Master monopsyche has short-circuited my brain.
Hildy sits on a leather chair in our audience chamber, her elbows resting on her knees. “Sorry to leave you alone in that scene.”
I take a seat on the couch across from her, careful to keep my voice gentle. “Don’t worry about it. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to relive that experience, either.”
“It was the only way I could think of to show you the truth,” says Hildy. “Now, you know what I do. Like you saw in my memory, I need to cast a few days worth of spells, but once that magical link is in place, I can move my mark from anywhere, including Hell.”
“Right, got it.” My chest tightens with fresh bands of worry. Some small part of me had hoped the threat against Maxon wouldn’t be real. But after seeing Hildy’s memories? There’s no question that my boy is at risk.
Hildy kicks at the Persian carpet with her boot. “Look, you don’t know me, but I’ve gotten to hang out with Maxon. Octavia snuck me in to meet him and he’s a good kid. I don’t have family of my own, so I care about what happens to him.” She straightens her shoulders. “All I’m saying is that if you want me to cast the spells and forge the bond with your boy, then I’m in.”
Lincoln and I answer at the same time. “Do it.”
“Glad to hear that.” Hildy smiles with relief. “Do I still work for Connor and Octavia, though?” The look on her face says that Hildy has no desire to work for the liar faction of our family.
“No, you’ll be on our payroll going forward,” explains Lincoln. “Myla and I are meeting shortly with the King and Queen Emeritus, and we’ll straighten everything out. My apologies that you’ve gotten in the middle of our—” He exhales, trying to find the words. “Strange family dynamic.”