Back in the Well of Memory, I stared at the roughened crystal in my palm. For the first time since I’d become immortal again, I swore I felt the phantom beating of a human heart I no longer possessed. I couldn’t believe it. I’d found what I’d been searching for, but collecting the blade would not be easy. Claudia, my dearest friend, was the First Witch’s daughter. Lucia. Pride’s missing wife who was presumed dead, even by Wrath. And Claudia did not remember any of it.
Unlike me, she’d chosen to forget her prince. A decision that tore her apart, but she’d found the strength to do it. Because she’d felt it was best for her. Blood and bones. I didn’t want to be the monster who made her recall her heartache, and I had no desire to lead any of the demon princes to my friend after she’d successfully disappeared. It was a miracle none of them had encountered her while they’d been on our version of the Shifting Isles.
Claudia clearly didn’t want to be found, especially by her husband, and she’d moved on. She was happy, content with the new life she’d carved out for herself.
But my choices were limited. Claudia had the Blade of Ruination, the only weapon capable of severing the curse, and hidden in her mind was a secret about how to get the dagger to work without destroying it. I carefully replayed that part of her memory in my mind, desperate for any other way to get the information and leave my friend to the peace she’d found.
The dagger was also rumored to break curses, but Lucia knew a secret about it that no one else did, save her mother. A secret that would either activate the blade or see it destroyed forever if done incorrectly.
I had little doubt my friend would hand over the dagger if I asked for it, but for me to use it properly, Claudia needed her memory back. I wasn’t sure if there was a limit to how many times one could purge a memory. If she took the memory of that night back now, she might never be rid of it again. In our realm it had been nearly two decades of forgetting, of moving on for her. And I saw no other avenue to take to avoid causing her pain. It was a terrible price to ask of someone else, and I’d do anything to pay the cost myself.
“Divine goddess above. There has to be…”
Lucia knew a secret about it that no one else did, save her mother.
“Blessed be the wicked.”
My lips curved. The devil truly was in the details as humans liked to say. Wrath, the king of even the most minute of details, would be pleased his reputation preceded him. There was one other person who knew the blade’s secret. One I did not mind hurting to get information from.
If anything, I was eager to offer revenge for my husband and my friend. I carefully placed the memory stone in my bodice and headed for the dungeon. It was time to thaw out Sursea and see what interesting things she had to say about the Blade of Ruination.
By blood and by pain, or of her own free will, she’d tell me what I wished to know.
Burning wildflowers floated above the frozen statue that was Sursea, the heat of my magic warming the otherwise frigid room. I sat on a stool a guard had brought in and watched impassively as ice melted and dripped onto the stone floor.
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.