Lennox and Prim Róis weren’t as easily tamed. Since they were embodiments of Chaos and Discord, it wasn’t unexpected. Until the portal was sealed, they continued to freely send their court to meddle. Wrath had issued two warnings. The first a courtesy, the second a royal decree.
Lennox had sent even more of his court to spite the king of the Underworld.
The Pillars were buried below the earth and bound shortly after.
Now, as they stood in the ancient place, once teeming with magic, an odd sense of muted power thrummed from the inert columns.
Envy had never felt that before, wondered if the game was responsible. He made his way to them, the ache in his body dulling considerably.
Camilla walked to them like a person possessed, touching and marveling at each carving.
“The reproductions at House Sloth… they pale in comparison. The carvings are different, too. At least on this one.”
Envy snorted. “Please tell my brother that. He’ll be furious.”
She traced the art, slowly circling the columns. He wished they could remain there for as long as she liked, coming up with their own theories. But that wasn’t meant to be. She’d said Abyssus had mentioned sunset; he’d wager that was less than a quarter of an hour away.
He left the artist to her quiet contemplation and strode around the perimeter, looking for any clue or hint of what they were meant to do next.
The cavern had no other unique attributes aside from the Fae relics. He studied the shadows cast on the ground, wondering if they were meant to spark an idea.
Camilla expelled a breath, the sound breaking the stillness of the chamber. He turned to face her; she’d been watching him. As closely as she’d been just examining the pillars.
“What’s wrong with your court?” she asked. “Before we go any further, I need to know. I know that’s what’s driving you. I want to know what happened.”
His brows rose. That was the last question he’d expected her to ask him.
“The butler, your guards, the blood…” She narrowed her eyes, as if she could see through the wall he’d erected. “I’ve been going over my interactions at House Envy, and I can’t make sense of them.”
“What interactions?”
“Your butler didn’t remember where he was or who you were. Your guards could only repeat the same phrase continually. It’s like…” She nibbled on her lower lip. “It’s like they’re all losing their memories. And the blood…”
She glanced back at the pillars, brow crinkled.
“That’s it, isn’t it? Your court is losing their memories. And in the wreckage, somehow tearing each other apart.”
She wasn’t looking at him. Like she knew if she did it would be too hard for him to respond.
He remained still, silent. Waiting for her to piece more together. After a moment, she continued.
“The artifact you’re after, somehow that will stop the memory loss and whatever is making them attack one another. That’s why you need to win the game. Your court is falling apart, literally ripping itself apart in the process.”
Envy ran a hand through his hair, pacing away.
“I wouldn’t say falling apart. Fuck.”
That was exactly what was happening.
He walked away, shaking his head. Camilla watched him silently, allowing him time to speak without prompting.
Envy had been holding on to this secret for so long, he didn’t know how to let it go.
He stopped pacing.
“Like all demons in each House of Sin, my court isn’t immortal like me and my brothers, but even being long-lived is not without its complications.”
Camilla gave him a wry smile. “Mm.”
“To sum it up succinctly. Yes. My court is failing. Every few hundred years or so they need to purge memories in order to make new ones. A problem mortals wouldn’t understand. There are… complications when they aren’t able to purge. Namely, they begin forgetting. Overloaded, they confuse delusion with reality. Friend becomes foe. Everyone poses a danger.”
Understanding flickered in her gaze.
“If they can’t remember or make new memories, they cannot fuel their sin of choice, either.”
He gave her a bittersweet smile. She was much too clever indeed.
“Which in turn cannot fuel my power,” he added softly, for the first time confessing the full scope of what he’d been facing.
The chalice was the missing piece. Envy had inadvertently given it up more than two centuries before, and every year since, they’d been slowly losing power.
Then the game had begun, and things had gotten worse.
Camilla did not gasp or pity him. She was suddenly beside him, grabbing his arm, squeezing it firmly.
Silver eyes flashed like lightning, her words just as striking.
“You’re going to win.”
His mouth curved into a faint smile. “I never should have lost to begin with.”
“Don’t blame yourself.”
“It was my fault. I gave up the Chalice of Memoria, setting everything in motion.”
He wished he could take that action back. It was one of the few regrets he’d ever had.
“It’s a long story,” he added, noting her continued look. “We don’t have time for it now.”
“We absolutely do,” she said. “I think I solved the clue. But I need to know what you’re really after before I hand over whatever prize you’re seeking.”
He knew she wasn’t lying, so he finally gave in and told her the whole story.
“Without the Chalice of Memoria to offload memories, eventually my court will weaken to extinction, my rule will weaken, and my circle will be susceptible to being absorbed by another more powerful circle or sin. The chaos of a circle falling… let’s just say it would give the Unseelie King an opening to create more discord in our realm.”
He exhaled.
“There are two objects needed to set things to rights. The Chalice of Memoria, and the Aether Scrolls.”
Camilla remained silent, listening.
“I loaned the Chalice of Memoria to the mortal I was involved with. It was a silly request—she wished to drink from it on her birthday, be the envy of her friends.”
“She knew your sin.”
He nodded.
“It was only supposed to be gone for a few hours, so I didn’t see the harm. I should have. I knew what losing it would mean to my court. Instead of a small gathering with her mortal friends, she brought it to Faerie that night. When she died, Lennox found it and discovered its value.”
“She sounds like she was selfish.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Aren’t we all sometimes?”
Camilla pursed her lips, looking like she had a lot more to say on the matter but wouldn’t.
His sin ignited, flaring with her burst of jealousy. It fueled him, healing some of his wounds. Camilla misunderstood his defense.
Envy did not care for the mortal; he refused to even speak her name. He simply didn’t view her selfishness as her worst sin.
“What do the scrolls do?” Camilla asked.
“It helps to fully understand the chalice first. The Chalice of Memoria is carved with symbols and runes. So it not only siphons memories, but when activated properly can grant immortality, strike an enemy down, or give someone infinite wealth. Or anything else they desire. It is an object of immense and terrible power that predates even the oldest demons in the realm. The Aether Scrolls contain the spells needed to activate the chalice.”