I clutched my stomach. I’d seen some cold and cruel things in my lifetime. This was one of the worst. A loyal mage was murdered before my eyes, and for what? A power play between two rivals. The temperature seemed to drop to icy levels. Gretel thought she’d left the cruelties of the Tsar for the safety of the Vicomte. As much as I dreaded the Fantomes, I could only pity her.
Gretel’s body shifted as the bone crawler under her skin glowed a brighter shade than ever before. Flames erupted where the insect lay hidden. Smoke poured off Gretel’s flesh as she burned up from the inside out. Within seconds, she was nothing but a pile of ash on the stone. What a waste.
Without so much as a glance at her body, the Vicomte scooped up the torch from the wall and strode out of the cave.
I stood and watched him go. For a long minute, I stared at the darkening shadows he left behind. “We must find Ada before the Vicomte charges up that vortex watch. We’ve less than a day left.”
“Your Sisters are close by. I’m certain of it.”
Excitement sped through my bloodstream. “As am I.”
“These dungeons are massive. To find them quickly, we should cast a searcher sphere. As long as we keep the power levels low, it shouldn’t attract attention.” Rowan lowered his voice. “I can cast the spell, if you like.”
“No, I’ll do it.” Closing my eyes, I pulled Necromancer power to me. I only allowed a small trickle to ease into my fingertips. My bones soon glowed dimly with power. Blue mist appeared around my hand as I whispered the incantation.
Search the night
Brothers and Sisters of death
Find where they gather
Show me their breath
The mist solidified into the form of a glowing orb made of blue light. A searcher sphere. It hovered weightlessly before me. Raising my left hand again, I turned to the shining orb. “Your Grand Mistress commands you. Find my people.”
The sphere bobbed in the air and then sped toward the exit. I followed it at a run.
Chapter Eighteen
Rowan and I raced after the shimmering orb as it sped through the maze of passageways. Around us, everything was quiet and deserted. The pale blue light from the sphere gave us our only illumination. As I rushed along, I swung my head from side to side, searching for any sign of guards or Fantomes. We were definitely alone.
At least, we were so far.
The small sphere whipped down another passage and through an open doorway. After that, it paused.
We were here, wherever here was. My forehead sheened over with sweat.
Rowan and I stepped into a massive and empty laboratory. Long wooden tables filled the space. The sphere now hovered by the far wall.
I stopped by the nearest table. “I’ve seen a laboratory like this one before. It’s where the Vicomte’s so-called children conducted experiments.”
Rowan picked up a small blade from the tabletop. “These are thick with dust.” His forehead creased. “The coating is far too heavy to be natural.”
He handed me the tiny knife. There was no mistaking the thick, flaky substance covering the metal. The hairs on my neck stood on end. “This isn’t dust. It’s ashes.”
“What kind of ashes?”
“The kind that Gretel left behind.” I forced my voice to stay calm. Inside, I felt anything but.
Rowan gently rested his hand on my shoulder. “The Vicomte tried using bone crawlers to drain those with Necromancer power.”
I nodded. “And those bone crawlers would only answer to the Tsar.” A chill of worry wound down my spine. “That wouldn’t have stopped the Vicomte from trying to manipulate them anyway. And if the Necromancers didn’t live through the experiments, then…” I didn’t need to finish the thought. We’d seen firsthand what happened when the bone crawler inside Gretel died.
Rowan strode toward the door. “We should leave, Elea. There are no live Necromancers here.”
Part of me knew I should listen to Rowan. After all, moving on was the most logical thing to do. I was after living Necromancers, not the dead.
But I couldn’t go.
Instead, I walked deeper into the old laboratory. With every step, the tables changed. They became heavier. One had broken parts of a crank attached. I’d seen these before. Torturers called it the rack. I picked up a heavy length of leather from the floor.
A restraining belt.
Bile crawled up my throat. “What happened here?”
“Nothing we should concern ourselves with now. Let’s ask my contacts for more information. Perhaps your Sisters are held in an estate nearby.”
That logical part of me spoke louder in my soul.
Leave, Elea.
I tossed the belt to the floor. Rage and disgust wheeled inside me. My people had been brought here and tortured, all to gather up their Necromancer power. “I’m not going anywhere until I know what happened.” I moved closer to the far wall.
Only this wasn’t a wall.
It was a massive pile of blackened ash that filled the back of the laboratory from floor to ceiling.
My mouth fell open. “This can’t be.”
Rowan stepped to my side. “By the gods.”
“So much ash. It can’t be mages.” My voice was steady, yet my limbs trembled with fear. “I have to cast a spell to find out. If there are the remains of someone who can help me here, then my casting will detect it.”