“Would you have preferred that I die? There wasn’t a lot of choice at the time.”
He gripped my shoulders. “Tell me what happened.”
“Go to hell.”
“Trust me, I’m there. But I’m still responsible for the lives of millions of people.” His eyes were wild with worry. “Tell me what happened. Please.”
“The vortex watch got charged with my Necromancer power. The Vicomte tried to steal it. He failed. The man’s worm fodder now.”
“So, you have the vortex watch? May I see it?”
The vortex watch. Yet another thing that was more important to Rowan than the topic of getting engaged to someone else. Millions of lives better be at stake, or I know one lying Caster who’ll be losing his own. I gritted my teeth, lifted the device from my pocket, and placed it on his palm. A tiny jolt of connection erupted as our skin brushed. How I hated my body for still craving him.
Rowan flipped over the small device. “There are no markings. Nothing about the sword.”
“The Sword of Theodora? Is that what you’re looking for?”
Rowan didn’t answer, and my understanding for his plight faded. He’d lied to me about so many things already. At this point, I was betting the only thing at risk was Rowan’s sword collection. “Answer me.”
“Yes, that’s what the treaty was all about. A wedding with Amelia in exchange for the sword. The Vicomte knows where it is.”
My hands balled into fists. “You and your damned weapons.” I hope they keep you warm at night, because the gods know, I won’t. I turned toward the door.
“Where are you off to?”
I stared at him for a long moment. He was a liar, but he had a small army of guards at his call, and I needed to get those Necromancers out of the dungeon. “I found the lost Necromancers. They’re weak and injured.” I forced the next words past my lips. “I came here to ask your help in evacuating them.”
“Of course. How many are down there?”
“A few dozen.”
Rowan stalked toward the open archway that led back to the ballroom and let out a low whistle. When Rowan returned, he had Jakob alongside him. I’d met the man before; he was one of Rowan’s guards. We’d had our differences in the past, however we’d moved past that.
Jakob eyed me with open contempt. “Elea. I should have known you’d be delaying Rowan in doing his duties.”
Then again, he could still hate me.
“Depends on how you define duty, Jakob.”
“Enough.” Rowan focused on Jakob. “There are two dozen Necromancers in the dungeons under this mansion. I need them taken to safety as quickly as possible. Find the Caster guards on perimeter patrol. Round them up, cast a low-level tracking spell, and rescue the mages. They may have cast some wards. Break them. I’ll catch up with you shortly. Elea and I still have things to discuss.”
“No, we don’t.” Still, I didn’t walk out the door.
Jakob bowed slightly at the waist. “As you command.” He slipped out the side exit and off into the night.
Rowan focused his attention on me. “We need to talk.”
“First, I need that watch.” I held out my hand, and he reset the device onto my palm. I was proud that I managed the transfer without touching him at all. Something to get used to, I supposed.
The floor shook with another tremor. This was the worst one yet. Rowan frowned. “These have been happening all night. I’m told it’s normal for this area.”
“I’m not so sure.” I knelt down and set my palm against the floor. The stone was cool to the touch. The tremor was still there. An assessor spell would tell me if the threat was real. Closing my eyes, I reached out with my mage senses, searching for fresh magick. A thin trickle of power moved through me.
“What are you trying to cast?”
“Assessor spell.” I shot him a cold look. “When I fought the Vicomte, I tired myself out. It’s taking a while to pull in enough energy.”
Rowan knelt at my side. “Let me try.”
I glanced toward the open archway. “We don’t want to attract Fantomes.”
“I’ll keep my levels low. They won’t sense a thing.” He set his palm against the floor. The veins in his right hand glowed red with magick. Rowan whispered a low incantation. He was increasing the power of the spell. It wasn’t a good sign.
“What do you see?”
“The gateway. Someone’s trying to break through.”
“It’s the Tsar.”
“Why now?”
That’s right. I’d forgotten that Casters didn’t use totem rings. I raised the device I still held in my palm. “The gateway starts to open when the totem ring is fully charged? It’s not a coincidence. I think the Tsar set this all up as a back door to leave the Eternal Lands. It’s not an easy kind of magick to manage, but—” My insides twisted with worry.
“The Tsar has done all sorts of things that aren’t easy.” Rowan scrubbed his hands over his face. “My spell showed immense underground damage. If he breaks through that gateway, the entire foundation of this place could collapse. Not to mention whatever he plans to do when he breaks free.”