“Was there something you needed, Quinn?”
“Yes. There’s been a magickal message. Petra would like you to transport to the Zelle Cloister. She’d like to speak with you.”
“Is there some problem getting everyone to the Zelle?”
“Not to worry. The Fantomes gave us totem rings to transport. They had quite a hoard of them saved up over the years.” His scarred mouth tipped up into a smile. “It seemed you were right that some of them might be worth saving.”
A shiver of worry rolled up my spine. Then why did Petra want me? “The Zelle hasn’t turned my Necromancers away, have they?”
I winced as I realized what I’d said. My Necromancers. By the Sire. I was getting attached to them already.
“Petra is taking everyone in, not to worry.”
Quinn rubbed his chin slowly. I half expected the purple image of a skull and teeth to brush off on his fingertips. “But she’d still like to talk. She asks that you transport directly into her office.”
A request to talk… That was never a good sign from Petra. I pulled my blanket more tightly around my shoulders. “Do you think she’s angry?”
Quinn shrugged. “She’s a Grand Mistress Necromancer. Who can tell how she feels?”
“Of course.” I scrubbed my hand over my face. “I’ll get ready and transport myself there.”
“Are you certain you’re healthy enough?”
“I’ll be fine.”
Quinn stared at me, wide-eyed. “Are you going to use hybrid magick?”
“I drained the last bone crawlers with my spell to raise the dead.” I tilted my head. “Unless you’ve found some?”
It was meant in jest. Quinn’s mouth thinned with worry all the same. “We’ve searched for more of those without success. My deepest apologies, Tsarina.”
I raised my pointer finger, ready to correct Quinn for calling me Tsarina yet again. But I noticed how his shoulders were shaking with worry. When did I become such a frightening character? “Please, don’t fret. That was simply an attempt at humor, Quinn. I don’t know how to use hybrid magick without the bone crawlers.”
“What about teaming with Genesis Rex?”
You mean the liar who’s marrying someone else?
I cleared my throat. “Genesis Rex and I won’t share magick again.” I meant to sound serene, but my words had an edge of anger to them. This conversation wasn’t helping, so I gestured to the door. “I need to get ready for Petra now.”
“As you command.” Quinn left in a blur of movement and purple robes.
Once he was gone, I walked over to my traveling trunk, pulled open the lid, and began searching inside for my Grand Mistress Necromancer robes.
Time to see my Mother Superior.
An hour later, I was leaning against the stone wall of Petra’s study in the Zelle Cloister. My old Mother Superior sat behind her desk, carefully setting quill to paper. With every brushstroke, small poufs of blue dust flew up from her work. Petra didn’t need to ask me to wait quietly. I knew what it was like to get partially done with a casting, only to have it ruined by an interruption.
At last, Petra set down her quill. She looked as she had before, only the lines on her face had deepened, and her hair was now a purer shade of white. Her gaze was sharp as ever, though. Her eyes locked onto mine. “Elea.”
“Mother.”
“You’ve dropped a great many people on my doorstep.” She spoke the words in the classic monotone of a proper Necromancer.
“We discussed this before. You were going to take them all in.”
“And so I have.” She leaned forward, bracing her elbows on her desktop. “But that was before you raised two thousand Necromancers from the dead. They don’t wish my leadership. They crave yours.”
“It’s over for me, Petra. We talked about this before I left to find Ada and the others. Once this quest was done, I’d go back to my old life.” I’d had it with magick. It had brought me nothing but pain and heartache. The more I’d thought about it, the more I wanted my old life back. That meant Braddock Farm.
Petra’s gaze pinned me to the spot. “Amelia is here, you know. She’s watching over Veronique. She suspects some kind of bond between you and Rex.”
The words hurt me more than I thought they would. “I’d like to see her.”
“She’s asked to be kept in seclusion with Veronique.”
“Why?”
“On my suggestion.” Petra’s face stayed emotionless. The woman was a true Necromancer. “I don’t want either of you doing anything rash. You both need time.”
“A wise suggestion, Mother.”
“I cast a seeing spell. I know everything about you and Genesis Rex.”
My back stiffened. “That’s my personal business.”
Petra’s voice took on a hard edge. “Not when thousands of Necromancers see you as their Tsarina, it isn’t. Especially when you asked me to lead them for you.”
I bowed my head. “You’ve taken on a huge burden for me and our people. Of course, you need to do what you think is best to lead us.”
Petra rose. “I had warned you about emotion, Elea.”