Garden of Serpents (The Demon Queen Trials #3)(71)

“Kas told me not to trust anyone, not even him. He said a demon never lets you know all the kinds of magic they’ve mastered because it’s an advantage to keep their weapons hidden.”

She swallowed hard. “Yeah, well, he was right about not trusting him. But what do we do now?”

My phone buzzed again, and my hands shook as I read another message from Kas.

“What is it?” The wind whipped at Shai’s dark curls.

I took a deep breath, staring at the text. “Kas says he managed to trap Orion in the dungeon, and he can break the wards to let me in there. He says I can’t trust anyone, and I shouldn’t speak to anyone, and it’s time for me to take matters into my own hands.”

“He’s desperate to end Orion’s life,” said Shai. “This isn’t even subtle.”

I swallowed hard. “He’s panicking.”

As the Porsche hurled northeast on Route 128, I felt sick.

“What, exactly, are we doing?” asked Sabazios. “For your mother’s sake and yours, I’ll do anything in my power to protect you, but please just clue me in.”

“Thank you, Sabazios.” I pulled out my phone and flicked to Legion’s number. “Before we get too close to the city walls, let’s start by trying to find out whether Legion is working with Kas. As subtly as we can.”

“He isn’t,” said Shai from the back seat.

“Okay, but let me prove it, Shai.” I dialed Legion’s number, and he picked up after just one ring.

“Rowan?” he asked in a loud whisper. “What’s happening?”

“Legion, have you been back into the City of Thorns, by any chance?”

“Yeah,” he said, sounding surprised. “I’m here now. Invisible, of course. I wanted to see what Orion was doing. He’s been making speeches throughout the day at the Tower of Baal. He has a crowd there thoroughly worked up. Seems completely unhinged.”

I closed my eyes. “When was the last time you saw him?”

“I just left one of his rants fifteen minutes ago. He’s talking about enslaving mortals and seeking revenge on them. He’s lost his mind.”

I took a deep breath. “I’m a bit confused because Kas sent me a text saying Orion was locked in the dungeons right now.”

“What? No. Kas told you that?” he asked, baffled. “I haven’t been able to find him since you ran off. Are you sure it was him?”

It would appear Kas hadn’t filled in Legion on his latest lies. “What do you know about Kas’s magical abilities?”

A long pause met me on the other line. “Why don’t you ask him?”

“Why don’t I ask him?” I replied. “Because I’m trying to figure out who the fuck to trust, and—”

Shai grabbed the phone from my hand and turned on the speaker. “Legion, it’s Shai. Someone turned me in to the mortal police in Sudbury. Now that someone was either you or Kas. We all know someone from our team gave advanced warning to the hunters, the cops. So if you have any knowledge of Kas’s abilities, now is the time to tell us. How good is he at creating illusions? Can he glamour himself to look like another person?”

Legion waited so long to answer, I almost thought he’d hung up. “Shai,” he said softly, at last. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Straight from the Massachusetts Correctional Institution in Concord. Can you answer my question?”

“Kas is extremely powerful, yes,” he said at last. “He’s an artist. You’ve seen his work. His illusions are as skilled as his drawings. Yes. He can appear as another person. He really loathes the entire concept of the monarchy. But I have a hard time believing—”

“Legion,” she interrupted, cutting him off. “Sorry, but that’s all we needed to know.”

“It’s not Orion,” I shouted. “It’s Kas, Legion! Pretending to be him. He created the illusion. I’m going to guess you haven’t seen the two of them in the same place at the same time today.”

“I haven’t,” he admitted.

“Meet us outside the City of Thorns,” said Shai. “Where the secret entrance leads underground. Stay away from Kas and King Orion. We’re going to need to work together.”

“And Legion?” I shouted. “I’m going to need more of that antidote.”





42





ORION





I lay on the cold stone floor of my own cell, my hands bound behind my back. The caustic poison slid through my veins. In a few days, the poison wouldn’t matter. In the dungeons, outside the city walls, my magic would ebb from me.

I’d be locked in here once more—my old home.

Kas had bound my wrists behind my back and gagged my mouth. I’d left my cottage before dawn because I’d wanted to bring Rowan back my favorite fresh bread. I didn’t need guards—at least, that’s what I’d thought.

But all it had taken was a few darts fired from a distance, and I’d fallen to my knees.

I remembered Kasyade, all those years ago. When the mortals had taken me from my home and marched me past Molor’s severed head on my way out, Kasyade had been standing there, watching it all. An older boy, a friend of Molor’s, he’d watched it unfold. I’d screamed at him for help, and he’d done nothing. Hadn’t even looked upset. He’d just watched.