Queen of Myth and Monsters (Adrian X Isolde, #2)(24)

“Shall we begin with our most pressing matter?” Tanaka asked.

“Are they not all pressing?” Adrian asked. “We have a witch on the run who has stolen a spell book, and we have no inkling of her plans. Yesterday, Cel Ceredi was attacked by a pack of aufhockers, and nearly thirty of our people are dead.”

“Forgive me, my king,” said Tanaka. “I assumed you wished to speak of the traitor.”

“Dracul is hunting Julian,” Adrian replied. “Unless you speak of another?”

I studied Daroc and Sorin, Ana and Tanaka, but none of them tensed at Adrian’s comment, though I knew it was a warning as much as it was an acknowledgment that he knew.

“N-no, my king,” Tanaka said.

There was silence following the exchange, but after a moment, Daroc sat forward and spoke.

“Our problems seem related to me,” said Daroc.

I met the general’s gaze. “How so?”

He did not look at me as he answered. Instead, he stared hard at the table.

“It cannot be a coincidence that Ravena attacked us with the crimson mist, and two days later, we face another attack.”

“Yes, but she got exactly what she wanted,” I said. Ravena had killed innocent people before—namely her entire coven—but even that decision had been strategic. She gained nothing from killing a handful of villagers and farmers. “She didn’t steal a spell book only to return and kill innocent victims.”

That magic was meant for something far worse.

“Why are you assigning morals to our enemies?” This time, Noblesse Razan spoke. “They do not care who they kill so long as they win.”

“Win what?” I asked. “You do not even know what she is fighting for.”

“It does not matter. She has attacked our home, and for that, she must die.”

I ground my teeth.

“How do you expect to find her if you do not know what she fights for?”

“You already said she wanted the spell book,” said Noblesse Iker.

“The spell book is a tool,” I said. “Nothing more.”

“The woman wants power,” Tanaka said. “I fail to see how that will help us.”

“Men want power,” Ana said. It was the first time she had spoken, and everyone at the table turned to look at her. “Women want to exist without fear.”

“This is ridiculous,” said Razan, offering a mocking laugh. “You have made this far more complicated than it needs to be.”

“Then tell us how to find her,” Adrian said.

The humor drained from Razan’s face, and he fell silent, but Ana’s comment had made me consider Ravena’s fears. I knew what she feared most.

Me.

“Perhaps the focus should not be on finding her so much as fighting her magic,” I said. “As we learned with Ciro, though powerful, none of you are immune.”

Silence followed my statement. None of them liked to be reminded that they could die so easily.

“How do you suggest we fight magic?” asked Daroc.

“You can’t,” I said, and for a moment, I stared at Ana, remembering how she had used magic when Gesalac attacked.

“Magic belongs to women.”

“If that is the case, why do you not have magic?” Razan said coolly.

“Enough,” Adrian snapped, and his voice echoed in the room.

I looked down at my hands, hands that had once summoned magic with a simple snap of my fingers.

But in this life, I was powerless.

I had no great ability.

I gave Adrian a mortal weakness.

“If you have nothing to offer, we have had enough of your council,” Adrian said. “Leave us.”

Chairs scraped the floor as the men pushed away from the table. As they rose, they bowed, though Razan lingered.

“My king, I did not mean—” he began.

“You were not invited to speak,” Adrian said. “Though since you have endeavored to do so, let me be clear that your apology does not belong to me. It belongs to my wife. The very fact that you cannot see that is unforgivable.”

He paled at Adrian’s words, mouth pressed tight as he left the table.

Alone, Adrian’s hand came to rest on mine, which were clenched into fists in my lap.

“I am sorry,” Adrian said, thumb brushing over my knuckles. “Razan is a fool.”

“A fool, yes,” I said, my eyes burning, and I hated that the noblesse’s words had unleashed such a reaction within me. “But he is not wrong. I do not know how to connect with my magic.”

Adrian tipped my head back and I was forced to meet his gaze.

“Magic or not, you are no less valuable to me,” he said, and he leaned in, pressing a lingering kiss to my forehead. I closed my eyes, forcing down these emotions I did not want to have around something I could not control.

When Adrian drew away, his gaze was troubled.

“What is it?” I asked.

“You said that with The Book of Dis, Ravena could resurrect the dead.”

“The magic contained within that book is powerful enough, yes,” I said. “If that is what she intends, I do not know.”

He was quiet for a moment and when he spoke, it was as if he were confessing. “Sorin found the gravesite of High Coven yesterday. It was empty.”