Wild Knight (Midnight Empire: The Tower #1)(59)

“I need you alive, Your Highness. I can’t take on Dashiell without help, not while he has the stone. We’re in the middle of a university. There are healers here.” In a university of this size and stature, there was bound to be at least one poison expert too.

“I know where they are,” Maeron said. He bolted from the chapel before anyone could respond.

Callan cradled the back of his sister’s head in the crook of his elbow. It was the same way my mother had held me as a child. If I closed my eyes, I could still hear the sound of her voice as she sang to me, encouraging me to sleep.

He spoke in a soothing tone to Davina. “Do you remember that time we hid in the cellars and Maeron couldn’t find us?”

A faint smile touched her lips. “So angry,” she whispered.

“Focus on that,” he encouraged. “Think of all the fun we had.”

“Hurts,” she said.

Despite my feelings about vampires, the scene was painful to witness. Davina fighting for her life. A powerful vampire struggling to keep his emotions in check. He truly cared about Davina and felt responsible for her. The Highland Reckoning had a weak spot after all and he was currently holding her in his arms.

“Why would he do this?” Callan asked.

“Because he’s giving himself time to get away and regroup,” I explained. “He knows we’ll stop to try and save the princess.”

“I’m sorry,” Davina whispered.

“No need to apologize.” He stroked her cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“The stone…It’s special.”

“We know,” he said.

“You can’t let him keep it.” She seemed to have difficulty swallowing. “Too much power.”

“Do you know where they plan to hold the ritual?” I asked.

“No. Only that it had to be performed at a precise time to harness the full power of the celestial event.” She coughed again. “23:05.”

We didn’t have much time.

Maeron rushed into the chapel, trailed by a man and a woman in purple cloaks. “They can help.”

Callan lifted Davina into his arms and stood. In one swift move, he jumped to the floor with the grace of a jungle cat. He placed Davina on the cushioned bench and smoothed back her hair.

Davina snarled as the woman approached.

“No, sister. She’s here to help you. Let her.”

“Don’t let her bite you or she’ll infect you too,” I warned.

Davina thrashed under the prince’s grip as the man and woman used their magic to pull the poison to the surface. Red lines were replaced by beads of grayish-black as they extracted the poison from Davina’s veins. The young vampire began to relax.

“She should heal quickly now,” the woman said.

Callan looked at me, his eyes a soft haze of green. “Thank you.”

I left the chapel and ran straight to the Circus. If I was going to take on a druid with the Elemental Stone in the midst of a celestial event, I was going to need backup.

“The druid’s going old school. I like it.” Kami said, once I updated the other knights. “Except for the whole killing people part. That’s bad.”

“We know when,” Minka said. “Do we know where?”

“If he’s planning a major ritual, he’s going to need the right kind of space,” Neera said.

“A clear pathway to the heavens,” Kami agreed. “Maybe they’ll go to the top of the Gherkin. Maybe that’s why he was there before, to scope out the area.”

My mind worked through everything I’d learned, including a few nuggets of wisdom from someone writing her thesis on the function of space and rituals in ancient Britannia.

Much importance was placed on the right location. Proximity to the heavens was often a crucial factor.

Bingo. “I think I know.”

“Tell me.”

I whipped around, shocked to see Prince Callan in the Pavilion. He observed us with a murderous glint in his eyes.

“How did you get in here?” Minka demanded.

He snarled. “Do you know who I am?”

“You didn’t hurt Treena, did you?” I asked.

He shifted his gaze to me. “What kind of monster do you think I am?”

I relaxed slightly. “Why are you here?”

“You said you needed me alive to help you.” He spread his arms wide. “Here I am. I’m going to kill the druid, but first I’ll make him regret his choices.”

I didn’t doubt it. Even though his anger wasn’t directed at me, I was terrified.

“The highest point,” I said. “That’s where the ritual will be.”

Ione shot me a quizzical look. “Tower Hill?”

“No. The highest point in all of Britannia City. Westerham Heights.” Thank you, Lucy.

“Everybody suit up,” Kami ordered.

Minka winced. “Everybody? Someone should stay here in case…”

I placed both hands on her desk. “Let me explain the situation. If the druid manages to access the full power of the stone, he will become the most powerful practitioner of elemental magic in the world. He will be able to melt every building in this city with you in it. He will be able to command the Thames and flatten every hill that stands in his way.”