Here was an earlier version of Cosimo, younger than when she met him, several centuries later. But he was the same man.
However, he wasnotthe same. One glance was enough to gather that this man wasn’t the warm, almost paternal figure who’d reminded her to pack a bag and urged her to be more cautious. This Cosimo moved with calculating precision, his eyes cold and assessing as they swept over the assembled courtiers. She couldn’t imagine this Cosimo pressing a tender, reassuring kiss to anyone’s forehead.
Behind him came Catherine herself, regal in dark blue silks, her face unreadable as she passed Cosimo a small velvet pouch. It barely contained the light from the sparkling blue stone within.
Cosimo bowed deeply. “The scrying stone predicts that victory will be yours by the new moon, Your Majesty.”
Catherine’s lips curved in a smile that never reached her eyes. “Excellent, young man. We’re gratified to see that your studies in Egypt have served you so well. We are even more grateful that you’ve had the wisdom to share that scrying stone’s power with your monarch. You were fated to serve in this court, Cosimo. You will go far.”
“Yes, your majesty.” Cosimo’s head bowed.
“Our astronomers assure us the event will come soon. You should set to work grooming a suitable sacrifice for the coming eclipse ritual. Someone who will give their life for France.” She spun and retreated into her chambers.
“Sacrifice?” Will murmured, his face pale.
Zani shook her head in disbelief. “This can’t be right. Cosimo was a scientist, a historian. He couldn’t have. He wouldn’t!” But the evidence was before her eyes. Cosimo tucked the pouch inside his robes with practiced efficiency, as though handling materials for the queen was routine.
The crowd dispersed after Catherine retreated to her chambers. Cosimo remained, examining a parchment before starting down a corridor to their left.
“We need to follow him,” Zani said, her voice hollow.
Will caught her arm as she moved to step out from behind the column. The touch sent a jolt through them both as their tags suddenly warmed against their skin.
“Zani, wait.” His fingers tightened protectively. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I have,” she said. “The man I thought I knew wouldn’t take part in this sort of stuff. Dark magic? Sacrifices? This isn’t the Cosimo I know.”
Will’s eyes softened with concern. “People change. Or maybe... maybe they don’t, and we just never really knew them.” The heat from their tags intensified as Will’s hand still held her arm, a strange, uncomfortable resonance building between them. Zani yanked her arm away.
“There’s no ‘we,’ Will. You’ve never met him in any timeline, so you don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped.
Will winced. “I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I just can’t imagine that…” He paused as he searched for the next word, lips twitching with distaste as he spat out the word that was stuck. “Thatvampireever being the good guy?”
“We need to see what’s in his laboratory,” Zani said, pulling herself together. “If he’s the one corrupting the stone for Catherine, there will be evidence.”
They followed at a safe distance as Cosimo turned down increasingly narrow passages, finally stopping at a simple unmarked wooden door. Will and Zani ducked behind a tapestry just in time to avoid being seen as Cosimo glanced around, checking for spies. Quickly, he undid the lock. Only after ensuring the coast was clear did he trace the pattern of a twelve-pointed star on the door. When it swung open, he slipped inside.
“Now what?” Will whispered.
Zani studied the door. “Now we wait. Hopefully, he won’t be long.”
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Cosimo emerged, now carrying a leather case. He locked the door with a key from his belt and strode away, his footsteps echoing on the stone.
“Can you pick it?” Will asked.
Zani reached into one of her satchel’s many hidden pockets and pulled out a hairpin. She held it up to show to Will. “See! It pays to be prepared!”
She worked fast to recreate the twelve-pointed magical sigil exactly as Cosimo had drawn it to clear away any wards. As skilled as he was, his Ordinary mage magic was no match for her own experience and talent. The simple lock yielded with ease to her skilled fingers.
“Piece of cake!” she whispered confidently. They slipped stealthily inside, closing the door behind them.
Cosimo’s vast workspace was both familiar and alien to Zani. The organization of his materials, the precise arrangement of books and instruments—all spoke of the careful, conscientious, and methodical man she knew. But the contents told a different story.
At the back of this makeshift lab were stoves and furnaces where athanors bubbled with viscous liquids, emitting noxious fumes. Jars containing all manner of preserved specimens lined the walls. The eyeballs bobbing in the cloudy solution looked distinctly human.
A series of symbols were etched into the floor, and the wine-colored stains beside them did more than hint at the active pursuit of dark rituals.
“This isn’t ordinary science or anything natural,” Will said, revulsion clear in his voice. “This is?—”
