Chapter Thirteen
Ethan
“Is it ready, Delmare?”
Delmare sat on the floor of an abandoned classroom off the fourth wing of the university. She stirred a cauldron slowly, focusing with intent concentration. Stefan leaned against the wall behind her, while Emma and I stood overhead. Sunlight from dawn was breaking through the windows. It was incredibly early, as shown by the shadows on all our faces.
“Almost,” Delmare said. She took a ladle and poured a small amount of the brew into a jar. “I hope we got this one right.”
I hoped so, too. This was our only shot— there were no backup plans. Gabby and Elijah’s trials of competency were today, and if they didn’t fail, they’d be coronated by May. We were here to make sure that didn’t happen. We had two separate plans, one for Gabby, and one for Elijah, but both needed to work if we were going to stop them.
Emma frowned as she watched Delmare stir the pot. “Are you sure this potion is going to work?”
Delmare knitted her eyebrows together. “I’m no alchemist like Kiara, but I’m sure this one is right.”
I resisted giving a scoff. The potion of extreme confusion Delmare was brewing took nearly a month to brew. Delmare had screwed up the potion twice, and had to start over. She had to get it correct this time.
Delmare shook the glass in her hand. “Okay, so who wants to try?”
“I’ll do it,” Stefan said. He took the potion from Delmare, and drank it. He made a face before he said, “I don’t feel any different.”
My heart fell, until Emma asked him a question. “Stefan, what’s the capital of Malovia?”
Stefan looked at her blankly. His jaw dropped open as he mused, until he blurted out, “Uh... Paris?”
Emma and Delmare had wide grins, while I gave a sigh of relief. It looked like the potion worked.
“How do you feel?” Delmare asked. Her tone was concerned. I was sure she worried about poisoning him.
Stefan smacked at his head. “I mean... I don’tfeelany different, but if you ask me a question, I don’t know the answer. Or where I am, honestly.”
“What Faction are you in?” I asked.
Stefan glanced at me, then to the floor. “Um... alicorn?”
This was perfect. Gabby would have no idea what she was talking about when the Circle questioned her. She’d look insane. Delmare filled up the jar with the rest of the potion, then screwed on the lid. She shook the concoction and said, “How are we going to get this down the bitch’s throat?”
“Gabby has a protein shake every morning before practice,” Emma said. “I’m sure it tastes just as nasty as that potion. I can slip it in at the rink.”
Stefan blinked twice. He staggered around before he stared at Delmare. “Uh... I know who you guys are, and where I am, but everything else just seems... a blur.”
Delmare gave an amused smile. She stood up and took Stefan by the arm. “I’d better get this lug back to his dorm,” she said. “You guys got it handled?”
“As much as we can,” I said. “Hopefully this works.”
Emma and I hurried off. There wasn’t much time to waste. As prince, I was allowed to sit in on the competency meetings, and I wanted to be there to watch Elijah mess up.
We ran into two familiar figures in the hallway. Theo and Odette. I was shocked to see them— after all, as far as I knew, Odette was still angry with Emma.
But she didn’t seem so angry now. Odette played with her hands and said, “We promised to help you guys,” she started. “We just need to know what to do.”
“You don’t have to, Odette,” Emma said kindly. Her tone was gentle and genuine. She was really concerned about Odette’s health.
“Look, Em. I know you’ve been worried about me lately, and I’m sorry I’ve been so mean,” Odette said. “But thank you for standing up for me the other day.”
Emma looked momentarily surprised. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’ll be okay.” Odette gave a grimace. Theo’s eyes were hollow behind her, but Emma’s expression blossomed with a bit of hope. Maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel for Odette.
