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“That’s all? Stay the course?”
“It’s an imperfect Art, especially for someone no longer alive. I don’tseeas strongly as I used to. Even if I do manage to catch glimpses with the sight, when it comes to Morkai, everything is shrouded in these tangled…threads. I don’t know what else to call them. All I know is that they’re working against him. So when they pull me forward and tell me to stay the course, I listen.”
Teryn leaned against the doorframe, felt the energy thrum against his back. Gods, no wonder she hadn’t told him this. It didn’t help at all. Perhaps Emylia was used to blind trust when it came to magic, but Teryn still felt lost in this world of fate and blood sorcery. There was so much he didn’t know. So much he didn’t understand. His mind wandered back to the Godskeep, saw Dimetreus draw blood from Teryn’s own throat.
His gaze locked on Emylia’s. “You said you had an inkling about Morkai’s plan in the Godskeep. What were his reasons behind it?”
Emylia held up her hands in a soothing gesture. “If I tell you, you must remember that there’s nothing you can do—”
“Just tell me,” he ground out.
She folded her hands at her waist. “Morkai’s plan was to destabilize the king and prove to the council that he’s incapable of ruling. The council has made their decision. You know what happens next.”
Teryn’s pulse quickened. “Cora will be forced to ascend to the throne.”
Emylia nodded. “But first she must marry you. Morkai has spoken to the council in your place and has agreed. I don’t know about Cora, but as of now, your marriage contract is set to be signed first thing tomorrow morning.”
It took all of Teryn’s focus not to lose touch with his breathing, with the rapid thud of his heart. “He’s going to marry her…as me. Tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
His voice came out cold. Sharp. “What happened toyou have time, I promise?”
“You still do have time. Maybe not as much as you thought, but enough to do what must be done.”
“I have until tomorrow morning to regain control over my body before he…” He couldn’t say it out loud. No, that would make it too real. Gods, he thought he had a year, not a matter of days. In what world did Emylia consider that enough time?
“He won’t attempt to consummate the marriage, if that’s what you’re worried about. He’ll continue to try and maintain his distance for the time being.”
“Why is he forcing her to ascend to the throne so soon, to finalize the marriage alliance so suddenly?”
“He wanted to act before Cora could catch on,” Emylia explained. “This way, even if she does grow suspicious, he secures his role as king consort while he puts all the other pieces of his plan into place.”
“What is his plan? I know he intends to rule Menah, Khero, and Selay as one, and that he wants to use my marriage to Cora to make that happen, but…how?”
“I don’t know, but I have a feeling he’ll execute it at the signing of the peace pact.”
Teryn’s heart raced. Seven devils, the signing was to take place at the end of the month—eleven days from now. Larylis and King Verdian might already be on their way. When they arrived, Morkai would have every monarch—every person who stood between him and total rule—under one roof.
He cursed under his breath.
“There’s something else he’ll be working toward,” Emylia said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“What?”
“Once your marriage to Cora is secure, he’ll pour all of his focus into making his takeover of your body complete.”
Teryn straightened, a chill running through him. “What does he need to make the takeover complete?”
“He needs to forge a fate weaving. To do that, he’ll need your blood, his original body’s blood, and a Roizan. Your blood will be easy, for he merely needs to cut your flesh. As for his blood, well, I already told you about that; he has vials of it hidden somewhere. He always kept a stash of his own blood, as a precaution against using all the blood he’d stored in his crystal. Since Cora’s attempts to energetically clear the crystal emptied it of blood, his hidden store is his only option.”
Teryn’s mind spun as he worked to keep his breathing steady. “What about the Roizan? How long does it take for him to create one?”
“A Roizan can be forged in a single night, but it normally takes years to strengthen it with magic, to fill it with enough power for a fate weaving.”
“That’s some relief. I’ll be able to reclaim control by then. If not to remove the crystal and destroy it, then to figure out how to work my voice. Tell Cora the truth. She’ll see through him—”
Emylia hung her head with so much defeat, he swallowed his words. Her voice came out small. “It may take years for a Roizan to be strong enough to work great magic, but Morkai doesn’t have years. Not even a single year. Perhaps not even a month.”
