Page 117 of Alchemy of Souls

I smile. He lifts an eyebrow. And then he enters the Archive Room.

CHAPTER 55Eloise

My eyes flutter open and I squint at the amber light. My back is stinging, but it’s my head that feels like someone is trying to crush it in their fist.

“Grayson?” I manage.

There’s no answer.

I scramble to my feet, my body protesting. But it’s not Grayson I find standing in the center of the Archive Room—it’s the Chancellor.

“Hello, Miss Belrose,” he says with a seemingly polite tone.

“Where’s Grayson?” I ask, trying to make sense of what happened. The last thing I remember he was about to follow his uncle in like we planned.

“He won’t be joining us I’m afraid,” he says.

I glance toward the door, about to run for it and let Grayson in when the Chancellor says, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I’ve given strict instructions that should you emerge through that door before I do, my man is to stick a dagger through Grayson’s chest.”

I panic. Gray is the one skilled at manipulation. It was supposed to be him leading this conversation. And even if I manage to pull this off, if I leave this room, I risk killing Grayson in the process?

Not good.

“Conundrum, conundrum,” the Chancellor says in an amused tone as he inspects the shimmering dome around the tree. He glances up at me, clearly reading my emotions. “Come now, Miss Belrose. You’ve called the Key. I have big plans for you.”

My heart starts beating entirely too fast.

He laughs and it’s a horrible sound. “It’s not all that bad. Not if you behave.”

I instantly feel sick and I’m careful not to look at the bookcase where Grayson and I strategically placed his phone.

“Do you know what this is, Miss Belrose?” he asks, gesturing toward the table.

I shake my head.

“This fragile dome is the wards,” he says.

“It’s thewards?” I blurt out.

“Grayson was right, I don’t even require my skill to read your emotions. You just broadcast them in plain sight,” he says, and now I get mad. The idea of him knowing the things Grayson and I say to each other makes me sick.

“And there we go again. Do try to think past your emotions for a moment and follow along. I think you’ll find this all very interesting,” he says, and it takes every molecule of my self-restraint not to attack him. He smiles. “Do you know why Akari is the head of my Guardians, Miss Belrose? A simple cobbler’s daughter?”

“Because she’s the best fighter we’ve had in generations?” I bite out.

“Thatwas actually a mark against Akari,” he says. “I strongly considered killing her because of it. I can’t just let Laborers’ children advance all over the place. It’d be irresponsible of me.”

My hands clench and my breath shortens. I want to hurt this man.

He lifts an eyebrow, but I stay where I am and he stays where he is. “It’s because she told me something I couldn’t ignore. Do you know what it was?”

I shake my head.

“She told me there was a hole in the wards,” he says, and I swallow. “That she could sense it when she touched them. No one had ever said that, but it made sense given the Lawless raids. I’ve kept her here all these years so she could search for it.”

My eyes flit to the tree and back to him.

“But now,” he continues, leaning down by the shimmering dome. “I can fix it myself.”