Page 203 of Infernal Secrets

Only the perfume from lavish rose bouquets in golden vases along the walls soothed my condition, stopping me from devising an excuse to avoid the lunch meeting with my mother when I arrived hours ago.

At least she wanted me to join her in the garden.

Plum trees and rose bushes brought from Earth surrounded the garden furniture where we ate, while I fielded her questions about my time there.

She wanted to know about the human who captured us, but I couldn’t bring myself to provide additional details that the council didn’t already know.

I wouldn’t tell her the scent of the garden reminded me of the human.

I wouldn’t tell her I’d begun to doubt the triplets’ claim that the human used illusion magic.

I wouldn’t tell anyone about my doubts.

Would I remain silent while the human died at Father’s hands tomorrow? I needed to, for the sake of my family.

The human? I couldn’t even bring myself to think of her name.

Father’s wrath would destroy Ash, Zeke, and Cyn if I defied him for a human—even if she were my Nyrith. That alone kept me from entertaining the doubt creeping through the back of my mind like a wayward specter.

“—adverse reactions to the environment. While not thriving, the human still lives.”

I paused, stepping back into an alcove near the doorway where Ranthus’s voice carried. I couldn’t risk him noticing me.

“Her health matters not,” Father said, boredom infusing his tone. “She will be part of Kalthea this time tomorrow.”

“Master, if she’s able to survive in Cholian, shouldn’t we assess her chances in Elyrdin?”

“What purpose would that serve?”

“It may be the only opportunity we have to know.”

“We have no reason to allow a human into the city.” Father’s sharp voice pierced my skull like an ice pick.

What was Ranthus plotting?

For once, I agreed with Father. A human’s survival in Elyrdin meant nothing. Once dead, their only worth to our city lay in their souls. The living offered no benefit to Elyrdin—or any other part of Niemna.

“What if she is truly their Nyrith?”

“Are you proposing that her actions were not deceptive, and that a human could be the sole mate for not one, not two, but four Elyrdin heirs?” An unspoken threat resonated in Father’s voice before it turned dismissive. “It is impossible for a Shyrlivi to take four mates. Why would you think a human is an exception to the rule? With council heirs, no less.”

A throbbing pain pulsed behind my eyes, and I couldn’t figure out why.

“No, Master. I’m merely curious why a human would go to such lengths to manipulate the princes when she seemed to know nothing of our kind.”

“Explain.”

“In the reports from the princes—”

“I know what the documents say,” Father spat. “I witnessed their debriefing.”

“My apologies, Master.” Ranthus cleared his throat. “Each time I visit the human, I try to learn what she knows. Her story corroborates theirs. Her ignorance seems sincere.”

“Has the human gotten to you too, Ranthus?”

“We’ve reinforced the area with wards,” Ranthus said, voice steady. Lesser men would’ve cracked under Father’s menacing tone. “If any magic she used to manipulate the princes survived crossing into Cholian, the wards prevent her from accessing it.”

“While I’m sure she would provide an interesting study, we can’t risk bringing her into Elyrdin,” Father said, sounding dismissive again. “The decision to execute her stands. It is imperative that she be kept away from the princes. I will not risk their well-being.”