Finndeshin tried not to make it obvious to the other cultists gathered that he knew exactly why his niece was late to arrive. Being able to convince the group that they needed to bring in some new members to have the numbers needed for this grand ritual wasn’t exactly a lie, but it had made things more convenient.

  The trickiest part to his plan had been trying to adjust the potion recipe so that it would wear off the poor boy sooner so he could speak with Kelana.

  Finn had no delusions that he was a “good” person. He lied, stole, cheated, enslaved, and regularly killed people for power or profit. He knew he was evil in most senses of the word.

  His niece, however, was not. Fairly naive and entitled, yes. His late brother had not chosen the best spouse to raise the girl to be free of those particular flaws that were prevalent within the nobility. However, she was innocent and he had hoped to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  The Scarlet Thirst killing her wouldn’t have helped that goal.

  He had tried to reason with Valtessa, explaining that they should focus on smaller goals that kept their power and wealth growing slowly but surely. She usually agreed, which is why they had so many procedures in place to keep them concealed within the city.

  However, while he had devoted himself to the Trickster that served as the balance, Valtessa was devoted to the Maniac and the one ultimately in charge of the Scarlet Banquet.

  When negotiation with her failed, Finn had tried to pursue ways to get any gemites that crossed their paths out of it without revealing his own betrayal. Making sure Zevan met Emrys, who would both use and protect her. Ensuring the death of a tourmaline gemite he hadn’t caught the name of as they entered the Labyrinth that he currently controlled the entrance to. Convincing a topaz one to join the Gamer’s clergy and gain divine protection that way.

  He had even tried to get that crazy brothel owner to buy Dazien outright on the Silent Isle, but Lukas Lumeris had refused to leave the boy’s side and the woman seemed to care more about the gemite’s hair than convincing Lukas to part with him completely.

  With his list of options dwindling and time running out, it was time for his more desperate plans to subvert Valtessa without revealing himself. If it came down to it, though, he would “accidentally” kill the boy before condemning his city. This current plan, however, gave him the best chance of both saving his niece and removing Valtessa from the board entirely.

  He had ensured that Kelana had enough time to talk with Dazien after each session where he added more tattoos to the potential vessel. What he knew of his niece’s taste made her an obvious solution since he knew she would fall for the boy’s looks like so many others, and she was raised well enough as a proper Serenydien to despise what she saw being done to him.

  Finn couldn’t just not tattoo the pitiful gemite. If the other cultists saw him playing the part of powerful devotee, they would continue following him once Valtessa was proven wrong when the Saint showed up to thwart them.

  There would be quite the upheaval and they would likely lose this estate, but he hoped they would be able to place all of the blame at Valtessa’s feet and rebuild in the future. Having the stability of the Trickster at the helm instead of the Maniac would serve them much better.

  So, he focused on the current task at hand: walking everyone through a “practice session” of how the grand ritual would go three nights from now, and assuring them that Kelana was simply running late from getting more Blood Shards from the markets.

  Valtessa would be joining them soon, but she was still slightly drunk from her feeding off the gemite—a perk of the Shiny Talent he possessed, and an absolute boon for Finn’s plans. This was why he knew now would be the perfect time to catch her unaware and obviously guilty, and why he told Kelana to say goodbye to her friends today.

  While he would be here with the rest of the cult and finishing the last of Dazien’s tattoos, the royals would find Valtessa alone in her bed completely unprotected.

  As some of his more competent cultists helped move the less competent around, showing them where to properly stand and the words they would need to recite, Finn stood beside the altar that Dazien currently laid atop.

  “No potion today?” the boy asked him with a look that was full of trepidation. Like he hadn’t wanted to remind Finn that he might have missed that step.

  “Not today. Though, I’ll hurt you if you move. Do I need the costly potion? Or can you manage sitting still while I finish around your feet?” he asked, making it seem like he was being both merciful and practical. Those potions really were insanely expensive, but he also hoped the boy would be smart enough to run for it when his rescuers arrived.

  “After tattooing my arse, I think I can handle around my feet,” the boy quipped, but quietly asked after a few moments, “Where’s Kelana?”

  “She should be here soon,” he replied. “I know you heard me explain that to the others.”

  “I guess I hoped you were lying. Are you really going to turn me into a monster that will devour the world?”

  Finndeshin glanced around the ritual hall to the few faces that glanced his way, their Sapphire Caste sense easily able to overhear. He forced a smirk across his face as he replied, “Our High Priestess Vanderill has declared it so. While I might have chosen an alternative route to power than the risks this grand ritual poses, I will see the Scarlet Banquet triumph and live on.”

  “No matter the cost? No matter the fact that you’ll be killing not just me but millions of innocent people around the world?”

  Finn looked down to meet those amethyst eyes filled with pain and luckily still showing a hint of defiance, he was actually glad to see they hadn’t completely broken the boy. With honest sincerity, he simply said, “I will reach my goals, no matter the lives it may cost.”

  Phoenix had difficulty not breaking doors as she hurriedly searched for Zevan to take her to Emrys. It luckily didn’t take very long as the gemite had been making her own way down to meet with everyone again. After the gemite was able to calm her down enough to speak clearly, they retrieved Rayna and Saiya from their room and followed Zevan through the city.

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  Instead of going to the AOA building nearby like Phoenix had half-expected, they started going up… and up… and up.

  “How many floors up are we going exactly?” she nervously asked as the obvious extravagance increased dramatically with each connecting floor they had to move through to get to the next elevator up.

  “All of them,” Zevan responded with a little smirk, “Emrys is actually pretty humble normally, but he lives in the palace at the top.”

  “Is that common for nobles here?” Uriel asked, trailing behind her like he normally did with Dazien, and she tried not to wonder if it meant anything more than a subconscious habit.

  “Well, a few noble families and plenty of the staff live there too,” she admitted.

  Rayna snorted a laugh, “How funny would it be if Emrys ended up being the butler? Are you sure he’s going to be able to help us save Dazien?”

  “He’s an Emerald Caster either way,” Phoenix pointed out, “Even if he is the butler, he probably has the connections and power we lack to rescue Daze. I don’t want to make the same mistake we made before and rush in to meet the enemy unprepared.”

  All of her friends turned to stare at her after that proclamation and she defensively asked, “What? I can learn from my mistakes, you know!”

  “It’s just nice to actually see that happening,” Rayna teased, lightly punching her on the shoulder, “I thought it might take another lecture from King when we get him back.”

  By the time the group reached the top floor, Emrys was already there about to step into the lift they were already occupying. He gave a brilliant smile as he greeted them, “What a pleasant surprise, Regent Wayland and—”

  “We know where Dazien is!” Phoenix interrupted, hoping to cut off any playful games or teasing.

  She was grateful that his smile vanished, and his demeanor became serious as he asked, “Where, when, and who?”

  Phoenix gestured to Kelana who they had dragged along with them, “She said at a secret estate belonging to a Lady Vanderill. She can show us the way, but we need people who are strong enough to subdue an Emerald Caster with a whole cult of cannibals behind her.”

  Emrys promptly nodded in understanding, “I can rally the royal guard. We’ve tried to be respectful of her privacy while also remaining vigilant of the potential threat she poses but if we can catch her in the act then we’ll finally be able to put the threat to bed.” He frowned slightly before adding, “It’s disappointing to hear she dragged others into her poor life choices, but Serenydi will not abide cannibals taking advantage of the privacy we value.”

  She was relieved to hear that he believed her claims, especially as an outsider, but his first statement had her raise an eyebrow and question, “You have the power to rally the royal guard?”

  His amused smile returned, “I have many connections in every part of the city. We best not waste time on that now, however. I don’t like the idea of Heir Wayland being in the clutches of a vampire, even a noble one. Which floor should I have the guard meet us on, Noble Finndeshin?”

  “The one-hundred-and-sixty-third,” Kelana quickly answered. “It’s one of the estates rented out to a visiting noble. The seventh down northside with the little cherub aengel fountain out front.”

  Phoenix was immediately grateful she wouldn’t need to be the one giving directions now because she already knew she’d get totally lost from that vague instruction. Why wouldn’t they put actual street names in these giant cities?

  “Very well. You all go on ahead but do not trespass there without us. We don’t want them running off to regroup later,” Emrys informed and turned to head back into the palace grounds.

  The rest of them backtracked slightly, and followed Kelana as she navigated through the city to their destination. This floor was odd in that it was much more open feeling, with larger estate grounds that had plenty of actual landscaping between buildings rather than the scrunched-together mall-feeling that the lower floors mostly consisted of.

  When Phoenix saw the little fountain Kelana had described come into view, it took every ounce of her willpower to not kick down the front door and demand they give her brother back to her. Tala’s whispered words of comfort and the memories of her past blunders helped keep her impulses in check. She was already tired of dealing with cannibals even though they were part of the reason they were here in the first place. They had been hoping to track them down and find out what happened to Dazien’s dad. She didn’t care about any of that though when Dazien was lost.

  Emrys arrived with a dozen other Emerald Casters at his back but frowned at the estate as he joined there small group, “I want to ask that you all remain outside here,” he began, but looked at Phoenix and softly smirked, “But I get the feeling that you wouldn’t listen so I’ll simply request that your party stick together and leave any Emerald Casters to the guards. I ask for you to focus on subduing any enemies inside, but don’t hesitate to defend yourselves from an attack. I’m going to have the others spread out to enter from multiple points with the hope that they won’t be able to flee. You can enter after they do. Will this work for you Regent Wayland?”

  She nodded, “Just make sure they don’t hurt Dazien on accident. Are you going in too?”

  “Yes, but I’m not exactly a combat focused type of Caster. I can hold my own, but the guards will definitely be in the front.”

  He nodded and returned to the guards to give more orders, and Phoenix wondered who exactly this guy was to be able to command them. Perhaps he was some kind of seneschal if he wasn’t a combatant? Or maybe a duke like the one she only briefly met with in Tulimeir?

  Phoenix was ripped from her idle thoughts as a loud boom came from the house as a signal was given and one of the guards demolished the front door with an arc of lightning before other smaller crashes echoed around the estate from other directions. The guards were moving in and Phoenix led her team in right behind them.

  Inside there was shouting and more sounds of doors being annihilated as the guards started canvassing the area. Phoenix was afraid that during this critical point in time, Dazien would be moved or killed while they played hide and seek with the cultists.

  Luckily, they had an insider on their side as Kelana pointed to a bookcase and said, “This way! We were supposed to meet in the ritual chamber today!” She tugged on one of the books that caused the shelf to swing inward and the group followed Kelana through until she paused at an intersection of halls.

  Nervously chewing on a bottom lip she turned toward Phoenix and admitted, “I don’t remember exactly which way. My uncle normally led me through here and I haven’t memorized the layout yet.”

  “Should we split up?” Rayna offered but Phoenix shook her head.

  “No, we promised to stick together,” she said, then looked at the little green bird on her shoulder, “Do you think you can sense them, Ren?”

  As a strange bird shifted in front of them, the sudden appearance of a blonde daekin with streaks of green glinting in their messy locks made both Kelana and Uriel jump in surprise. They glanced between Phoenix and Uriel before asking, “Do Chosen Ones has scent of Heir?”

  Phoenix looked at her best friend, who simply confessed, “I have no idea what they’re talking about.”

  She chuckled, “It reminds me of Bliss mentioning how you smelled the same as Daze. Do you have anything of his to track with?”

  He frowned and replied, “Maybe? I got my hip bag back from Camilla once I got my new clothes, but I’m not sure what might have his scent still on it.” He reached into the older pack with a gloved hand and pulled out a small folded paper, “This was the last thing he gave to me though and it has mostly remained in there.”

  Ren took a step forward to sniff at the paper in his outstretched hand, taking deep breaths of the lingering scents. Uriel opened it to help more and Phoenix recognized the page from Dazien’s sketchbook incorporating the Destroyer’s sigil into his future kingdom’s crest.

  “Can you track him, Ren?” she asked her newest companion, then added to the rest of them watching, “Ren’s a Sensebreaker. If anyone can find Daze the more mundane way, it’ll be them.”

  The pink-skinned daekin took a few more sniffs of the paper, then a few more sniffs in the air between the various halls, before turning back to them with a determined expression as they said resolutely, “Ren can find lost Heir.”