Glancing over at Sebastian, I saw he had moved slightly closer to me. He was still caught up in deep conversation with the same burly vampire from before. The other male was larger than Sebastian, his sepia skin and waist-long black hair twisted into long threads that hung down his back. Both males gesticulated wildly as they spoke. The vampire prince looked frustrated and his shoulders were tense, giving no sign that he was close to wrapping up his conversation
This was my chance.
Moving as inconspicuously as I could—which wasn’t very feasible, considering I was the only person wearing anything other than black—I moved towards the dance floor. My heart pounded in my chest as I kept my eye on Syndra’s red hair, praying to Kydona that the witch wouldn’t move before I got to her. Already, it looked like I would be pushing the Tether to the limit.
“Excuse me,” I murmured, slipping past a group of vampires discussing the war in the south.
I felt a sharp twinge in my stomach, and I looked over my shoulder. Sebastian had moved a step back and a third male had joined their conversation.
Damn it all.
Moving back a few inches, I risked being noticed as I hissed, “Syndra!”
A few vampires turned to look at me, but the witch didn’t even glance in my direction.
I tried again. “Syndra!”
This time, she turned. Her eyes widened, and she hurriedly bid farewell to her companion and walked towards me. Like everyone else, the witch wore a long black dress. Though hers was less elaborate than some of the others in this room, it was still beautiful.
“Princess Luna!” Syndra reached over and grabbed my arm. “Just the person I was hoping to see.”
“Is Marius alright?” I asked hurriedly, stepping away from the crowd of vampires and lowering my voice. “Have you seen him? Why are you here?”
I had so many questions, and there was so little time, but I would do anything for my brother. I had to know how he was faring.
Syndra shook her head, her red locks falling in her face. “I haven’t been to see Marius since the last time I saw you, but Princess, I must tell you—”
“Who’s this?” Sebastian’s voice came from behind me, and I stiffened.
The witch swept into a low curtsy, her head bobbing before she straightened. “Your Highness,” she said, “I didn’t see you there.”
“Apparently not,” the vampire prince said. His hand landed on the small of my back, and heat instantly flooded through my body. “And you are…”
“Syndra Goodflower, Your Highness. I am a witch hailing from Ipotha.”
He tilted his head, coming to stand next to me. “Do you know the princess?”
I started to nod. “Yes, she—”
“No,” Syndra spoke over me, and I widened my eyes. Why was she lying? “I was just introducing myself now. In all her wisdom, Her Majesty has invited me along as part of a group of witches from around the Four Kingdoms to tour the northern villages. It seems a new wasting illness has struck the humans living there. They can’t keep food down, and they are growing weaker by the day.”
Just like my brother.
But why was Syndra pretending like we didn’t know each other?
That twinge of warning grew stronger.
“I am aware of this illness,” Sebastian said. “It’s quite concerning.”
The witch nodded. “My team and I hope we might find a cure for this illness.”
I gasped. “A cure?”
Nodding, Syndra met my gaze. She spoke slowly, and I knew her words were important. “Our research shows that we are seeking a plant with four triangular leaves and berries the color of the sky in the middle. It grows somewhere in Eleyta, but we have yet to find it.”
“If you do, it would be—”
“Incredible,” Syndra finished my sentence. “Absolutely.”
The witch glanced over her shoulder as the musicians started another tune. She dipped into another curtsy. “It was a pleasure to meet you both, Your Highnesses. I should be going. Enjoy your evening.”
We exchanged a few more pleasantries, and then Syndra slipped into the crowd of dancing vampires.
The rest of the night passed in a blur. I ate some food—it was as delicious as it smelled—and pointedly did not drink the faerie wine. At one point, I thought I saw Darcy talking to Syndra, but when I looked again, both of them were gone. Sebastian was pulled aside by one vampire after the next, but this time, he kept me at his side.
After the third story of a bloody battle with Death Elves from Ithenmyr, I tuned them out.
Syndra’s words played on repeat in my mind. There might be a cure for Marius, and it washere. In Eleyta.
Tether or no Tether, I had to find it.