I stumble a little in to the room, pouting at Prince Jean as he pulls the hood back over his head and runs out. My ears are then filled with Audrine Evermire's forlorn sobbing. I walk past the entryway and follow the sounds in to a bedroom, where Audrine sits in a corner. Her dark blue dress fans about her as she hugs herself and rocks back and forth. I can only imagine what she's seen to bring her down like this.

"Lady Evermire," I murmur as I move around the plush fabric and sit beside her. "All will be well, do not fear. If the king or the prince do not rescue us, I will get us out of here."

She lets me wrap an arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"Reginald was one of them," she sniffles, her eyes red and puffy, her face soaked with tears. "He never told me. Had I known my plans to sabotage your sister's elevation would result in his death..."

"Is our existence really so insulting to you that you blame it for Reginald's death rather than your own scheming? Perhaps if you let me be, you would not have been in this crypt in the first place."

Audrine simply shakes her head. "It does not matter now. They are going to kill us both. You are just as much in the way as I am."

"If that mysterious man I did not recognize is correct, killing me would send Alekso in to despair, but Kazaxon might go back to Hell. Then Alekso wouldn't be a diablarist anymore."

I suppose they would kill him and put Jean on the throne. Bishop Lambert did suggest they could have Jean marry a diablarist and he would just be a puppet king, then. that doesn't sound like something Jean would be all right with. I believe him when he said he came in to the fold of the Chosen to protect Alekso.

"Do you know anything about this cult, my lady?" I still keep my arm around her.

"No. Just that they worship Alekso."

"It seems more like the worship diablerie in general. I cannot believe Bishop Lambert has done all this under my nose. Are there more?"

"More people? I cannot say, your majesty. But there are enough people that Lambert and Reginald were in contact with each other despite the distance. Oh, Reginald... how could he keep this from me?"

Audrine sniffles a bit and leans against me. I look towards the doorway. I hope that at any minute, Alekso will burst in here and tell me the weird men in robes are dead. That all is safe, and I can run in to his arms. If not, though, then I will fulfill my promise to Audrine; we'll get out of here even if I have to do it myself. I refused to be a captive princess when I agreed to marry Alekso, after all.

"I wonder how they will kill us," she mutters. "Perhaps sacrifice us to a demon?"

"Do not waste your energy on such thoughts, my lady." I scold her. "They will not kill us. We will not die this day, do you understand?"

She sniffles, then sighs, and I stare impatiently at the doorway.

***

Kwenthrith insisted on going to her room to finish healing herself, and Gisela followed, instructing she would stay with her friend until all was well. I trailed behind the two of them as they made their way to where Kwen was staying, the room across from the royal suite like a dutiful bodyguard, and then waited until she was resting comfortably on her bed before taking my leave.

"I am going to go seek out Edeva," I told them. "Should you need anything, Bash will be just outside."

Gisela only glared at me, torn between telling me how she felt and being too afraid of my reaction. Kwenthrith, however, just nodded and gave me a rueful smile. Then she rolled over and curled up with such a peaceful expression, I dared to think perhaps she had forgiven me.

But how? How could she forgive me so soon after what I had done? Does she understand why I did it? We are both protective of Eva and I think if she was suspicious of me, she might have treated me with the same vitriol if I was under arrest.

She did suspect you.

I make my way down the hallways, trying to find Eva up here before checking the crypts in case she decided to stay there instead. She thinks I tried to kill Gisela?

She thought you had something to do with it. She does not think that anymore.

Usually I can feel when Kazaxon probes someone's mind for truths, and I had not felt anything from him unless I commanded him. "You surmised this, Kaz." I say out loud.

It was not that hard a thing to see. You were too caught up in your own head to be searching for any real answers. The looks she was giving you, the fact that she knows what you are capable of and did not try to run away screaming. She was trying to figure you out. And she did say her utmost desires were to protect Edeva from you.

Kaz is right. I could have handled the interrogation better. I'm unused to using anything but violence, and I forgot all that Eva had taught me in my anger.

And now she is terrified of you.

Terrified of us, Kaz. I correct as I turn a corner and once again, find no signs of Eva in any of the rooms.

I did nothing to cause her fear in this particular situation, Alekso. I give you my powers as you like, but they were not my hands that choked the redhead, that held her in the air and singed her flesh. Perhaps I should be the one searching for her, as it is not me she hides from. I am confident she will come to me if I call her.

You bastard! You are just as culpable as I ever was. You go along with everything I do, and I know you were just eating up the anger I felt, the anger I feel now. Do not try and single me out here.

The demon is silent while I continue my search, which ends up fruitless. "God damn it."

You were not as angry as you think. You were afraid most of all. Afraid that the rebels would take Edeva from you, that Kwenthrith would poison her against you, that you would lose her. Your fear does not fill me, Alekso. And even now, you are afraid that Eva will never forgive you for what she saw.

Fear is a very human emotion, Kaz...

I can feel him scoff in my mind. I am aware. And humans are foolish, which is why you let yourself be ruled by it at any given moment.

Eva is a human you know, and I am sure she would not appreciate you mocking her like this.

She, unlike you, is not ruled by raw emotion. She follows her heart, yes, but understands logic. Logic is what caused her to turn away from you; escaping the threat.

Emotion is what will bring her back to me. She loves me as I love her. She must forgive me, even if I spend the rest of my life begging for it.

Conquer your emotions; stop letting your fear rule you, and perhaps you will not need to do all of that.

Advice from a demon that feeds off anger. You are right. I am a fool. It is not like I have no cause to be afraid my whole life. Someone somewhere is always trying to kill me, and now I have pulled Eva in to this.

And you will protect her, just as I have protected you. We will protect her together.

Of course, I know Kazaxon is being so nice to me and ready to help me is not because he is some selfless being. The sooner I find Eva, the sooner he does, too.

And the sooner she forgives you, the sooner I can tear her clothes off and f--

I am so lost in my conversation with Kaz that I do not notice that someone has been standing behind me. A hand grabs my wrist and tugs me towards a corner grain storage closet. I turn around to face whoever it is trying to lead me away from my search, resisting the urge to attack first and ask questions later.

"Alekso," Jean whispers. "You must come with me to the crypts, but you must do so quietly. If you seem upset or angry, they will be on to us."

For a few seconds I stare at him, raising an eyebrow. "They?"

He lets out a sigh and moves so that he has both hands on my shoulders.

"Alekso. You are my nephew. The only family I have left, and the only person who has allowed me to live my life by my own terms. So, when an opportunity presents itself to keep you safe from those who would harm you, and by extension me..."

"Who the fuck is 'they', Jean?"

"I may have joined a cult that worships diablerie and that wants to kill all who oppose you." He says quickly. "They are called Uriel's Chosen and they decided that Edeva makes you weak and are planning to kill her. But they think if they do that, Kazaxon will leave and you will no longer be a diablarist, so they will just kill you too and put someone else on the throne. I have her safe for now but if they have discovered my betrayal they will surely find her. So you must come with me now to the crypts as calmly as possible to deal with this."

He stares at me, while I take several deep breaths and remind myself I am going to try to not let my emotions control me. I want to wring Jean's neck and then run as fast as I can to the crypts and find Edeva, but instead of doing so, I just breathe and think about what Jean said.

"Right. So..." I begin. "You joined an underground cult that worships me, to help them protect me?"

"They worship diablerie to be precise. I joined them because they seemed keen on keeping you alive by any means necessary, but lately their methods have been... well, with all that has been going on, I suppose I should have told you sooner that they are the ones responsible for attacking Gisela."

My hands fly to his throat.

"Gah! Alekso!" Jean grips my wrists and tries to stop me before I squeeze. "You can attack me later! For now we need to get Eva to safety!"

"You're telling me that there has been some group of lunatics skulking around my kingdom, causing trouble in my marriage, attacking my sister in-law, and you knew about all of this and never said a word!?"

Jean winces when I finally do squeeze. Kazaxon is silent. I think he understands this particular loss of control.

"I know you are angry, Alekso--"

"Angry does not even begin to cover it."

"I will make it up to you your highness, I promise, but again, Eva is in danger and I want to help fix this!"

When the look in his eyes turns from desperate to sincere, I let him go and take a step back, running my fingers through my hair in agitation. He adjusts his collar with feigned indignation, as he always does when I lose my temper and attack him... which is often, come to think of it. God, I never considered how often I physically attack Jean until now. Even when it's justified...

"I am sorry, Alekso." Jean says. "We will fix this though. Come, Follow me, and act like you are none the wiser to the Chosen's machinations. You visit the crypts often. It is just another visit, all right?"

I nod, following him across the courtyard towards the crypts.

"Good day, your highness," Bishop Lambert says, reaching out to hug me. I am tense and stiff as a board with rage, but I do my best to keep my emotions in check until Jean can lead me to wherever he's hidden Eva. "What brings you down here? Any news on the rebel front?"

"No," I grumble. "It seems no one is taking credit for the assassination attempt, and things have been pretty quiet in that regard. I am thinking they are starting to accept that change will take time. they should be happy to know there even is change."

"Sometimes all it takes is a pretty face to make a man think differently." Lambert gives me a wink, and I try not to sneer.

"Have you seen my wife, Lambert?"

"Not yet today, your highness. Is everything all right?"

Oh, that lying fucker.

"I suspected her bodyguard of being involved with Gisela's attack, and Eva found me questioning her. My... methods... frightened her and she ran away. She is not one to hide like a little child, and yet I cannot find her anywhere. I thought perhaps she came this way looking to be left alone."

"Eva never comes to the crypts without you as an escort, does she? I think even if she is upset with you, she would have someone else accompany her."

"Perhaps she came to speak with the Evermires. Take me to them."

"They are not here, actually." Lambert smiles. I see Jean making his way behind him and looking towards me, shaking his head slowly. Something has happened to Reggie and Audie. "The renovations to their estate are, as you can expect, finally nearing completion. They went to oversee finishing touches. I guess they got tired of being in my hair all the time."

They possibly saw too much and were killed, Kaz tells me. If he has our Edeva, he must die. Let me have him.

Not yet. We must make sure she's safe first.

I know Lambert is lying to keep me out of my own crypts, but I can feel Kaz's darkness creeping forward to confirm our suspicions. Jean shakes his head desperately, and I stare in to Lambert's eyes. He can tell I am testing him; he knows what the blackness means, and that I don't believe him.

"Hmm. Your excellency, are you having problems with the Legio Mortis and you're worried to tell me?"

Lambert calms. Me thinking the crypts are in disrepair is a much better idea than me thinking he has my queen held captive.

"The Evermires' presence has disrupted some of the magic, I admit. A few bodies will need to be replaced and some new areas need a refresh. I am glad they will be out of here soon."

He is as quick a thinker as I am. I can't help but smile. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You have your hands full, your highness."

"Perhaps I am owed a tour of the crypts then. I have time now. Does Jean know where these expired bodies are?"

"He does not. I think it would be best if I show you."

I shake my head. "Frankly I am not in a mood for company what with Edeva hiding from me and all. Just tell me which tombs house the bodies and I will go alone."

Behind us, Alekso!

Kaz momentarily takes over to spin us around in time and catch the hand of a hooded man, a little shorter than me. He looks at me in shock. Clearly he did not expect that. I throw him to the ground and set my foot on his neck.

"What is the meaning of---"

But as I turn back towards Lambert, he clocks me on the head with something blunt and heavy. I simply see a flash of light behind my eyes, and then nothing.