Shae felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. Sorceress Isobel. Here. In Messina.

"She came!" Ornice laughed triumphantly. "I knew you were lying!"

Why had the sorceress come to Felix's aid? He said they didn't have a relationship, and she didn't think he was lying to her... But that didn't mean the sorceress didn't love him. She glanced over at Felix, who stared slack-jawed at the newcomer.

"Isobel," he finally said, shaking his head. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard of the attacks," the sorceress said as she moved further into the small room. "I was worried."

Had she hoped that Shae was dead after all? The thought caused a wave of shame to wash over her, but she couldn't help it. Ornice's words had wriggled their way into her mind and grabbed onto her biggest fears. That while Felix wasn't in a relationship with the sorceress, he might still love her. He had never claimed to love Shae, only wanting to have a better marriage.

"We caught the one responsible," Felix said, motioning towards the bound woman. "As you can see, we have it well in hand."

When the sorceress arched a winged eyebrow, he added glumly, "She won't tell us much."

"They rarely do," Isobel agreed. Turning to Shae, she looked her over with a soft smile. The sorceress possessed an ethereal beauty matched by few with her silver-blond hair and deep blue eyes. Small and slender, she moved with a natural grace that made Shae feel like an overgrown ogre in comparison. "How are you? I heard of the attacks and the poisoning. That's awful. I hope you're doing better?"

The genuine concern in the other woman's voice only worsened Shae's shame. It wasn't the sorceress's fault that their marriage had failed, and even if Isobel loved Felix... Could she blame her? He was quite lovable.

"I'm much better, thank you," she mumbled. Looking down at the smaller woman, it was strange to think that this slight individual, who was nearly half a foot shorter, was one of the most powerful sorcerers in Erya.

Ornice had been suspiciously quiet until now, but she suddenly laughed. "How touching!" she snickered. "His two women bonding over the attacks on one's life."

Isobel whipped around, her face no longer soft, but hard and forbidding. "I will deal with you in a moment." There was steel in her voice. This was a woman used to bending others to her will. She answered to few other than Grand Sorcerer Arawn and the Gods.

"She's working with someone," Felix said. "It might be a group of dissenters who disapprove of me as the High King. She won't tell us who they are, but apparently, they staged the attack on us in Adreas and the later attacks on Shae in an attempt to bring you here."

"They want me?" The sorceress's eyes widened for a moment. "That is curious. Why?"

"Seems you're one half of a key. Whatever that means." Felix huffed. "I honestly don't know if she's making this up."

Isobel looked over at the prisoner, who sat quietly glaring at them as they spoke. "A key to what?"

"I don't think she knows."

"Odd." The sorceress pursed her lips as she considered the information.

The sound of someone clearing their throat echoed through the room and they all looked at Boreas, who flashed a crooked grin. "Beg your pardon, but let me introduce myself." He bowed before the sorceress. "Spymaster Boreas at your service."

"Nice to meet you, Spymaster. Do you know anything more about this?"

He shook his head. "Not currently, I'm afraid."

Shae stood still, not sure what to do. Once the other woman had arrived, she felt as if she was no longer needed. Everyone's attention was on the sorceress, including Ornice's.

"Why did they think killing Shae would bring me back to Messina?" Isobel asked, her brows knotted in thought.

"It did, didn't it?" Ornice said gleefully. "Our plan worked!"

A smile tugged at the corners of Isobel's mouth. "I suppose I cannot deny their logic. I am here, aren't I?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Shae tried to ward off the chill of the room. Without thinking about it, she took a step away from the group, continuing to watch them from a corner of the cellar.

"I need to know who she's taking order from," Felix said, raking a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. "There might be more of her ilk hiding in the castle."

"I have my suspicions," Isobel admitted before turning to the former lady-in-waiting. "I am here now, just like you wanted. So what is the next step of your plan? What were you meant to do when I arrived?"

Ornice looked the woman up and down, an odd grin on her face. "We need you."

Felix let out a frustrated huff. "We know! You said that already."

Isobel leaned forward, taking the prisoner's chin in her hand and locking their gazes. Ornice stared at the sorceress, her mouth ajar.

"Tell us who you are working with," Isobel said in a low, compelling voice.

Ornice moved her mouth for a moment, but no sound escaped her lips. Then a panicked giggle suddenly broke through, loud and shrill, making Shae jump.

The sorceress didn't move, continuing to stare deeply into the other woman's eyes. "Who wants me in Messina?"

"The Son of Deva," Ornice replied, her voice airy, sounding almost as if she was dreaming.

Icy tendrils stretched over Shae's chest at the name, restricting her breathing. Their worst fears were coming true. The Son of Deva wasn't just a rumour.

"Have you met him? Son of Deva?" the sorceress asked.

With a barely perceptible shake of her head, Ornice mumbled, "No. Only his most trusted officers see his face."

"What is the key?"

"I don't know, but it's important. He needs it for his plan to work."

Isobel released her hold on the other woman's face and straightened. Looking over at Felix and Boreas, she grimaced. "I had hoped to be wrong, but alas..."

Ornice shook her head vigorously as if clearing it of fog before staring up at the sorceress. "What did you do to me?"

Ignoring her, Isobel motioned for them to follow her. "Come," she said. "Let's speak in your chambers."

As if by reflex, Felix offered the sorceress his arm, and she gratefully took it. Turning to Shae, he looked surprised to see her standing away from them, and he held his hand out to her. After a quick glance at the sorceress who looked tired with her eyelids drooping slightly, Shae took the offered hand. His grip was warm against her cold fingers but she couldn't quite shake the uncomfortable feeling of seeing him and Isobel together.

The four of them walked together to the shared sitting room connecting Felix's and Shae's bedchambers. Once there, the sorceress let go of Felix and slid out of her large cloak, hanging it over a stool, leaving her in a beautiful silky robe in a deep blue colour that matched her eyes.

Pulling her hand from Felix's, Shae sat down on an upholstered chair, folding her legs underneath her on the seat. The chill that had crept into her bones during their conversation with Ornice wouldn't dissipate, and she wished someone had lit a fire in the grate, despite it being the middle of summer.

"I'm sorry they attacked you because of me," Isobel said, surprising her with the earnest look on her face.

Feeling guilty for thinking the sorceress might have hoped she was dead, Shae looked down at her hands and shook her head slightly. "It's not your fault," she mumbled.

Boreas had made himself comfortable in another chair, but Felix paced the floor with anxious energy. Finally, he stopped and leaned his hips against a table as he looked at the sorceress. "So he really exists?"

There was no question who he was referring to. Isobel nodded.

"We already know for a fact someone styles himself as the Son of Deva," Boreas reminded them. "Do you know if he truly is who he claims to be, Sorceress?"

"I can't know for sure," she said. "But my inclination is to believe he is Deva's son. I have been spending a lot of time away from Messina in the last few years and heard a lot of rumours about him. From what I hear, he is quite a powerful magic user, which would make sense if his father is Deva. For all his faults, Deva was an incredible sorcerer. All of Deva's followers are now with this Son of Deva, and they certainly believe he is who he says he is."

"And sometimes that's enough," Felix bit off, resuming his pacing.

"Exactly. Like his father before him, Son of Deva appears to be gathering his followers in the Dreadlands and I fear they may be working up to something." Isobel closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with two fingers. "That vile woman downstairs was dripping with malice and obsession... I feel filthy, and my mind is clouded."

Shae frowned as Felix stopped pacing and held his hand out towards the sorceress. The other woman flashed him a smile before grabbing onto it. As if he only just remembered her presence, he turned to glance at Shae, and she quickly schooled her features into a mask of polite interest. Isobel's eyes widened. She looked from Felix to Shae and back again, staring into his face. The tips of his ears reddened, and he averted his face from the sorceress.

What was that exchange? Their easy familiarity was difficult to watch, and Shae couldn't help but question if Felix had withheld something from her. She knew there were reasons Isobel stayed away from Messina, but he claimed it was not because of him. Watching them now, she wasn't so sure.

"If Ornice is working for the Son of Deva," Boreas said thoughtfully. "And they want Sorceress Isobel as a key to something. What are they hoping to unlock? Deva's prison?"

"That would be my first guess," Isobel said, finally letting go of Felix's hand. "I don't know the intricacies of undoing the spell entirely since Goddess Dhim assisted me, but I imagine undoing the bind would involve the ones who made it."

Running a hand through his golden hair, Felix resumed his pacing. "Wouldn't that make the other half of the key Goddess Dhim?"

"It would."

"That seems impossible," Felix continued. "She's returned to wherever the Gods go to avoid us. I don't see anyone being able to get her to... be a key? Whatever it is... Their plan makes no sense."

"They must have something in mind, or they wouldn't try to get Sorceress Isobel." Boreas steepled his fingers and tapped the tips together thoughtfully.

"Something that worries me is that they seem to have information they should not have access to," Isobel said. "And I worry..." She hesitated.

"What?" Felix stopped to stare at her.

"I think there is a traitor here in Messina feeding them information."

"Who?" Shae asked, leaning forward in her chair. An ominous prickle at the back of her neck made her want to scratch it, but she refrained.

The sorceress grimaced. "I can't be certain... but I think it's a sorcerer. They have information that is not known outside of Highglaive."

Shae straightened as a wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm her. The Gods had entrusted the sorcerers with the safekeeping of Erya, and as such, they possessed great magical powers. If one of them was working with the Son of Deva, that was cause for great concern.

"I'm trying to find out more," Isobel continued. "But it's difficult. I spend a lot of time away from Messina trying to find information about something that I've been told is a wild goose chase, but I cannot let go of my theory."

"What theory is that?" Boreas quickly asked.

Isobel looked over at Felix with an amused smile. "He's quick to question this one."

He shrugged. "He's not the Spymaster for nothing."

"I don't know if you've ever heard about them, they are only mentioned in old legends... Godstones. Legend tells us that the Dark God—Ondastos—created these stones, one for each of our gods, so seven in total. He tricked his siblings into imbuing a stone with some of their power. After the Battle of the Gods, the Gods hid the stones. They were too powerful to destroy and too powerful if anyone was to wield one. Let alone if one person would wield them all."

"I don't like the sound of these Godstones," Felix said, a line between his brows. "You think they are real?"

She nodded. "I think Deva had one. It's my belief that is how he was powerful enough to overpower the sorcerers at Highglaive when he invaded Messina."

"But there was nothing like that found when we retook Messina," Boreas pointed out.

"I know." Isobel rubbed her temple again. "My worst fear is that he gave it to this Son of Deva before we defeated him."

A wave of unease travelled across the room at the implication. If Son of Deva possessed a stone with that kind of power... Shae shuddered.

"If I was to guess," Isobel continued. "Deva planned to use the stone's power to break the veil to the Nether Realm, but it wasn't enough. I think the attacks around the kingdom during his reign of Messina weren't as random as they appeared. He was searching for more Godstones. If the legends are true, the more you have, the more powerful they become. And with enough of them... He might finally break through the veil to the Nether Realm and free the Dark God."

"That..." Felix cleared his throat. "That is grim indeed."

"Obviously, this is all guesswork from my side so far." Isobel sighed. "When I brought it up with the other sorcerers, they looked at me as if I'm out of my mind. Maybe I am. Maybe I'm wrong. I'd like to be wrong."

"But you don't think you are," Boreas stated matter-of-factly.

"No. I don't."

"Have you found any proof that these Godstones exist?"

She grimaced. "No. Only obscure references in old texts."

Something the sorceress had said sparked something in Shae's mind. "They attacked Cyrene," she whispered. When everyone's eyes turned to her, she continued, more strongly, "They seemed to look for something. It was a small raid, going straight for the royal castle. Do you think they might have been looking for a Godstone?"

"It's possible," Isobel said. "Did they take anything?"

The feeling of being suffocated by her own bedding as she'd been wrapped up in sheets and tossed over an invader's shoulder made her shiver. "They... They tried to take me. Killed my mother and brother. But I have nothing that could be a Godstone."

A spark of curiosity lit the sorceress's eyes as she looked at her with renewed interest. "Have you ever seen anything around the castle that could be one? A stone of any kind? Maybe some jewellery?"

"It's a castle. There's a lot of jewellery."

"Oh, of course." Isobel averted her eyes and bit her lower lip for a moment before looking back up. "Would you mind if I held your hand?"

What? Shae nodded her approval even as she had no idea why the other woman would want to. Coming over to her, Isobel took her hand in both of hers and closed her eyes, a look of concentration on her face. A strange sensation as if tiny currents of lightning travelled up her arm made her glance over at the others. Felix watched calmly, while Boreas leaned forward with interest.

"I sense..." The crease between Isobel's brows deepened as she focused. "You have been touched by magic, but I cannot tell how or when. You're not a magic user but..." Her hands on Shae's gripped a little tighter. "But you're sensitive to the magic around you. Can you feel it sometimes?"

When the sorceress released her hand, Shae rubbed it with her other one. "Feel what?" she asked. "I don't have an ounce of magic in me."

Isobel smiled. "No one does. It's a common misconception. Sorcerers aren't born with magic imbued in their blood, only with the ability to harness the magic in the world. And you're right, you're not one of us... but you're sensitive to the magic around you, which is unusual, but it happens. It might show itself in ways you've never even thought of. Maybe a prickle at the back of your neck or being able to sense something coming before it happens."

Her jaw might have hit the floor as she stared at the other woman. "Yes!" she burst out. "Yes. I do have that."

"That's because of your sensitivity to the magic that imbues everything in the world," Isobel explained. "Magic is in everything. As sorcerers, we learn to bend it to our will. To harness its power. Someone who is sensitive can sense disturbances in the world around them and react to it before it happens. Probably not even consciously."

Shae nodded, amazed that Isobel could so exactly describe what happened when she had the ominous prickle at the back of her neck. It had saved her from the dagger thrown by Ornice in the hallway. If it had done more than graze her arm, she suspected she might not have survived the poison.

"So why do you think I have this?" she asked.

"It's impossible to know." Isobel moved back across the room and picked her cloak back up, fastening it around her neck. "I would like to think that you've somehow been in touch with one of the Godstones and its power rubbed off on you, but equally, you might have been born with it. Maybe I will try to visit Adreas to see if I can find anything in the royal castle that could be a Godstone."

Felix put a hand on the sorceress's shoulder, and they looked at each other. "So you're leaving again?"

"Yes. I will stop at Highglaive to see if the Grand Sorcerer has any missions for me, but then I'm off. This has given me renewed purpose to keep searching for the Godstones. I don't care what everyone else says, my gut is telling me the legends are true."

Tiny arrows stabbed Shae's heart as Felix gave Isobel a worried smile. "Do be careful out there."

Watching them was too much to bear. She quickly stood. "Please excuse me," she mumbled. "The events of the day have caught up with me and I must retire for the night. Thank you for your help today, Sorceress."

Before anyone could stop her, she slipped into her room and closed the door behind her. The bond between Felix and Isobel was impossible to deny after seeing them together and she had been a fool to think he would ever choose her over the sorceress. She was nothing but the consolation prize. The wife he had not chosen but settled for. He said the rumours of their love affair weren't true, and maybe they had never acted on their feelings, but one need only look at them to see there was something there.

Anger mingled with the hurt. Anger at herself. Anger at him. Anger at the unfairness of loving someone who loved someone else. She never should have allowed herself to be vulnerable again.

~~~~~~