“The dark demons will take care of them and leave the Soldati realm to us.”
Segreti’s blood turned to ice, and he stared at Gori. “Dark demons? You’ve made a pact with dark demons?”
A wicked gleam filled Gori’s power-hungry eyes. “The moment we discovered all was not as it seemed with Khalon, we sought them out. They were eager to give us whatever we asked for in exchange for Khalon’s death. With the Soldati king gone, the demons can harvest all the souls from the human world they desire, and we shall live as kings for the rest of our immortal life. Once Sansone informed us the Saugur had a vision of his and Khalon’s death, we knew we’d succeed in our plot. We only had to devise it. And then the healer presented us with the perfect weapon.” Gori motioned to Segreti.
“You know all is not well with Khalon,” Vestri said. “You almost admitted as much the day we arrived. At first, I thought nothing of it. You said the prince was powerful and would protect his king at all costs. I found that strange. You then made sure to quickly add ‘not that Khalon needs protecting.’ In that moment, we knew the king was vulnerable. It didn’t matter how, only that he was.”
“And he is, isn’t he?” Lazzari asked, excitement in his voice.
Segreti nodded.
“Which is why we have a small army of demons surrounding the Soldati Woods, waiting on our word.”
Gori was a fool if he believed he could trust the demons to spare them. Demons were foul creatures. They’d outnumber Gori and his followers, but he’d worry about that later.
“Even if Khalon is vulnerable, how are we going to get to him? There’s an army of Soldati looking for me, and the Saugur, the Eye, and the council are all protecting him. We’ll never get anywhere near him.”
Lazzari nodded his agreement. “Which is why we must bring him to us.”
“How?”
“The healer,” Gori replied, sounding certain.
Segreti scoffed. “You’re mad.”
“We’ll use the healer to draw the prince away from his mate.”
“The Eye will see you coming,” Segreti replied with a shake of his head.
“What the Eye sees, we see,” Gori replied.
Segreti stared at him. “Impossible.”
Gori reached beneath the collar of his tunic and pulled at a black cord to reveal a golden stone with black lines.
“What is it?” Segreti asked, his blood turning to ice, their fears confirmed. Khalon had been right. They’d found it.
“The Soldati Tiger’s Eye.”
“Where did you get it?” The Soldati relic had been gifted to Pavoni’s father by Khalon’s father back during a particularly devastating war against the demons. It was a powerful artifact capable of seeing “echoes” the Soldati Eye pulsed during a vision. It had been gifted to the old Orso king to protect him and his warriors. Segreti hid the rage coursing through him. The relic had been buried with the old Orso king.
“We have an ally in the queen’s court. The artifact had been buried with the old king, but Pavoni had exhumed the body and taken it when he was informed of its power.”
Vestri let out a grunt. “Pavoni foolishly tossed it aside, believing it had lost its power, when in truth, he simply didn’t know how to use it.”
“Thanks to our ally,” Gori said, tucking the stone back into his tunic, “we received letters from the former Soldati King to the old Orso king revealing a hidden clue. The reason it didn’t work for Pavoni was that it only works if it’s near the Eye.”
“That’s how you’ve managed to remain hidden,” Segreti said. “Because you can see what Ezra sees.”
“The healer is in his cottage, mourning your loss,” Gori replied, his words striking Segreti’s heart. “At first we’d intended to rid ourselves of him, but with you joining the fight, you can have him to yourself. If you do this, the demons will allow you to keep him if you wish it. Convince Ezra to join you, kidnap him, hell, drug him for all I care. Think about it. He can be yours. Take him away from here and do what you will with him.”
Segreti pretended to give the matter thought. He leaned his arms on the table, studying the maps that had come from the Soldati’s map room, no doubt retrieved by Sansone. He lifted his gaze to Gori. “What do I need to do?”
“Go to your healer. Get him to the south gardens. Sansone will use the passages to get to the prince and speak privately with him at the same moment your presence in the castle near the king’s chambers is ‘discovered.’ In the commotion, the prince will slip into the secret passage with Sansone.”
“And why would he do that?”
“Because Sansone will inform him that if he doesn’t come, the healer will be killed.”
That made no sense. “Why would Ezra simply not use his powers?”
Gori sighed. “Because you will make certain he doesn’t. Love is a weakness, Segreti. Use his love for you.”
“You honestly think the prince will come?” Segreti asked, sounding uncertain.
“The prince is still very much human and soft-hearted. Unlike his king, he’s not willing to sacrifice anyone, much less someone he cares deeply for, no matter the consequences. He doesn’t know we have the Tiger’s Eye.”
Vestri nodded his agreement. “Once we have the prince where we want him, Sansone will inform Khalon of the danger the prince finds himself in. Khalon will fight for his prince, vulnerable or not. His love for his prince will be his downfall. You will lay them all to waste in the garden.”
“Enough talk,” Gori declared. He met Segreti’s gaze. “Are you with us or not?”
As if Segreti had a choice. It wasn’t as if they would let him walk away. They all knew it. He held out his hand. “I’ll need a sword.”
With an evil grin, Gori held out his sword to Segreti. “Let’s go, then. There’s a passage that leads to an exit a few feet from the healer’s cottage. We’ll be in the gardens, waiting.”
Segreti made to take the sword, only to have Gori pull it back, his darkened gaze on Segreti. “We’re counting on you, General.”
The words didn’t need to be spoken. Should Segreti think of betraying them or not following through, death would be too easy. He was under no illusion what they would do to hurt him most.
“Then let this be done,” Segreti proclaimed, taking the sword from Gori. He motioned toward the door, following Gori, with Lazzari and Vestri on his heels. They headed out into the maze, walking for what seemed like an eternity but could only have been a few minutes. The passage grew cooler, meaning they were getting closer to the exit.
“Ready?” Gori asked, moving aside and making way for him.
“Yes.”
“We’ll meet you in the gardens. Oh, and General, should you change your mind, know we’re listening.”
“I’ll get this done.” Segreti cracked open the door and made sure the coast was clear before darting out into the shadows. He slipped the sword into his belt, then hurried toward the cottage, its soft light confirming Ezra’s presence. Using the trees and shadows to conceal himself, Segreti circled the cottage, making certain no Soldati lay in wait for him. Peeking through one of the windows, his heart leaped into his throat at the sight of Ezra sitting on his love seat reading one of his books, a knit blanket about his shoulders and the fire crackling in the hearth. His beauty never failed to steal Segreti’s breath, and he yearned for the day they might sit like this together.