Queen of the Underworld | Book 3

• twenty-eight •

I looked at Damien who only stared at the pouch between us.

His aunt was in that pouch. His aunt.

A woman he had known in his childhood. A woman he probably had fond memories of.

She was reduced to no more than a jewel.

Had she been kind to him? Robyn, when masquerading as Damien, had said that she had been kind to him. That she brought him all the best toys as a child. Had he really used Damien's memories then?

Damien knew about the jewel for twenty-four hours. He probably had time to adjust, to know and accept the fact that Tianna had been lugged around in Julian's pocket this entire time.

I, in turn, could feel the blood drain from my face.

Suddenly, I remembered who Tianna really was.

She bartered away the Underworld for a child. She made a bargain with demons for a baby.

For Mal.

Mal, the daughter that had supposedly died before being born. Their deaths had driven Robyn to madness. It drove him to mass murder.

But was Mal really Tianna's daughter? There was no doubt that she was related to Robyn...and something...darker. She used his Silvertongue abilities to push us out.

And there we were. The four of us standing around a table staring at the pouch.

Banished.

Hiding.

Wounded.

Recovering from a battle against Mal for the throne.

And the woman responsible for all of it was in front of us.

"An...emerald." I blinked turning to Julian. "We were stealing Tianna's soul from her tomb? Is this a joke?"

Damien didn't change his grim expression. "It is not a joke." He ran a hand over his face. I could sense his frustration. "The prick kept Tianna's soul in her tomb."

"Robyn did this?" I asked.

Damien shrugged his shoulders. "Who else would?"

I looked at Julian. "How did you know to take it? Why?"

"Two reasons for why," Julian said, nonchalant. "The first: I really wanted to piss him off after what he did to you and my parents. The second: there were rumors of what he did. I wanted to be sure. I knew if I could get to Tianna, somehow, I could get some information over Robyn."

"Get to Tianna?" I echoed. "As in speak to her?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Asmo accelerated my plans before I could even begin. I was nearly there. That is what I am continuing now."

I swallowed. "So, what did you find out yesterday from your contacts?"

"I found the person I was after and received confirmation on the emerald. She's working on her own contacts as we speak. It's ancient magic so any information on how it's done has been lost for centuries. That might take a while."

I nodded as he spoke. "All right. And anything on Mal?"

Damien shook his head. "Nothing good. Everyone is on her side. If rumors are to be believed, she has the entire army. Her influence has only gone that far. She's starting small but we don't know what her purpose will be. We were lucky Julian still had some loyal contacts including this woman. But we're not sure how long it will last."