Her Cinder Throne (Completed)

Chapter 92

Cole shifted with nerves, fighting her urge to press up close to Tanwyn as he held the crystal just barely above the water's surface. It glowed in his hand like a Sparkstone in glass, and he frowned.

"Cole, back up," he said.

"Excuse me?" she said, glancing around at the soldiers who averted their eyes. They were not used to Tanwyn's informal way of addressing their queen, and she wasn't sure they were quite fond of it. The Eldritch only knew him as the son of a traitor, and the humans knew him as a vicious fae.

Tanwyn sighed. "Lady Caspia, please move back a bit so that the crystal is not immediately activated by your Sparkstone."

Cole flushed. "Oh. Yes. Sorry." She took a few steps back, exiting the room and standing in Thijs'. She could still see Tanwyn, but now her view of the bowl was obscured. However, she saw that the crystal had dulled to barely any glow.

Tanwyn's eyes swept across the bowl, flicking back and forth, as if he was reading. What he saw, she had no idea, but he was intent on it. He moved the crystal, adjusting it for some unknown reason, while the men behind him stared with wide open eyes and mouths. Cole frowned, irritated that she was not allowed to see what miracle was being performed.

"It sees you, Caspia, obviously," Tanwyn finally said. "It's actually quite stuck on you, since you have the highest concentration of power that's this close."

"Why won't it pick up any of the Eldritch?" she asked.

"They're not currently using any magic," he replied. "They may have magic in their blood, but it doesn't pick that up as easily."

"Then why is it picking up my Sparkstone?"

"The Sparkstone cannot control it's magic. It leaks out, like a scent almost. Even when you're not using it directly, it's still working."

Cole clenched her jaw before speaking. "So is it useless? It can't show us Thijs or Gethwine?"

Tanwyn glanced up. "I didn't say that. I just said the scrying bowl is getting snagged on you. But I've managed to get it unstuck for a few seconds, and I saw Gethwine somewhere dark. Probably subterranean. It looked damp and... well, not somewhere I'd enjoy spending time."

Cole nearly dropped her sword. "How could I be so stupid! Of course! The dungeons!"

Tanwyn looked up. "Where your mother was?"

"Yes. It's closer to the heart of the earth, like the caves the monsters came from. Perhaps it gives them more power. And it's more easily defended then anywhere above ground. It's the perfect place to hole up and create more Cursed."

Tanwyn dropped the crystal in the bowl, apparently disrupting whatever vision was on its surface because the soldiers looked crestfallen and shuffled with disappointment. Tanwyn ignored them and got to his feet, walking over to Cole.

"It'll be hard to get to them, but we'll have to just punch through," he said.

"We got in here, didn't we?" she replied. "We just have to do our best."

He nodded, and then they signaled to the men to gather up for them to go over a small plan. They would fight through, giving no thought to stealth, because they needed to only get someone close enough to destroy Thijs and Gethwine. It would be bloody and full of death, but as long as the king and former queen did not make it out of the dungeon, it would be a successful campaign.

They headed down, making their way to the kitchens and the stairs that would take them to the dungeons. Cole felt a strange dreamlike haze around her movements as she remembered coming here to see her mother. Bastian had saved her and brought her out, and she swallowed as she remembered his eyes so full of worry and sorrow. She wanted to still hate him, but now all she felt was overwhelming pity. He hadn't deserved any of this, and she hated that she could not save him from it. That she had to fight him instead of telling him it was all right and he was safe. It made her heart burn with even more hatred for Thijs and all the lives he destroyed.

They didn't even make it to the bottom of the stairs before encountering enemy soldiers, and they had to awkwardly fight their way down. Thankfully, on stairs the high ground was most of the battle, so they were down at the base of the stairs in a few minutes. They pushed through the door and into the cell room, though now it looked almost like an empty cavern. The cells had been battered away, leaving gaping holes in the walls. Sparkstone burners flared everywhere, casting the new space in such harsh light that Cole had to cover her eyes until they adjusted.

Thijs' soldiers filled the cavern, and obviously they had expected the invading forces to eventually find them. They were ready, with drawn weapons, and threw themselves at Cole's men. It was even more vicious fighting than what had happened out in the streets, and for a moment Cole panicked that they would be overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Thijs' forces. But she quickly pushed that from her mind, and told herself that this only just increased the need to move quickly and find Thijs.

As Tanwyn blocked a war hammer that came dangerously close to her head, Cole took a few precious moments to scan the cavern that had once been the dungeons. It now extended back, like a long cave, and all lit with the Sparkstone burners. She saw mostly soldiers, their armor glinting dully, but a bit to her right she saw Cursed, hovering in the air but not advancing.

There would be no reason for the Cursed to hang back and not engage Cole and her men. They were by far the most powerful weapon Thijs had, so they should have been attacking and sweeping up this small raiding party swiftly and neatly. Yet they hovered in the air, not even ordering their monsters to go ahead of them.

Which meant they were guarding something. Someone.

She knew where Gethwine and Thijs were hiding.