The Red Queen by Meg Xuemei X Page B

Ashburn said. “Duncan dragged him there.”
    Her knife had brought him there. Lucienne’s stomach twisted in nausea and pain. She needed to check on him as soon as her companions left, even though she was too ashamed to face her Czech prince.
    “That’s what you wanted to share?” Kian flicked his gaze from Lucienne’s anxious expression to Ashburn’s hopeful look.
    “I couldn’t care less about Blazek.” Ashburn turned to Lucienne. “I’ve been replaying the fighting scene from different angles, and I found something more about your lapse this time.”
    Kian and Lucienne stared at him.
    “It wasn’t the insane you who hurt the Czech,” Ashburn said.
    “Spit it out,” Kian ordered. “These boys always talk like a clogged pipe.”
    “If you hadn’t cut him off,” Lucienne said, “he’d probably have finished his sentence.”
    “Lucia, did you summon Forbidden Glory when you fought us?” Ashburn asked. “You couldn’t be that powerful without it. You couldn’t have defeated both Blazek and me at once. You threw Mr. McQuillen into the air by simply raising your hands.”
    Remorse hit her anew at the memory of hurting them, but Kian squeezed her shoulder to assure her that he didn’t hold a grudge.
    “I called for my power,” she said, “and it responded strongly.”
    “That’s what I thought,” Ashburn said. “Don’t use it again before the poison is out of your system. It once helped you defeat your cousin when you were at the Red Mansion, but it almost controlled you. Your power acted erratically because of its lack of aether. Now, with the last element back but contaminated, Forbidden Glory is crippled. It can’t connect to reason. When it manifested, it switched on your insanity, and the poison of Blood Tear makes you too weak to tame it. Forbidden Glory will take you over if you summon it again.”
    “Stay away from it!” Kian ordered Lucienne.
    “Promise you won’t use it again under any circumstances,” Ashburn said.
    “If you promise not to pick a fight with Vladimir again,” she said.
    “I’ll restrain from provoking him,” Ashburn said, “and I won’t give in to his taunts.”
    Kian gritted his teeth. “Upset her again, and you’re off Sphinxes forever.”
    “Yes, sir,” Ashburn said. “You don’t need to worry about that. Blazek doesn’t exist. He’s dead to me.”
    Hadn’t he just promised he wouldn’t upset her? Lucienne opened her mouth, but insurmountable exhaustion swept over her. Her heavy eyelids pressed together. She didn’t fight it, knowing she was safe among her protectors.
    When she awoke at midnight, her first thought was of Vladimir. She was supposed to visit him in the medical facility in the castle, but fatigue and shame had conquered her. She needed to see him now, to see that he was safe. No matter where he was, she’d seek him out.
    As soon as she stepped out of her bedroom, Duncan rose from a chair in the adjoining sitting room. Relief washed over his face when he saw her white gown. “Lucia,” he asked with concern, “you need anything? I’ll fetch it for you.”
    “Where’s Vladimir?” she asked.
    Duncan hesitated for a second and said, “On the roof.”
    “Thanks,” she said and scrambled along the hallway toward the stairs.
    Duncan didn’t object, but trailed after her. He’d followed her for years. He’d fought with her in many battles. He guarded her with his life but treated her more like a fellow warrior than fragile china, and she appreciated that.
    On the rooftop, the starlight silhouetted a lone figure. The ocean wind flapped the corner of Vladimir’s black trench coat. Lucienne loved to come here at night to search for a possible new home in the sky. Was her sanctuary also becoming the Czech prince’s new haven? She didn’t mind sharing it with him. They hadn’t been alone since she’d returned from the Sealers’ temple. Ashburn and Kian had made sure of that.
    Ashburn wasn’t around now. He must be