Deianira relayed all the information she had been given to her council feeling oddly numb.
They had a detailed plan of the Dome, the palace, and the entrances. It seemed the only thing she couldn’t verify was the name of the informant. The depth of Cassian’s knowledge of the Dome was scary. It made her feel vulnerable.
Could it be the same person who made an attempt on Cade?
The Prima Ball. It would’ve been perfect. The city would be quiet as most of the residents would be in the palace. Along with her anger at the fact that she had a traitor on her hands, there was a small shot of fear over what could’ve happened had she not made the deal with Cade’s brother.
Deianira briefly thought about canceling the ball but now that Jude knew of their plans, he could increase security and make changes with Hewn where he saw fit.
Regarding her realizations about Eulalia, she needed to see Grace. Even thinking that name made her anxious. As her council filtered out of the room to complete their new tasks, despite their earlier protests, Salem stayed behind. Her eyes found Deianira when the door closed.
“I’ll come with you.” Salem was too observant.
“No,” Deianira responded.
“You’re not in a good frame of mind and it would take little for you to set her off in her condition. You shouldn’t go alone,” she said with finality.
Deianira sat silently, staring at the desk.
“It might not even be her,” Salem said. “She said she was born outside the Dome. I’ll admit, the facts line up but it’s still unlikely that…”
“It’s her.”
Salem blinked thoughtfully. “Then we go.”
Approaching the Haven, Deianira’s hands shook at her sides as her sentinel held the door open for her. She hesitated before heading to the reception desk.
The lady behind the desk did a double take before her eyes widened at Deianira.
“Your Majesty,” she breathed. “How may I help you?”
Deianira couldn’t even speak so Salem did.
“We’re here to see Grace Sambor.”
“Oh. She hasn’t had a visitor in quite some time.”
“Her room?” Salem urged.
“Yes. Just through that door, take the stairs on your left and she’s in B-06.”
“Thank you.”
With that, Salem led Deianira through the facility and stopped outside of the door labeled B-06.
“You don’t have to do this. We can turn around and go back to the palace. What she doesn’t know can’t hurt her.” Salem reasoned.
“No,” Deianira whispered. “She deserves to know.”
Salem nodded. “Okay.”
Pushing open the door, Deianira wanted to cry at the sight. One of her oldest friends sat in the corner, braiding the fringes of the curtain, unbeknownst to her presence. She was in her own world, so distant.
“Grace,” she choked out.
Grace didn’t startle but turned her head slowly to the door.
“Your Majesty,” Grace smiled.
Deianira giggled despite herself. “Don’t start with that bullshit.”
At that, Grace let out a full laugh, standing up to greet Deianira. She looked tired, wrinkles marred her bronze skin, but as always, she found it in herself to smile.
Wrapping her arms around Deianira, she whispered, “It’s been some time, my friend.”
“It has,” Deianira replied.
She felt guilty enough for what she had done to Grace and though she felt bad for not visiting her any more, seeing her face was a reminder of her mistakes.
“Salem,” Grace untangled herself from Deianira to give Salem a grateful nod.
Salem nodded back, face straight.
“Grace, I’ve actually come to tell you something,” Deianira said, losing her smile.
“Is it about the boy? He’s quite the looker if I say so myself.” Grace smirked.
Of course, she’d seen him. Deianira knew who she was talking about but she still subtly glanced at Salem, hoping she hadn’t understood Grace’s comment. Deianira flushed as she hoped even more that Grace hadn’t seen what happened between her and Cade outside of the training room.
“No, Grace. Maybe we could sit?” she offered nervously.
“Of course.”
As they settled, each taking a corner of the bed, Deianira couldn’t stop fiddling with her hands.
“It’s okay, child. Speak.” Grace placed her hands over Deianira’s.
After trying to calm herself, Deianira met Grace’s eyes.
“She’s here.”
Grace had always been an intelligent woman. Deianira constantly told her that she should’ve gone back to school rather than remain as her servant. She even offered to cover her expenses multiple times, but Grace was content. Deianira suspected that Grace’s choice to remain working for her had less to do with loving her job and more to do with wanting to stay close to her and she was eternally grateful for it. To Deianira, Grace was a friend, a mother, an advisor, and so much more.
By the way Grace’s beautiful face lost its pleasant smile, Deianira knew she didn’t have to elucidate.
“No,” Grace whispered.
“Grace…” Deianira tried to console her, knowing what was about to happen.
“No, no, no!”
“Grace, please.”
“NO! She can’t be here!” Grace stood and backed away from Deianira, sitting back in the corner.
“Grace, she’s your daughter…you don’t want to meet her?” Tears sprung in Deianira’s eyes as her voice wobbled.
“Of course, I do!” She was screaming now. “But Deianira, she can’t be here!”
“Why?” Deianira asked.
Grace’s hands covered her eyes as she began weeping.
“My sweet Eulalia. Oh, my baby…” she whispered.
Salem got up from the bed and crouched down beside Grace.
“Grace, why can’t she be here?” she demanded, causing Deianira to wince. Salem wasn’t the most gentle person.
Eyes red, Grace looked up at Salem. “You have to get her out of here. Please, get her out of here.”
Frustrated Deianira stood. “Grace, why?”
“He’ll kill her if he finds out who she is…” she hiccuped.
Deianira’s tears flowed freely. This was her fault. I ruined her life. Deianira had taken everything from her and she’d descended into madness because of it. This wasn’t the same bubbly woman who’d danced with her when she had a bad day or kept her in check when she had to make difficult decisions.
When Deianira discovered that Grace’s child went missing twenty-three years ago, her stomach had flipped. Grace had done something to her own daughter for fear that someone was after her. Deianira remembered all the times that Grace would cry to her, telling her that someone would try to hurt her baby. The paranoia was killing her. She was suffering. And it’s my fault. I did this to her.
Feeling helpless, Deianira met Salem’s eyes. “Make her forget.” Deianira mouthed to her sentinel. At Salem’s head tilt, Deianira sobbed. “Please.”
The only thing she could do was ease Grace’s pain. Salem was right, what she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her. Salem turned back to Grace.
“Grace.” Grace lifted her head, tears streaming down her face. Salem’s eyes narrowed intently. “Deianira and I didn’t come here today. Eulalia isn’t in the Dome. She’s living happily in the western sector. There’s nothing for you to worry about. You’re going to go to bed now, you’re tired and you’ve had a long day.”
Instantaneously, Grace’s face relaxed. She stood up from the corner and walked over to the bed, completely ignoring Deianira and Salem’s presence. As she folded back the bedsheet and climbed in, they swiftly made for the door.
Once the door closed, Deianira stood, back against the wall, head tilted to the ceiling.
“For what it’s worth, I think you did the right thing. She would’ve been in distress…”
“Don’t try to make me feel better!” Deianira hissed.
“I’m not. There’s no reason for her to suffer. Her mind is at rest now.”
Though she didn’t say them, Deianira could hear Salem’s silent words. There’s no reason for her to suffer any more.
“I’ll visit her to undo the compulsion when Eulalia leaves,” Salem said, turning to the stairs.
Deianira gave Salem a questioning look. “Why?”
She turned back to Deianira. “Why what?”
“Why would you undo it?”
“Balance of nature,” Salem said plainly. “I’ve just taken something from her and her mind will eventually try to get it back but it won’t be easy. It’ll be a lot better for her if I give it back.”
Huh. “So what would happen if you left her alone?” Deianira asked cautiously.
Salem’s eyes moved up and to the left as if she was retrieving information from her archives. “She’d get flashbacks of our conversation in little snippets that would gradually lengthen until she got the full picture, but it can be quite painful. Headaches, paranoia, delusions, hysteria. It would be cruel.”
Deianira didn’t know why that information evoked something in her, but it did. There was something in the back of her mind trying to speak to her but she couldn’t quite hear it.
Salem observed Deianira. “ Jude’s almost finished planning. Why don’t we go to see the seamstress and check on your dress?”
Deianira stared at her sentinel blankly. She couldn’t have been more obvious. Salem inclined her head. “Okay, that time I was trying to make you feel better.”
Deianira snorted and rolled her eyes.
