Luminous

93 - Lasralein's Defense

"Tell me where you're keeping those eyes, or Lord Hyacinth gets a shiny burn on his other cheek!"

"No! Please!"

A strident voice echoed down the hallway as Lady Hyacinth, Gillian and the Hadrian men hurtled towards Healer Hasif's lab, muffled by the thick wood of the double doors, but still unmistakably Meya's, followed by a whimpering voice pleading for mercy. Whether it was due to fear or pain, Coris was not sure.

"Please! I'm telling you, my lady. I have no clue about these accusations!"

Healer Hasif reasoned to the door in exasperation. Coris cast his eyes about the scene as he struggled to process this surreal turn of events.

He saw Lady Arinel standing a little way away to the right, wringing her hands, stricken with worry. She started, having just registered their presence, then turned and scampered over to them.

"Ari, what's going on?" Zier demanded in a whisper. Arinel was downcast, her face hidden behind blinds of blonde locks as she clutched at Zier's sleeve with a trembling hand,

"I had Healer Hasif show me around the herb gardens, to lure her away from her lab so Meya and Lord Ahmundi could sneak inside."

She shot a quick look at the door, using Hasif's and Meya's raised voices trading barbs as cover as she brought them up to speed,

"Hasif grew suspicious and she hurried back. When Meya spotted her coming, she chained the doors from inside and took Ahmundi hostage. She said Hasif's been hoarding dragon eyeballs and breaking them open to harvest the glowing stones inside—Hyacinth's so-called green crystals. Apparently, they give out immense energy. That must have been the reason the eyes could remain glowing for thousands of years."

The air in their vicinity seemed to have dropped in temperature. Coris's eyes lost their usual focus as the pieces fell into place. He understood why Meya had chosen this course of action, of course, but the enormity of what she had done chilled him to the core.

"Persephia, Cleygar and Lors' eyes might have already been used, to destroy evidence and silence them, but on the slight chance they're still untouched, we need Amoriah to force their whereabouts out of Hasif." He murmured, his lips numb. Arinel nodded earnestly,

"Ahmundi's looking to get rid of Hasif as well. I'm sure he's simply playing along. Meya would never harm anyone."

"Well, Amoriah doesn't know that, does she? Wouldn't this turn her against Meya? How do you expect Lord Uncle to negotiate safe passage for her now?" Simon pointed out, voicing Coris's exact concern.

Coris turned to Father, just as much for advice as reassurance, but Father's expression was of grim acceptance. He shook his head slowly,

"We have three days at best to deal with this matter before Olivis's arresting party arrives from Jaise."

He said, lips barely moving as he kept an eye on Lady Hyacinth. She stood with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed, unnervingly calm even as her only son was under threat of torture,

"If Amoriah rejects my offer, Meya's best chance is to flee with the dragons while we stay behind and negotiate with Olivis."

He glanced at Gillian. The dragon commander gave a nod, his barely blinking eyes never once leaving the lab's door,