Rose in Chains
by Julie Soto
Contents
Chapter 43
Overview
In the aftermath of Cohle’s death, Briony helps Toven heal Vesper and suppresses her shock. Serena crafts a cover story and, with Briony and Toven, rewrites the female nurse’s and Reighven’s memories to protect them. Briony realizes Serena routinely shields her mind from Mallow. Orion returns mid-conspiracy, enraged.
Summary
Briony, numb after killing Cohle, helps Toven levitate Cohle’s body and finds Vesper gravely injured. Following Toven’s guidance, Briony sedates Vesper and begins repairing her spine and nerves until Toven’s power can resume, stabilizing Vesper enough for him to complete the healing.
They return to the drawing room where Serena watches over Reighven and the female nurse. Briony admits she killed Cohle and secretly released the male nurse, promising to provide a substitute body because his sister is captive at Biltmore. Serena hastily forms a cover story: Cohle attacked to seize the golden heartspring, tortured Toven, and Serena killed him.
Fearing Mallow’s scrutiny, Serena insists they must rewrite memories but cannot leave her own magical signature. Briony offers to help, and with Toven maintaining stasis, Serena instructs Briony through advanced mindwork on the female nurse. Together they stitch a new sequence: the sterilization proceeds, Toven does not protest, chaos is blamed on Cohle, and Serena kills him. They refine reactions until seamless, then return the nurse to stasis.
They repeat the process in Reighven’s oily, hostile mind, overwriting his recollection to match the cover. During the work, Briony realizes Serena routinely alters her own memories to survive Mallow’s intrusions and that Hearst Hall hides many secrets. They finish just as time runs long and Orion still hasn’t returned.
With Reighven subdued again, Orion arrives unexpectedly, finding his family amid bodies and stasis-bound victims. He looks murderous, interrupting their fragile fabrication and raising the stakes for exposure.
Who Appears
- Briony RosewoodProtagonist; kills Cohle, helps heal Vesper, and executes memory alterations to protect their cover.
- Serena HearstStrategist; devises the cover story and leads complex mind-magic to rewrite memories, hiding her signature from Mallow.
- Toven HearstInjured and recovering; sustains stasis and healing, assists Briony and Serena during memory alterations.
- ReighvenAssailant subdued; his memories are rewritten to support Serena’s cover narrative.
- VesperToven’s fox familiar; grievously injured spine repaired by Briony and Toven.
- Orion HearstReturns at the end, discovers the aftermath, and appears furious.
- Female nurseVictim of mind alteration; her memories reshaped to match the fabricated sequence.
- CohleDead antagonist; his body is moved while the group builds a cover story for his death.