Contents
Chapter Ten
Overview
Lore endures another vivid, channeling-triggered dream and confronts her uncertainty about marrying Bastian. A midnight conversation lays bare Bastian’s motives—safety, legitimacy, and lonely need—before a near-kiss he withdraws from. Amelia Devereaux confronts Lore with blame and ominous intent. Finally, an intrusive, familiar voice urges Lore toward the catacombs, signaling an external pull on her power and fate.
Summary
Lore dreams of caressing a tree and speaking with a blurred figure about time, love, and an unanswered proposal, aware the dream is triggered by channeling yet different from Anton’s manipulations. She wakes uneasy but unharmed, her engagement ring a physical reminder of recent upheaval.
Unable to sleep, Lore finds Bastian at a window. She warns nobles won’t accept their marriage; Bastian insists it is between them and meant to legitimize her to the Kirytheans while keeping her safe. He affirms he intends to marry her and admits she makes him feel less alone, but avoids stating what he truly wants.
Lore confronts Bastian for forcing Gabe to witness the betrothal; he admits the cruelty, wanting Lore to choose with both men present. She confirms she chose him. As intimacy builds, Lore moves to kiss Bastian, but he withdraws, apologizing without explanation, leaving their bond fragile and unresolved.
Seeking distance, Lore walks to the atrium and encounters Amelia Devereaux. Amelia blames Lore for stealing divine power, complicating a “new world” she attributes to Bastian’s designs, and derides the title “Hemlock Queen.” Her malice and cryptic warnings suggest coordinated plans beyond court politics.
On returning, Lore hears the same alien voice from the Mortem leak whisper “Catacombs,” an intrusive compulsion that she resists. The chapter ends with Lore shaken, caught between public betrothal, private uncertainty, Amelia’s threat, and a growing external pull on her mind.
Who Appears
- LoreProtagonist; experiences another channeling-triggered dream, questions her engagement, confronts Bastian, endures Amelia’s accusations, and resists a compelling inner voice saying “Catacombs.”
- Bastian ArceneauxPrince and fiancé; seeks to protect and legitimize Lore, admits loneliness, orchestrated Gabe’s witness, and pulls back from a near-kiss.
- Amelia Devereaux (Demonde)Dani’s surviving sister; confronts Lore with malice, blames her for stolen power, hints at a larger plan tied to Bastian’s world.