Darkfell Vampire Clan Boxset, page 111
I chewed on my lip, then reached over and pulled the thick blue binder off the table beside Cyrus.
“This was Clementia’s personal journal. Caine didn’t take it with the others because he didn’t think there was anything of any value, but I disagree. I believe the key to stopping him is in this book. I just don’t know if it’s possible.”
“Tell us what you thinking,” Luthor said steadily. “Run it through for us, and maybe we can make it happen.”
“If we fail, then that’s the end. I think this is our only option.”
“We won’t fail,” Deston said firmly. “Now, tell us what you’re planning and don’t leave anything out.”
While Deston tightened his arms around our Queen, Luthor and I stayed put, waiting to hear what Seraphina was planning. She fingered the knife, as if she couldn’t wait to draw it across Caine’s neck.
And that, right there, was my problem.
Somehow I knew, for her plan to work, she’d have to get close to the bastard. Close enough to use the knife on him, and she’d do it herself because she’d never put any of us in danger.
Behind her golden eyes, I saw the wheels turn. They’d been turning for days now as she tried to figure a way out of this mess. I wanted to help her, but my specialty was court intrigue and maneuverings, not killing demi-gods.
Her gaze skimmed over us, and still, she stayed quiet.
I knew why.
In the beginning, we were quick to dismiss her ideas. We’d thought they were too dangerous, too impulsive, too reckless. But she’d proved us wrong by defeating Viktor and taking back the kingdom. Luring Katarina here and freeing her mate from the soul-bond.
Seraphina was smart, and I trusted her to find a way out of this.
Whatever she was planning, was a combination of a thousand pieces of information she’d gathered over the past months, all of it culminating in a well-thought-out plan with few downsides.
And, knowing her, putting only herself at risk.
“Martine hid a spell in her journal. It’s not obvious, unless you like to do puzzles. Markus noticed it first. If you take the first word of every paragraph… you explain it better than me, Markus.”
“The first word of every paragraph spells out an unbinding incantation, but it’s longer than any I’ve seen.” He spread out his hand-written pages. “I only noticed it because my mother liked to play with spells, and I recognized the first few words.”
Markus handed the paper to Deston, who scanned it quickly. “I don’t know much about spells, but I’d say it’s complete, given what I know of them. The person we should be asking is Marie.”
“That’s the next part of my plan.” Seraphina sighed. “We need Marie to cast the spell.”
“The spell requires different magic, witch’s magic,” Markus explained. “Which explains why Caine tried to wipe out the witches. He knew their magic affected him. When Katarina imprisoned him in the first place, she must have enlisted the help of a witch.”
Seraphina held up the knife. “Read the first part, Markus.”
Split the house of living flesh,
A blade of gold, you must possess.
Swallow the power trapped within—
Seraphina cut him off. “Katarina used the knife and took his magic, turning him into the wraith, which she imprisoned.” She paused, meeting my eyes. “She didn’t know a spell to take Caine’s power, she just wanted him out of the way.”
Seraphina closed her eyes, as if debating the wisdom of what she was about to say next.
“If the spell can transfer power, if the knife is what we believe it is, I need to get close enough to Caine to use the knife. Marie has to be cognizant enough to cast the spell.”
“And then what do you plan to do, Seraphina?”
She took a gulp of air. “If I’m an empty shell, then I can absorb Caine’s magic. All of that power will be looking for a home, and I’ll give it one.”
Horror shuddered through me, and I moved behind her, slipped my hand around the nape of her neck, even though Deston hissed at the intrusion. “If you’re planning on absorbing Caine’s power, let me remind you what that power is. It’s black, corrupt magic, and absorbing it will corrupt you.”
“I know what it is. When I was going to school, I interned at a clinic that specialized in bone marrow transplants.” Her throat bobbed. “When a human has cancer, there’s a process called a bone marrow transplant. They do chemo to kill off your diseased marrow, then infuse healthy cells into you. Once the transplant is complete, the body takes over, and starts producing healthy new blood cells.”
“It sounds awful,” I said softly, but she relaxed as I fed magic into her a bit at a time until her racing heart slowed down.
“I’m talking about a magical transplant. I’d have to rid myself of my magic and Lyra’s magic—the combination that’s killing me. When I absorb Caine’s magic, that will be the only power inside of me. Theoretically, this blood disorder should go away, though I expect it will take me months to adapt to his magic.”
“You’re suggesting that you go up against Caine, without a drop of magic in your body, use the knife to open him up, and then absorb his magic?” My voice came out harder than I intended but just listening to this sent a fresh jolt of fear through me.
“It’s the only way, Cyrus,” she said firmly. “But there’s a side effect that none of you have considered.” Her grin lit up her entire face. “Which is going to sell you on my plan.”
I doubted I’d be sold on anything.
“We thought killing Caine meant the end of our race.” She shook her head. “But we’d only be killing the shell, the one he shaped from Katarina’s flesh and blood. It’s his magic that created vampires. Once that power transfers to me, the species will be safe.” A little nervous laugh escaped her lips the same time I realized what she was getting at.
“Instead of having a father of our race, there will be a mother.”
Her gaze was unwavering as she added, tears shining in her eyes, “One who will make sure our kind lives forever.”
43
SERAPHINA
The next morning, the smell woke me. The cloying-sweet scent of putrefaction that permeated everything in the bedroom, even my skin.
I didn’t even have to look out the window to know what happened.
Caine’s infestation had breached the wards, and was working its way toward the palace.
Half the reason he kidnapped Marie was to accelerate this war between us. To him, all of this was just a game. But to me…
These people were my friends, my family—and this was my home.
I looked out the window and held back a gasp. The wards were nearly a football field away from the palace, and the cankerous rot hadn’t just overtaken them, it was consuming the magic that held them together. Black, gooey mold crawled up the magical barriers like some macabre wall, nearly twenty feet high.
I threw on clothes and jogged downstairs, found everyone already gathered around the kitchen table, faces as grim as I felt.
“Good morning, my Queen.” Luthor said gruffly, giving up his chair as he went to get me a cup of coffee.
“That’s debatable.” I noted everyone was here, even Renard. His eyes were sober as he inclined his head to me. Everyone knew what this meant. We’d be evacuating. Soon.
“We’ve tried fire, but unlike the other aberrations of Caine’s magic, it’s not responding. In fact, it seems to accelerate the growth,” Renard said.
“I knew this would happen, eventually.” I looked gratefully at Luthor as he slid the steaming cup in front of me. “I didn’t think it would advance this quickly.”
Caine was sick of waiting. We were operating on his timeline, not ours.
“Start shutting the palace down. Move anything of value out of the building, including the library.” I leapt to my feet. “Especially the library. That room contains records going back to the very beginning of our species. We’re not going to lose them, not on my watch.”
“The palace may survive, especially if we—”
I cut Renard off. “Caine already told me he would destroy this place. I suppose since he couldn’t have it for himself, then nobody would.”
“Caden,” Luthor ordered, “You and Silas coordinate that effort. Get as many men as you need. Markus, you’re in charge of the library. I want every last book out of that room, down to the last pamphlet.”
Chairs squealed across the floor as people readied themselves to leave.
“We’re on his timeline now,” I told them. “This is revenge for us rescuing Marie. Once he realizes his journals are gone, he’ll be coming, and this time, I doubt he’ll hold back.”
“Let’s see what we can get done in two hours,” Luthor said, trading glances with me. “Get as much out as we can in that time, but focus on the library. I agree those books are the most valuable things here.”
“I wish I had my magic,” I muttered, then shook my head. “But I don’t.” I took a sip of coffee and wrinkled my nose; something Luthor didn’t miss.
“It your tonic, Seraphina. I know it tastes awful, but it’s good for you.” A hint of a smile played around his lips. “Take your medicine, like a good girl.” A bit of heat warmed his face before he hid it.
“You’re not the one having to drink it.”
Marie had filled me full of magic last night, but the effects were fading. I half-wondered if Caine had done something to me when he took his magic back. Maybe took a bit extra, as insurance, so I didn’t have a chance.
In no time, vampires clogged the foyer, which was being used as a staging area.
“Where are we sending everything?” I asked Luthor curiously. “If Caine discovers where everything’s going, he’ll destroy that too.”
“Hugh Cormier owns a storage facility on the far side of the city. Half of it’s going there, but the books…”
Luthor looked over at Deston pointedly.
“The books are going to Ravenswood, ma cherie,” my mate assured me. “Unless you know of a better place?”
“No, that will be perfect.” I sighed. “I can’t believe it’s come to this. And I can’t believe I caused it.”
“And I’ll never stop telling you, this was not your fault.” Deston settled me against him, my head nestled in the crook of his neck as we watched people pack everything up as quickly as they could. Volunteers loaded down with books vanished, then came back for another load. “This is my brother’s fault, and no one else’s.” he murmured in my ear.
It hardly made me feel better.
“Even without your magic, you’re the strongest adversary he’s ever faced. Stronger than Katarina. We will save everything worth saving from this place, and when Caine is dead, we’ll build a new palace that doesn’t contain a trace of evil.”
He shook his head. “Not like this place. We will start with a fresh slate, and you’ll finally have a home of your very own.”
“That’s a nice dream, Deston,” I said softly, knowing while he meant every word, the chances I’d get to build my dream home were slim to none.
“I want to go outside.” I couldn’t stand here any longer, waiting for the end. I felt like we were giving up ground that we would never regain. I hated being put in this position, but even worse, I hated that the entire clan was in this position. Even the European clans were scrambling right now, all eyes upon us, watching to see how quickly Caine crushed me beneath his heel.
“You don’t want to see it,” Deston said firmly. “Nor do you want to smell it, trust me.”
“It’s better than watching us pack up like vagabonds. I’d like to see the grounds, one last time, before they’re gone.”
“Then you shall,” my mate said softly, draping a coat around my shoulders. He grasped my hand and tugged me toward the door. “Prepare yourself. If you think the stench is bad in here, it’s nothing like what it is outside.”
He was right.
The smell of rot dripped from the air, which had taken on a greasy humidity, as if the wards were trapping the poison inside. “We need to lower the wards,” I told him, holding my coat up over my nose. “Or else everything in here will suffocate, including our volunteers.”
“The wards keep us safe Seraphina. If we lower them…”
“The wards are worthless. Everyone in the clan is too afraid for their own lives to attack me. And they’ve never kept Caine out. Drop them now, before we’re forced to leave because the air is unbreathable.”
“I’ll fetch Luthor,” Deston capitulated, tugging me back toward the door. I didn’t budge, watching the slimy mold crawl higher up the wards, smothering the live oaks.
Caine would pay for this. All of it.
“Stay here, and I’ll have Luthor lower the wards. Since they are a mixture of his and Marie’s magic, I’m hoping he has the power to undo a witch’s spell work.”
I wasn’t going anywhere.
Not until Caine’s awful blight reach the front doors, and I had no choice but to leave. I’d remain until the bitter end and make sure Caine fucking knew it. He wanted to push me around? Well, I could only be pushed so far; something he was about to learn.
Ever since he rose from the dead, I’d been nothing but a pushover, constantly compromising to find a peaceful solution, common ground, some way we could work together.
I’d warned him there was another side to me, and watching his darkness creep closer, it occurred to me that Caine had made a fatal mistake.
Chances were, I’d be dead in a couple of days.
The second I was gone, Caine would exterminate anyone who’d been loyal to me. That included my lovers, my mate, the Cormiers, and everyone else who’d been my ally.
For the first time in my life, I truly had nothing to lose.
I was killing that bastard. The only thing I had to figure out was where.
I toyed with the prison, but that seemed too obvious. The safe house in the city was a definite no because there would be human casualties, and I couldn’t risk that. We couldn’t do it here, but location was the only thing I could control in this entire situation.
It had to be remote, somewhere Caine was wholly unfamiliar with. It had to happen at night since that was the only time he could go outside. We’d have to lure him there, although that wouldn’t present much of a problem.
Once he sensed I was close to death, he’d have to watch me die.
You bad, bad girl.
As if my thoughts conjured him up, Caine’s voice rang through my head, a mixture of scalding, scolding humor and actual anger.
I scrambled to erect every mental barrier I had, secondary to the ones Deston erected yesterday. I didn’t know how long Caine had been here, watching me, nor had I felt his creeping presence in my head, but it was critical he didn’t find out what we already knew.
You didn’t just retrieve the witch. You stole something else.
The breeze had died in the air, but the stench intensified. Obviously, freezing time didn’t do anything about the smell.
I was expecting Caine, but instead, Marie materialized appeared out of nowhere, her eyes milky white and staring, her arms hanging loose at her sides.
He’d sent me a messenger I wouldn’t harm.
Caine was smarter than I’d given him credit for.
“In my day, we chopped off thieves’ hands.” Caine’s voice came out of Marie’s mouth, and she looked pointedly to my own. “But I suppose such things are not done anymore, are they?”
“Not so much,” I told him, angling to get a better look at Marie. She appeared unharmed, but she was definitely enthralled. “By your logic, I should’ve chopped your hands off a month ago when you stole those journals from my library.”
“You have no room to talk, Seraphina. You stabbed me in the back.”
“Taking a page out of your playbook,” I said stiffly. “What do you want, Caine?” I gestured at the advancing infestation. “Come to see how your evil plan is progressing?”
“The palace will be gone by the end of the day.” His threat growled out of Marie’s mouth, her face still expressionless. I shivered at the juxtaposition, wondering if she realized what he was doing to her. “Then, you’ll have no place to go.”
He was angry, despite his attempt to hide it.
“What do you want?” I layered a hint of exhaustion onto my words, and a cruel smile twisted Marie’s mouth. “I mean, you’re probably the strongest creature on this entire planet, and yet you spend your days playing these little games, getting your jollies out of torturing a dying woman. Seems pretty pathetic to me.” I inspected my nails with feigned disinterest.
Marie tilted her head. “I am merely showing my children what becomes of those who displease me. And what better example than the Darkfell Queen? When they see how easily you fall, they will bow to me.”
“Yes, the bowing. I’ll bet you like that.”
The whiteness in Marie’s eyes swirled, and for a brief second, starry shadows sparkled in their depths. Good. I wanted to provoke Caine right now. Angry enemies made mistakes, and I needed Caine to be angry.
I needed him to be overconfident, no doubt in his mind that he was going to win.
I yawned. “Well, I suppose I should start thinking about where to go next, shouldn’t I? You probably can’t wait to tell all your allies you won this round.” I threw my head back and laughed, the sound echoing across the sludgy field.
“Oh, that’s right, you don’t have any. You never will. You have enemies and people who fear you. You’ll be a stellar king.”
Marie’s eyes narrowed. “Give me the journal, Seraphina. Or I will level the palace here and now, along with everyone in it.”
A thrill of fear went through me. I was ninety percent sure he was bluffing, but there was always the chance he’d go through with it. Caine hungered for bloodshed; I saw it in his eyes.
Well, in Marie’s eyes.
“Fine, I’ll get them.” I turned away. “Give me five minutes and I’ll bring them out to you.”
I double checked my mental barriers before I turned away. Keeping my mind carefully blank as I walked away, the back of my neck still prickled with warning.
