Chapter 33
“Shit, I think you might be on to something,” Finn says after I tell him about Iza’s theory that his current mix is only stifling the magic that makes impures what they are.
“So, you think it’s possible then? You can create something that could draw it out?”
He moves around his workspace as I speak, searching for something. I track him everywhere that he goes, praying to the lost gods that he says yes.
“Technically, yes, but it’s not just as simple as pulling the magic out. You would need…” His words fade off as he grabs a piece of paper from a pile in the corner of the room. “Here it is.”
I stand up, making my way over to him as he lays the sheet down on the wooden counter. He bends to look at it, sliding his fingers down a long list of words that make no sense at all.
“That’s not Kalish. What language is it?”
He stops to look up at me.
“One I made up.” He pauses to look around as if someone might somehow slip in unnoticed.
I almost roll my eyes until I remember that we are in a castle full of vampires.
I find myself eyeing the shadows too. “I created it so I could document the things I needed to remember that I didn’t want others to know. ”
“It actually terrifies me how smart you are sometimes. Yet it’s also very impressive.”
He tilts his head to look at me, and a mischievous smile fills his face as he raises his eyebrows.
“Impressive enough to—”
“Ew, no.” I slap him on the arm, and he laughs before holding up his hands in surrender.
“Gods, a guy has to at least shoot his shot.”
“I told you it was a mistake.”
Honestly, it wasn’t the worst night of my life, but I’ll never admit it. Something about teasing him makes me feel human. It gives me the tiniest escape for just a minute, and I need that. Long for it. To feel anything other than fear or rage.
Or jealousy.
Why do you only speak when I least require it?
It entertains me.
I feel Athriel’s gleeful smile deep within and wish I could punch him. He laughs at the thought.
“Best mistake of my life,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows.
“How about we just focus on the task at hand?”
He shakes his head and laughs.
“You’re breaking my heart, Barron.” I roll my eyes as he continues to eye the paper.
“So, what exactly are we looking for?”
He turns to look at me and widens his eyes.
“We aren’t looking for anything. You might be the main character in all my dreams, but you are most definitely the villain in my reality.”
“What?”
“Need I remind you how I ended up here?” He raises his eyebrows and waits.
“Fine, but you can’t hold that against me forever, you know my reasons. I did what I had to.”
He blows out a breath.
“I know.” His eyes sweep the room again. “Look, vampire venom is not the only magic left in this world. Let's just say there are other sources of it, and some of those sources may just hold the key to what we need. Something that may be able to draw the magic out of a person completely.”
“Like an impure?”
His face twists in confusion. “A what?”
“An impure. That’s what the vampires call Julian’s kind.”
“Interesting. Incredibly unimaginative but interesting.”
“So, you’re saying that whatever you’re looking for is the missing ingredient that we need?” I ask eagerly.
“Technically, yes. If my theory is correct, and I can get the right combination of ingredients, then yes. If I’m wrong…well, let's just not talk about that.”
“So where do we find this stuff?”
He bites his lip. “That’s the part you’re not going to like.”
“Why?”
“Because it requires going somewhere dangerous.”
Of course it does.
“Where?”
He hesitates for a moment, then drops his voice to a near whisper.
“It’s called the Shadow Market. It’s where I go to get things that I need when I don’t want to leave a trail.”
“Ok, so let's go.”
He laughs at this.
“Yeah, I think you’re forgetting about our pretty little prison here. We can’t just walk out the door, and even if we could, going there is a risk in itself.”
“If this stuff can potentially get rid of whatever magic is infecting my sister, then we’re going.”
“So, you’ve managed to sneak out of this place before?”
I shrug. “Almost…sort of, but I got caught. I did get to the gate, though.”
He laughs. “We might as well start thinking of a new plan.”
“What if there were someone who could help us?”
He stares at me for a long moment.
“Then maybe we might stand a chance. But even if we do, it’s going to be dangerous. I have connections there, but they may not honor your visit.”
“I know the risks, and I’m going.”
“No.” Ajax walks away from where Finn and I are standing in the middle of the training room to retrieve his shirt from the floor.
“You haven’t even listened to the plan.” I follow him but have to wait as he uses his shirt as a cloth to wipe down his chest and forehead. I turn to find Finn’s eyes sliding down Ajax’s rippled abs, and I roll my eyes. Is there anyone he doesn’t want to sleep with? “Ajax—”
“I’m sorry, Red, but Karius will kill me if I help you and lover-boy escape the palace. I’m not getting involved.”
I fold my arms across my chest. He tries to walk past to leave, but I step into his path.
“I thought we were friends?”
As soon as the words are out, I realize that I actually mean them. His features soften at my words, and for a second, I think I have him.
“We are, and if it were anything else, I would be there in a heartbeat, but this is dangerous and just plain stupid.”
“Even if it could stop an entire war?”
He blows out a breath.
“Karius has a plan.”
I laugh at this and shake my head.
“Yeah, and how’s that working out?” I pause. “This could be the thing that stops the entire war, Ajax.”
“No.”
Anger courses through me, and I feel it warming my veins, a feeling I haven’t experienced in a while. I feel Athriel’s presence simmering inside me, and I fight against its pull, knowing that I will lose control if I don’t. I may disagree with Ajax, but I have no desire to hurt him. He’s my friend.
Stop, I command, and I feel Athriel’s anger simmer instantly.
“Adina?”
I’m suddenly pulled back to reality by Ajax’s voice and feel the soft touch of his hand on my arm.
“Are you ok?”
My brows knit in confusion until I feel the warm sting of tears blurring my eyes. I wipe them away angrily.
“I’m fine. You can choose to help us or not, but we’re going,” I say.
I spin on my heel and find Finn watching me like I’ve lost my mind.
He looks between me and Ajax, and I can tell that he’s expecting him to punish me or hurt me, but Ajax isn’t like other vampires.
In fact, none of the royal guard are. Angry as I may have made them over the time I’ve been here, not one of them has brought harm to me since I left that dungeon.
“Finn, come on.”
Before we can leave, Ajax sweeps into my path, blocking my way to the door.
“Move.”
He shakes his head. His eyes set with determination.
“No can do, Re—”
My fist slams into the side of his face before he can even react, and he goes flying across the room, into the wall. It takes a second for him to get his bearings before he stands. He rubs his jaw, pressing against it with his hand until I hear him clicking it back into place.
“You hit me,” he says seriously before his face morphs into uncontrollable pride. “You actually hit me.” He starts laughing.
“Yeah, training with Kaia is actually helping,” I say.
“So, you’re going to fight me to leave?”
“I don’t want to, but I will if I have to.”
He closes his eyes for a second and lets out a breath as if hoping I would have said anything but that.
“And I’m not letting you go.”
That’s all I need to hear. I run at him at full speed, my eyes slowing down everything around me just as he’s been teaching me. I see Finn stumble back in complete horror as he sees me move, and I remember that he has no idea what I can do. I’ll have to explain it later.
As soon as I reach Ajax, I throw out my fist, but he dodges it with ease.
He moves to the side, spinning until he is behind me.
I know that he’s about to attack from behind, so I drop to the floor quickly, falling into a roll that puts a few feet of space between us. I turn quickly and find him watching.
“It seems that all I needed to do all this time was give you something real to fight for.”
I ignore him as we circle each other like two predators.
He never takes his eyes off me, anticipating an attack.
Kaia says the best way to surprise an enemy is to make the most obvious move — they expect something exceptional and often miss the simple ones.
As we circle, I inch closer with each step.
“Even if you get out of this room, you know that Karius will stop you, anyway.”
I shrug. “I’ll be long gone before he even notices.”
“You underestimate what he will do to keep you safe.”
I snort at this.
“You mean what he’ll do to keep himself safe?”
“No…you.”
Before he can pull me in with more false words, I throw out a simple jab, and as he goes to block it, I lift my knee, slamming it into his groin. He doubles over in pain, cursing under his breath.
“That was dirty.”
“It was smart.” I slam my foot into his chest, sending him sprawling, but he clamps onto my ankle and drags me down with him.
I scream as I land on top of him, but before I have the chance to react, he spins us until he straddles me, pinning me beneath his weight.
He holds my arms to the ground firmly as he looks down at me.
“Get the fuck off me.” I spit.
He flinches at my words as if I physically hit him. I buck against him, fighting against his hold like a wild animal. His hold on me tightens, but I can tell that he is struggling to contain me.
“Red, stop.”
“I said, get off me, now!”
“Adina, calm down! What the hell is wrong—”
“My sister is becoming an impure!”
The words leave my mouth before I can stop them, and we are both still in an instant.
“Your…sister?” he whispers in shock. I nod.
The horror of my confirmation is etched all over his face. He looks down at me, his eyes searching mine as if he will somehow find that I’m simply joking, but as the tears leak from my eyes, dribbling down the sides of my face, I see the realization dawn.
“I won’t let her become one of those monsters,” I say.
“Neither will I.” He says the words with such conviction that I know he means them.
“You won’t?
He shakes his head. “No.”
He rises from on top of me and then holds out a hand to lift me. When I’m standing in front of him, he looks me dead in the eyes with a fierceness I’ve not seen from him before.
“What do you need me to do?” As the words leave his mouth, my heart clenches, and I realize — I do not know when — that these vampires have quietly begun to occupy a small corner of it.
“Shit on a realm, why the hell can you move like a vampire?”
We both turn to find Finn waiting expectantly for an answer.