Chapter 25 #2
“The runes flared bright, the earth shook, and the air trembled, and then… the Basin claimed her.” Emilia pulled in a rasping breath.
“But not in the way you think. After so long a drought, the Basin thirsted for blood. For life. And an offering given freely was returned. The gift of eternal life—so long as the Basin endured, so would the High Priestess. As its guardian, and its protector.” She pressed the bone key to her lips one last time, scanning our faces.
“I cannot destroy the Basin because my soul is tethered to that rock. I never meant for this to happen, but it is done. For as long as the Basin exists… so do I.”
In the silence, her eyes caught mine, giving that statement time to sink in.
For me—for all of us—to realize the truth.
That Emilia was the High Priestess who gave the Basin to the vampire warlord two thousand years ago. A dark, terrible gift, the book had said. A weapon to enslave. To judge. To build an empire upon.
The High Priestess hadn’t disappeared into the past.
She’d been hiding in plain sight. Right in front of us.
“Destroy the Basin, destroy myself.” Emilia sighed, with a hint of regret. “As much as I would like to help, I’m sure you understand my dilemma.”
Her gaze stopped on Nico. “Now, then. Let’s get you sorted, shall we? Emberline, will you join us? I’d very much like to hear about your ventures into the Underworld, especially since I cautioned you so strongly against it. Not that you ever listen to reason.”
I expected Emilia to lead us to a different room in the temple, but instead, we left everyone behind and hiked across the uneven, rocky ground to the dark stone abbey, perched like a figurehead at the prow of a great ship.
Shadows poured off Nico’s shoulders, his fingers brushing the back of my hand every so often, as though he was reassuring me everything would be okay.
Emilia’s white, ruined dress swirled around her bare legs as she strode in front of us, a queen assessing her kingdom, and now everything made sense.
She wasn’t just old… she was older than any other vampire in our Dynasty.
A witch, turned into something else. Different than our kind.
Something we should fear.
“What did you mean… mistakes were made?” I asked, hurrying to keep up. The female—the witch—had seriously long legs. “When it came to Rocco and my uncle. You said nothing is perfect and mortals make mistakes.”
“Your uncle was born with a hole in his soul. Gluttonous for power. Enzo was the best of us. Kind heart, generous nature. He was always one of my favorites. As for Rocco… much like Blackwood, time has poisoned him. Turned him greedy and grasping. He would not have survived another turn of the Compact, and as for Giovanni… he didn’t use his own blood, this time.
He had Blackwood conjure him up something the Basin would judge… acceptable.”
“How do you even know all of this?” I demanded, shooting Nico a glare when he just huffed out a dark, knowing laugh.
“Because I have my own spy planted deep inside Blackwood’s operations. So deep, he can’t see them because they’re too close for him to ever suspect. Knowledge is leverage, and leverage is all that keeps us alive in times like these. Remember that, Emberline.”
Two priests bowed their heads and opened the doors as we approached, the sigils at their throats flaring. Inside, candles burst to life as we crossed the threshold, the abbey’s gloomy interior instantly bathed in glowing crimson light.
“You know what to do.” Emilia jerked her head to the altar in the center of the room, the chains and shackles on the floor… piled in a different place. I came to a stop, memories of that dream, a different room and a different platform turning my face red.
Nico hopped up onto the block of stone and slipped off his long coat, unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it to the side. Flickering light gilded the strong slope of his shoulders and the flat planes of his scarred chest, the way his stomach bunched when he sat up straight.
Gods. Now my mind was going in all sorts of wicked directions.
“You waited too long. I’m not back to full strength, but I will feed enough magic into you for an emergency patch,” she said, deftly weaving a pattern into the air with her fingers. “You will have to return in a few days for me to do this properly.”
“You were asleep,” he slanted her a half smile. “So, whose fault is it, really?”
“Always with the smart mouth, ever since you were a boy,” she grumbled, darkness gathering around her dancing fingers. “Now, tell me about Cesare.”
That dark aura settled around Nico, like dark, living flames, flickering over his skin.
The temperature dropped in the room, a coating of frost crackling across the stone altar.
“He was as expected,” Nico said flatly. “Taunted me for rejecting my bloodline. My heritage, he called it.” His voice dripped with bitterness.
“I don’t know how he managed, but my father was waiting for us inside Emberline’s dream.
Recreated your temple, down to the last detail.
The bastard set a trap, and I walked right into it.
” Nico looked at me the entire time, with regret and more of that self-loathing.
I leaned into the wall, letting it prop me up as doubt and fear rushed through me in a messy tangle. Fixing this mess would take more than apologies, even if Nico could find the words to explain.
“Don’t blame yourself; I allowed myself to be caught by a bottle of poisoned wine and two ungrateful pawns,” she said wryly.
“Blackwood’s using his magic openly.” Nico shuddered as another wave of magic covered his body, dark flames licking up his throat. “Spreading his poison everywhere. Drax hatching out of too many nests to count. Soon the city will be overrun.”
Her lips tightened. “You’ve never rejected your heritage,” she said gently.
“In fact, you’ve honored your bloodline, Nico Draconi.
In more ways than you’ll ever know. Blackwood is a vile creature, and the poison that comes out of his mouth should be left to rot.
Pay him no heed.” Another flick of her fingers and the dark flames disappeared, warmth flooding back into the crypt.
“Don’t compare me to my father,” he grit out. “Ever.”
“Fine,” she snapped the word off with her teeth. “I won’t overstep again. And as for you…” She whirled toward me, and I shrank back against the wall. “I warned you. Death does not like to be cheated. That if you venture too close to her realm, she will find you.”
“Don’t worry.” I lifted my chin. “Nico always seems to be there to save me when I do.”
“Of course he does,” she muttered, looking like she wanted to stab us both.
“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.”