Chapter 5 #2
I adjusted Nyssa against my shoulder, her weight warm and solid as she finished nursing. "Guess we'd better go find out."
Nina already had Melaina bundled against her chest, while Mom scooped up Thaniel with the ease of someone who'd raised her own babies a lifetime ago. Layla was alert as she fell into step beside us and we headed downstairs.
The kitchen was already occupied when we arrived. Mythia stood at the stove, wooden spoon in hand like a weapon she knew how to use. Nana perched at the island with her ever-present cup of tea. Those sharp eyes tracked our entrance with predatory precision. Nothing escaped her notice.
"Well, don't you all look like death warmed over," Nana said, her eyes flickering between us with barely concealed worry beneath the sharp tone.
She took a sip of tea, but her hands weren't quite steady.
"Those bastard Thessmark haven't gotten the memo that they’ve messed with the wrong family yet, I see. "
My mouth opened, but whatever sarcastic retort I'd been forming died on my tongue as the back door swung open.
Aidon stepped through. The sight of his expression sent ice sliding down my spine even as he crossed to me in three strides and pressed a kiss to my mouth.
He lifted Nyssa from my arms with practiced ease, tucking her against his chest and pressing his face into her baby-soft hair like she was the only thing keeping him grounded.
Nana took one look at his expression and set down her teacup with a sharp click, her jaw tightening. "Well, shit." Her voice dropped, losing all traces of humor. "That's your 'someone's about to die' face, boy. Out with it." Only she would say that.
"It's not great," Aidon said, his voice tight enough to snap.
Mythia turned from the stove, spatula frozen mid-stir, and Layla's posture shifted subtly. Both of them were always ready. My heart hammered against my ribs. "What did your father say?" I asked as I grabbed a fresh cup of coffee. I’d left the one Layla brought me upstairs.
“First, the good news. My father said a new stroller will be here today. It’ll be warded every which way from Sunday.
” Aidon shifted Nyssa to his other arm and pulled an empty vial from his pocket.
He set it on the counter with deliberate care.
"Now for the not so great. The residue is from an artifact called the Essence Scythe.
My father thought it had been destroyed centuries ago. "
My throat went dry. "What does it do?"
"It drains divine essence from bloodlines." He grabbed my coffee and took a drink. "Specifically designed to harvest power from children before their abilities fully manifest. The process severs the connection between their essence and their bodies."
Nina's arms tightened around Melaina. "What happens to the children?"
Aidon's jaw worked. "They don't die immediately.
They linger for days. Sometimes, weeks, while their bodies give up.
" His hands clenched into fists. "That is what the Thessmark have been using it to collect essences and channel it into themselves. It’s what allows them to live longer.
They've been erasing entire bloodlines."
Bile rose in my throat. Nyssa whimpered, and then Melaina and Thaniel copied her. They were picking up on everyone’s tension. I forced myself to breathe. "The attack at the market—" I started.
"Was a test run." His eyes finally met mine, and the fury burning there stole the breath straight from my lungs.
"They were calibrating the Scythe's power to match the triplets' signatures.
Testing our defenses, finding the weak points.
" His jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath the stubble. "Next time, they won't be testing."
Nana's knuckles went bone-white around her teacup. "Well." Her voice came out deceptively mild. "I didn't survive becoming a witch at ninety just to let some power-hungry parasites waltz in here and hurt my great-grandbabies. Those bastards clearly don't know who they're dealing with."
Despite the ice flooding my veins, despite the terror clawing at my throat, warmth bloomed fierce and bright in my chest at the steel threading through her words.
At the promise of violence in her eyes. Nana had a way of making me feel like everything would be okay.
It was why I chose to move back home with her and Mom after Miles left me.
Turned out to be the best decision of my life.
"Can we destroy it?" Layla asked.
"If we can find it." Aidon's expression darkened further, which I hadn't thought possible.
"But it's probably hidden behind wards older than most gods. It’ll be protected by magic that makes most defenses look like wet paper.
" He shifted closer, his free hand coming up to frame my face while the other cradled Nyssa against his chest. His thumb traced my cheekbone with devastating gentleness.
"My father is sending reinforcements. Persephone is already crafting wards specifically designed to repel the Scythe's energy signature. "
"Never thought I'd be grateful for an overprotective father-in-law who rules the dead," I muttered.
"He has his moments." Aidon's thumb brushed my cheek. "But divine intervention isn't enough. We need to be ready to fight."
Tarja swept into the kitchen with Binx padding at her heels. Both familiars jumped onto the island with feline grace. “We overheard what Aidon reported. I was able to help Binx access information that will help.” Tarja’s voice slid into our minds.
"The Scythe." Binx's voice followed on the heels of his mother’s. "One of my previous witches knew of it. The memories are still jumbled, but I was able to see enough."
"What did she know?" Mom asked her familiar.
"Warnings that were passed from witch to witch, generation to generation.
" His ears flattened slightly, the only sign of his discomfort.
"It was created with ancient magic. It devours power, leaving nothing but husks behind.
There were stories about children who withered while their parents watched, helpless. "
"Can it be destroyed?" Aidon's voice came out rough, dangerous.
Binx's tail swished once, a sharp, agitated movement.
"Part of the lore passed down was that it could only be unmade by primordial fire.
The kind that existed before gods walked the earth.
Before magic had rules." His eyes found mine, ancient knowledge swimming in that feline gaze.
"You need flames that burn magic itself and unravel it thread by thread until nothing remains. "
My heart sank to my toes. “Where the hell are we going to get that? I can’t imagine something like that surviving in this world.”
Mythia cleared her throat, getting my attention. "There are places where that fire still exists. They're dangerous places to visit. Most have forgotten they exist."
"Places that would take time to reach," Aidon said, his tone carved from granite and fury.
"We should research places we might find them while also focusing on our defenses." Layla's voice cut through the rising tension like a blade. "We should start by making this house a fortress they can't breach. We coordinate with the other families, pool our resources and knowledge."
Mom shifted Thaniel to her other hip, her face transformed into something I barely recognized—all sharp edges and deadly promise. "What do you need from us?"
Before Aidon could answer, Murtagh's voice called from the back door. "We’ve got a situation out here."
We followed him to the tree line, where Tseki was crouched and examining something in the dirt.
As we approached, I saw what they were concerned about.
There were boot prints. They were fresh, deep, and positioned for optimal surveillance of the nursery window.
Granted, they’d need to use a pair of binoculars to see anything, but still.
"These appeared sometime between midnight and dawn," Murtagh said grimly. "Someone stood here for at least an hour, maybe longer."
Ice flooded my veins, sharp and sudden, freezing me from the inside out.
"I don't like the idea of them watching us.
" My voice came out rougher than I intended, edged with a mother's primal fear.
"They could have seen me feeding the babies.
Could have—" I couldn't finish the thought.
Couldn't let myself imagine what information they might have gathered while we went about our lives.
Tarja materialized beside me with her normally sleek fur standing on end until she looked twice her size.
"It's not good that they breached the outer wards.
" Her mental voice carried an edge. "They're our weakest layer, yes, but they should have presented enough of a deterrent to keep casual observers at bay. "
"Well, clearly these bastards aren't casual," Nana drawled. "They're either stupidly confident or actually competent." She paused, considering. "Given that they're still breathing after coming near my great-grandbabies, I'm leaning toward the latter. Pity. I prefer my enemies stupid."
Shaking his head, Aidon handed Nyssa to me and knelt beside the prints. Shadows peeling from his skin to probe the impressions. "There's residual magic here. It's recent. Trying to hide itself, but not quite succeeding."
"Can you track it?" I asked. “I could try, if you can’t.”
"Maybe." His shadows spread wider, darkening. "Whoever made these was careful, but they left traces."
"It’s a single person based on the prints," Tseki observed. "The weight distribution suggests they were carrying equipment. Surveillance gear.”
Mom grimaced as she held Thaniel close. “Or possibly the artifact itself.”
Tseki’s eyebrows rose to his hairline. “What artifact? What have we missed?”