Chapter 6
Six
VIVIENNE
TWO MONTHS LATER
It’s been two weeks since Miranda and Rikkon were taken to Ellnesari by Selor, my mother’s minion, but it feels much longer than that.
We worked around the clock, trying to find a way to use the Taluah Mirror to open another portal, but it wasn’t until earlier today that we caught a break.
Solomon found a spell that might work—might being the operative word.
He also warned us that what we’re attempting could literally blow up in our faces, especially after what Aurora and Saxon did beforehand.
To say they got carried away is an understatement.
We’re now gathered in the same magical spot where Selor used the mirror the first time.
Solomon believes the enchantment in the place can enhance the spell’s potency.
I can’t feel the magic, but the tension among our party is palpable.
If this works, we’ll be traveling to a dangerous land where we aren’t welcome.
My mother is a ruthless queen, and sadly her courtiers and soldiers follow her lead, acting just as cruelly as she does.
We are all armed to the gills with swords and daggers, plus Aurora has her crystals. Vaughn asked why we weren’t bringing guns, but modern weapons don’t work in Ellnesari. However, our arsenal can’t do much against Nightingale magic. Stealth is the only way we can hope to succeed.
“All right, we’re all here. What are we waiting for?” Lucca asks Solomon.
The Bloodstone Institute’s headmaster levels him with a glare. “We are waiting for me to get ready. May I remind you that the Taluah Mirror is an unpredictable relic? One wrong word or ingredient and I could end up opening a gateway to Hell.”
Saxon shudders. “That’s definitely not a place I want to visit again. Please, take your time.”
Solomon turns to Isadora, the High Witch, and they exchange a nod.
She hands Solomon a silver bowl, then cuts her palm with her dagger, reciting a chant in a foreign language I’m unfamiliar with.
Blood drips from her wound into the bowl, and instantly, glowing symbols appear outside the container.
The script is an ancient form of Aquilan, which means what I thought was an ordinary bowl is, in fact, another Nightingale object.
I want to ask Solomon where he found it, but I don’t want to interrupt the ongoing spell with inane questions.
After he collects the last drop from Isadora, he turns to us. We’re standing in a semicircle in front of the Taluah Mirror per his instructions.
“Now it’s your turn to make a donation,” Solomon tells us.
One by one, my companions cut themselves and give their blood. As the bowl fills, the writing etched on the silver surface glows brighter.
“Does anyone know what those symbols mean?” Vaughn asks, his voice strained.
I squint, trying to read the inscription. It’s harder now with it glowing so brightly. But then I recognize one symbol and gasp.
Lucca puts his hand on my lower back. “What is it, Vivi?”
“It’s… it’s my name. My full name, written in old Aquilan.” I turn to Solomon, trying to control my pulse. “Where did you find this?”
Solomon’s thick eyebrows furrow together. “I’d rather not answer that.”
“Why not? Wait… did you steal it from someone?” Saxon arches a brow.
When Solomon doesn’t offer a retort, it becomes evident to me that Saxon guessed right.
“The source of this object isn’t important. Let’s focus on finalizing the spell,” Isadora interjects.
Lucca grumbles, stepping even closer to me.
He’s always being protective, which I love about him.
But as we’re moments away from traveling to my homeland, I wish he wasn’t.
He’ll risk his life to protect mine, and since my mother warned me that my life would be forfeit if I ever returned, I’m putting him in great peril.
If I had my way, he wouldn’t come, but when I suggested he stay behind, he looked so damn hurt that it broke my heart.
Solomon collects everyone’s blood, saving Lucca and me for last. But when it’s my turn, he stops me from cutting myself. “No, dear. I don’t need your blood.”
My eyes widen. “You don’t?”
“Wouldn’t Vivi’s blood be the most important for the spell considering she’s the only Nightingale here?” Aurora asks.
Solomon ignores Aurora and returns to Isadora. The High Witch drops a few herbs into the bowl and resumes reciting the spell. The wind picks up in speed, and my long hair dances around my face, blocking the view. I should have braided it.
A crescent moon appears on Isadora’s forehead, glowing white, just like her eyes.
Besides the wind, I sense another change in the atmosphere.
For the first time since my banishment, I feel Nightingale magic humming against my skin.
It reminds me of what I lost, and the yearning hits me at full blast. I’ve never felt more like an empty shell than I do now.
My eyes prickle with tears, and I bite the inside of my cheek.
I can’t succumb to my emotions, not when so much is at stake.
Lucca’s arm snakes around my waist as he pulls me closer to him. He can sense the change in me. I want to take solace in his embrace, but Solomon turns to me and says, “Now it’s your turn, child.”
LUCCA
I flex my arm around Vivi, not willing to let her go when Solomon calls for her. This damn spell is doing something to her, and if it weren’t for Miranda’s and Rikkon’s lives being at stake, I’d put a stop to it.
Vivi looks at me, giving me a reassuring smile. “It’s okay, my love.”
Reluctantly, I let her go, but my heart is pounding at a hundred miles per hour. If anything happens to her, if I lose her… No, I can’t let those thoughts take root. I’ll go crazy, and I must stay sharp.
Solomon offers Vivi the bowl. “You must drink it.”
“What?” she shrieks.
“You can’t be serious. You want Vivi to drink blood?” Karl pipes up.
Solomon gives him a droll stare. “No, I was just kidding. Of course she has to drink it. I wouldn’t have asked her to do it otherwise.”
Grimacing, Vivi stares at the bowl. It brings back a memory I’d rather forget.
Not too long ago, I forced her to feed from a human, knowing she was only pretending to be a vampire.
I can’t believe how cruel I was to her, or how, despite it all, she fell in love with me.
I’m the luckiest male in the world that she gave me the chance to worship her for all eternity.
Vivi takes a deep breath before lifting the bowl to her lips and drinking its contents. Her brows crinkle together right before she starts to shake. What the hell!
“What is that potion doing to her?” I take a step forward, but Aurora, who’s standing next to me, holds my arm.
“You can’t stop the spell now!”
I yank my arm back. “The hell I can’t!”
“If you do, it’ll all be for nothing.” Her eyes grow larger, filling with tears. “I can’t lose my sister.”
“Lucca, Vivi will be all right,” Ronan chimes in.
“You don’t know that.”
A maelstrom gathers around Vivi as the magic increases tenfold.
The strong winds whip her hair around her face.
But what makes my heart leap to my throat is how her eyes are now glowing white.
She drops the bowl to the ground and, as if in a trance, approaches the Taluah Mirror.
Dread drips down my spine, and my stomach is wound tight.
Something horrible will happen if she touches the dark surface of that forsaken mirror.
I run to her, faster than anyone can stop me. In the background, Aurora screams, “No!”
But before I can touch Vivi, I hit an invisible barrier, which sends me to the ground. An electric current wraps around my body, making all my muscles spasm violently. I bite my tongue and taste blood. There’s a commotion around me, but all the noises are muffled now—all I can sense is pain.
Someone touches my forehead with cool fingers, and slowly, the pain ebbs away. I don’t have time to figure out who helped me before rough hands get me upright, then shove me into a dark void where the Taluah Mirror once stood. I can’t feel Vivi’s presence anymore.
“Vivi!” I scream into the darkness. My voice seems to echo endlessly as I lose the sensation of my body. It’s almost like I’m disintegrating. Am I dying?
No sooner does the thought cross my mind than I collide with something hard that jars my bones.
The motion sends me rolling down a hill, and I don’t stop until the ground flattens out.
My ears are buzzing, and my breaths are coming out in bursts.
Something warm touches my skin, and when I open my eyes, I realize the warmth is coming from the sun shining down on me.
My lungs freeze, and I can’t get air into them. I wait for the excruciating burning pain to come, but nothing happens. I should have turned to ashes, but somehow, the sun in Ellnesari does me no harm.
“Lucca!” Vivi calls from somewhere nearby.
Wincing, I try to get back on my feet, but all I can manage is to sit up. My muscles are still sore from being electrocuted. But my discomfort gets pushed to the background when I see Vivi running in my direction. The tightness around my heart eases off.
“Vivi—” I manage to get out before she crashes into me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders.
“Lucca, you’re okay. You’re okay.”
I kiss her wet cheek. “I’m fine. You scared me to death, my love.”
She leans back and looks into my eyes. “I’m sorry.” Then she captures my face between her hands and kisses me as if she wants to drown in me.
I taste her relief and passion, and it mirrors all the feelings swirling inside my chest. I grab a fistful of her hair, deepening the kiss, but our moment is cut short when I sense we aren’t alone anymore. We break apart and meet the rest of our party.
“Are you guys okay?” Karl asks.
“Yeah.” I finally get up, bringing Vivi with me. “Who tossed me into the portal?”
“I did,” Ronan replies. “Sorry, Luc. I didn’t know how long it would stay open.”
“It’s all right.” I scan our surroundings and notice that Solomon, Aurora, Saxon, Cheryl, and Manu are doing the same. Karl is too busy staring at my sister.
“Wait. Where’s Vaughn?” Vivi asks.
“The portal closed before he could cross,” Solomon replies. “It’s better this way. We don’t need your mother discovering that a new vampire was made. She wouldn’t be happy about that.”
“She won’t be happy that I’m here regardless.”
“Yes, your mother is a piece of work,” Solomon grumbles. “Do you know where we are?”
Vivi nods. “Yes, we aren’t too far from the palace. Let’s go.”