Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
T he moment Novi’s carriage arrived at Blackwood Castle, she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She pushed past her highborn travel companions and stumbled out of the carriage, her legs like jelly. She was immediately met by Callie, who had been waiting anxiously.
"Novi! I got a message saying all castle staff were to stay inside. What’s happened?" Callie’s eyes were wide with concern as she hurried over to support her friend. Her eyes widened even more at the sight of the Duchess of Ordeya and her ladies weeping and clinging to each other.
"Chaos," Novi managed, her voice barely above a whisper. She was trying her best not to vomit all over her friend. “Fallon and Annika...the temple...chimeras everywhere…”
"Come, let’s get you to your room,” Callie said gently as she beckoned a nearby redcloak for help. "You don’t look so good."
Leaning heavily against the guard’s broad shoulders, Novi allowed herself to be carried through the winding corridors of Blackwood Castle. The familiar scent of baking bread and spices filled her nostrils, but even that small comfort couldn't ease the dread that coiled in her stomach.
The redcloak dutifully carried her to the elevator, his powerful arms never weakening as they ascended to the top floors. After carrying her down the hall, he finally set her down outside the doors of Fallon and Novi’s private apartment.
“Thank you, I can take it from here,” Callie assured him as a footman opened the double doors. She slipped an arm around Novi’s waist and guided her into the apartment, then stopped in front of the chairs near the fireplace. “Seven hells, Novi. You’re shaking like a leaf.”
Trembling with exhaustion and fear, Novi nodded in agreement.
“If you had seen what I just did, you’d be shaking too.”
"Tell me everything," Callie urged, kneeling beside her. "What happened at the amphitheater?"
“I told Fallon that it would be a good idea to walk Annika to the stage and kiss her. You know…to make it clear that she was off limits to Tristan, and anyone else who might set their sights on her. But when he kissed her, it was as if he’d become someone else. Something else. He wasn’t himself. He was possessed! And then he burst into flames!”
“Impossible!” Callie’s pretty mouth twisted into a confused frown. “A demonborn hasn’t caught fire in over a thousand years.”
Novi nodded, grimacing at the nausea rolling through her body.
“Well, Fallon seems to have broken the curse. But that’s just the beginning. After Annika started her performance, the sky filled with dark clouds and lightning, and her magic…it was so powerful," she gasped, struggling to catch her breath through the nausea and pain. “In all my visits to see Loric at the mage university, I’ve never seen magic like that. The Temple of the Chimera... it's destroyed , Callie! Her song made it explode! The chimeras are loose in the city as I speak!”
Callie's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes reflecting the horror that gripped Novi's heart. “What about Fallon? Is he alright?”
“I don’t know. He stayed behind to help evacuate everyone to safety,” Novi whispered, a fresh wave of tears spilling down her cheeks.
"Shh, it’s alright," Callie soothed, reaching up to brush a stray tear from Novi’s cheek. “He's strong. He can handle himself. Especially if he can catch fire.”
Novi nodded, taking a deep breath to steady herself. The weight of the day pressed down on her, but she knew she couldn’t afford to crumble. Not when so much was at stake.
Another powerful wave of nausea crashed over her, and she leaned over, puking onto the tiled floor. Callie's cool hands brushed Novi’s blonde hair off her forehead, her voice soft with worry. "You're burning up. I’m fetching you a glass of water.”
"Thank you," said Novi, feeling weak and pitiful. "For everything."
"Always," her best friend replied with a gentle smile.
Novi stared into the fireplace while her friend brought her a glass of water and began cleaning up the mess of vomit on the floor. She focused on one spot of a log, staring until a wisp of smoke rose into the chimney. Seconds later, a few sparks ignited a modest fire.
She should’ve been proud of her achievement, but she only felt more restless and unsure.
It was one thing for a demonborn to have a modest command of fire, but it was something else entirely to create the kind of spectacle that half the city of Sinarya had witnessed.
"Oh, Callie...what has Fallon gotten himself involved with?” Novi asked in between sips of cool water. “What has he done?”
“What do you mean?” Finished with her task, Callie set aside the cleaning supplies and knelt beside Novi’s chair. “Annika’s the one who made the temple collapse…not Fallon.”
Novi shook her head. “I think he did something to her to make her do it. Something he wasn’t supposed to.”
Callie raised a curious eyebrow.
“Something like what?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe some kind of spell?” Novi suggested. “When Fallon came back to his seat, there was blood on his lips. He licked it away, but I know what I saw.”
“He could’ve accidentally bitten his tongue when he set himself on fire,” Callie suggested, which only got a dubious look from Novi.
“That’s the thing—I don’t think he’s the one who set himself on fire. Otherwise he would’ve been able to do it long before today. I think Annika had something to do with it. For all we know, it could’ve been her blood on his mouth.”
“I just learned that a pinch of black pepper brings out the flavor in a squash pie. Perhaps Annika was the secret ingredient for Fallon’s display of firepower?” Callie joked. Suddenly her eyes widened and connected with Novi’s.
“Callie! You’re a fucking genius ! That would explain the way he behaved! What if their kiss was actually a blood ritual in disguise?”
“A blood ritual?" Callie’s delicate features paled at the thought. "Are you sure?”
“No, but I do know he didn’t kiss her like that because he loves her.”
Novi stood abruptly, ignoring the wave of dizziness and muscle cramps that threatened to topple her back into her seat. She finished her water, then took a deep breath, steadying herself against the tumultuous emotions roiling within her. “I know he’s been staying up late reading.”
“Doesn’t he always stay up late?”
“Not this late,” Novi answered. “Help me search the room. We need to figure out what he's been reading.”
Callie pulled a book off the shelf and flipped through it slowly. “How will we know what we’re looking for?”
“If it’s anything to do with blood magic, you’ll know it when you see it.”
Together, they began searching the apartment for clues, their fingers flipping through dozens and dozens of books and tightly rolled scrolls.
They scoured the chamber methodically, rifling through drawers of neatly folded linens and socks, along with shelves of ceremonial attire and medals. The familiar scent of parchment and ink filled the air, mingling with the salty tang of the sea wafting through the open window.
"Why would Prince Fallon dabble in blood magic?" Callie asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she examined a stack of papers on the desk.
“I dunno. Power?” Novi muttered, sifting through a pile of scrolls. “Protection? Desperation? I know he really doesn’t want to marry Lady Jennae. And he’s getting fed up with his mother manipulating the Royal Council.”
Her fingers reached down to pull open each desk drawer. Quills, parchment and papers were all arranged neatly, waiting to be used. A handkerchief…a lock of horsehair…a letter opener. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the handle of the bottom left drawer.
Locked shut, it didn’t budge.
Novi paused, her heart pounding in her chest while another crushing wave of nausea rolled through her body. “It’s here! In his desk drawer. It's locked—he’s never locked it before. Do you have a hairpin?”
“Perhaps we should wait until he returns.” Callie's voice trembled as she glanced at Novi. “Surely there’s a good reason why the drawer is locked.”
“I’m tired of him keeping me in the dark,” Novi replied, wincing through the pain. “He treats me like I’m too fragile and delicate to worry about things like reality. I know he’s keeping secrets from me, but if he’s playing with blood magic, I think I deserve to know.”
“You really don’t look well at all,” Callie said, watching in concern as her friend weathered the wave of pain. “Should I ring for one of the royal midwives?”
Novi shook her head, wiping her brow on the back of her hand before sighing in relief. “I’m sure it’s just something I ate. Or maybe I’m dehydrated. See? It’s gone. Now what about that hairpin?”
With gentle fingers, Callie teased one from the elegant braided updo on her head, then handed it over.
Novi immediately started working on the lock. After a few tense moments, the lock on the drawer clicked. She pulled on the handle one more time, revealing a long row of hanging file folders.
“Nothing about that looks suspicious,” Callie observed as Novi thumbed through each file. “They’re probably classified documents from the Royal Council.”
“Pretty much…from what I can tell,” Novi groaned with a disappointed frown. She started pulling the files out and stacking them all over the floor.
“Novi! What are you doing?” Callie gasped. “Those are classified! Fallon’s going to know that you’ve been snooping through his private documents and reading them!”
“I’m not reading them,” Novi insisted while still piling them on the floor. “The drawer is deeper than the files. I think there’s a false bottom.”
She rapped her knuckles against the wooden bottom of the drawer and was only half-surprised to hear a distinct, hollow sound. Grabbing the letter opener off the desk, she pried out the bottom panel to reveal an ancient tome bound in worn leather.
“What did I tell you?” she gloated as she reached for it.
But as soon as Callie saw the title, she leaned away, staring at the title as if it were a curse.
“The Grimoire of Damnation? That doesn’t sound good. You should put it back where you found it.”
Ignoring her friend, Novi set the book on the desk and carefully unfastened the metal clasp holding it shut. Her nose was greeted with the scent of old parchment as she gingerly tuned to the first chapter.
“The Price of Power…” she murmured aloud. “Looks like it’s some kind of warning.”
“What does it say?”
“Hearken, O Seeker of the Forbidden Arts,” Novi began, peering at the words. The ink on the pages seemed to shimmer with a life of its own. “Know ye this truth, immutable and eternal: magic so powerful and boundless doth not yield its gifts freely. With every invocation of the natural forces, a price of equal value must be rendered unto the world.
The magnitude of the spell’s potency shall determine the weight of the cost. Should ye dare to summon the cataclysmic, to wield power that rends the very fabric of reality, so too shall the price be of commensurate severity. The scales must always be balanced, and the price of power is exacted not in gold or gems, but in blood and bone, in memories and dreams, in the very threads of fate that weave our existence. Venture forth with caution, O Mage, for the ledger of Kaos will be settled in flesh, spirit, or sanity.”
Novi swallowed hard, her blood running cold as her mind fought to process what she’d just read. She turned to Callie, who appeared just as unnerved.
“This is Kaos magic. What is Fallon doing with this when it’s forbidden?”
“I don’t know.” Callie glanced nervously at the door. “You should put it back before someone finds us.”
Even though her heart was pounding with trepidation, Novi’s curiosity forbade her from taking Callie’s advice. With trembling hands, she ventured into the written unknown, a sense of foreboding settling over her as she skimmed spells and incantations. The pages crackled ominously as she searched for clues. Strange symbols and ancient runes leapt off the pages, each one more ominous than the last.
Suddenly, her breath caught in her chest.
She’d found what she was looking for.
"Here it is," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She pointed to a complex diagram drawn in faded blue ink. “A spell to share elemental magic through a blood ritual.”
Callie leaned closer, her eyes wide with fear and curiosity. “What makes you so sure that this is the spell he used at the concert?”
“I can’t prove it,” Novi admitted, “but I do know that Fallon spent a long time with the book open in this exact spot.” She slid a fingertip down the gutter of the book, then picked up a thick, wavy strand of black hair. “See? It’s definitely his. I know his scent.”
Staring at the single black hair, Callie could only nod in agreement. “I don’t understand why he’d use a spell for elemental magic with Annika. I thought she was like you—born human, then transformed into the same species as her husband.”
Novi dropped the hair back into the crease between the grimoire’s pages and read the spell again.
“She was born human, but she’s not a Kallo elf like Talvi. Not completely. She said she was descended from samodivi.”
Callie’s forehead wrinkled in confusion. “Samo-what?”
“Wood nymphs,” Novi explained, unable to turn away from the spell book. “They’re more common in the Estellian Empire.”
"Why would Fallon want to drink her blood?" Callie asked, bewildered. “Isn’t a demonborn like him far more powerful than a wood nymph?"
“Yes, which is why there's got to be another reason. There’s something we're missing," Novi replied, shaking her head.
"Or something he's afraid of," Callie suggested, glancing nervously at the door. “We should put these files away. And the book.”
Novi's fingers traced the ancient runes of the Grimoire of Damnation, their meaning eluding her grasp just as Fallon's intentions did. The air around her felt charged with unspoken secrets, thickening with every page she turned.
A loud crash thundered from the roof above, unraveling the fragile cocoon of her concentration. Ceramic roof tiles fell down, shattering as they landed on the balcony.
"What in seven hells was that ?" Novi's voice trembled, and her grip tightened on the grimoire.
"Stay here," Callie instructed. Although her eyes were wide with fear, she ventured cautiously to the balcony, her footfalls barely a whisper against the stone floor. When she stepped outside and looked up, she let out a terrified shriek.
A chimera was staring back at her from the roof above, its scales glistening like wet obsidian, its wings, vast and leathery. Its tail whipped around in excitement, causing further damage to the roof. And on its back sat a familiar redhead.
“I’m sending help!” Callie shouted up at her before darting back inside the apartment. “It’s Annika! I—I don’t know how…”
Rushing to the balcony, Novi gasped when she looked up and saw Kai, the massive chimera she had raised as a hatchling, perched precariously on the roof above. Annika was straddled on his back, clinging to him for dear life.
His massive body strained against the structure, his enormous wings and long tail causing even more damage as he lowered its head, nostrils flaring as they caught Novi’s scent. His enormous eyes softened, recognizing the closest thing he’d ever had to a mother. He excitedly sniffed the air, searching for a way to get closer to her.
“Kai! Oh, my sweet boy!” she gasped as tears began welling in her eyes. He slid down the side of the eaves, his claws peeling off roof tiles by the dozens and taking out a gutter. The sound of the metal landing on the balcony floor startled him enough that when he leapt away, he took out a section of the balcony railing with his tail. The stone floor vibrated from his weight. Luckily it was big enough and strong enough to support him.
Kai loves Novi ...he purred as he pushed his head into her arms.
“Oh Kai...I’m so glad you’re out of that horrible place!” Novi said, unable to hold back her tears of happiness. His purrs of happiness were so strong that they vibrated through her entire body. “You have the whole wide world to explore!”
“Do you think you can keep him still long enough for me to get down?” Annika asked from above. “I really don’t want him to take me with him when he leaves.”
“Awww, Kai’s going to be a very good boy and hold still, isn’t he?” Novi gushed in the most exaggerated baby talk. “Yes, he’s such a sweet boy, isn’t he?”
A sweet boy... Kai said, squeezing his eyes shut as Novi scratched his enormous beaky nose. She kept him preoccupied long enough for Annika to climb off his back and slide down his shoulder before joining the other two women.
Suddenly Kai jerked his head out of Novi’s arms. His bright yellow eyes peered into the room behind her, and he began to growl. Novi glanced over her shoulder and smiled in relief.
“It’s alright, Kai. It’s only Fallon. He’s a friend.”
Within a few short strides, Fallon had crossed the room and positioned himself between Novi and the elephant-sized young chimera. His protective instincts flared as he took in the sight before him—Callie, Annika, and his heavily pregnant lover all dangerously close to a huge and deadly demon. He barked out an order, commanding Novi to step away from the creature at once.
“Fallon, you’re scaring him,” she argued, trying to push past him, but he wouldn’t budge.
“ I’m scaring him ?” Fallon’s incredulity was palpable. His gaze darted between Novi's pregnant form and the monstrous chimera. “He’s about to attack you! Now get inside where it’s safe!”
“Fallon is Novi’s husband,” Annika tried to explain to the young chimera. “He doesn’t know what a sweet boy you are.” She reached over and patted the side of his neck, taking care to avoid his powerful jaws.
Kai is husband...Novi loves Kai... he said in all their minds. He’d stopped growling, but he was still eyeing Fallon suspiciously.
“I love both of you,” Novi said from behind Fallon. “Kai, if you lived here with me, you wouldn’t be able to fly anymore. I want you to live where you can fly anywhere you want.”
Kai tilted his head to one side and blinked while Annika kept petting him.
“Fallon, go get your map of the Estellian Empire. The big one.”
The Sacred Son’s eyes blazed with indignation. “There’s a chimera on my balcony, and you want me to fetch a map from my office ?”
Novi glared right back at him. “Yep. Seeing as how you’re the reason he doesn’t know where his home is, it’s the least you could do.”
“His home is in the Temple of the Chimera!”
“That place doesn’t exist anymore,” Novi argued. “You know where his real home is—it’s Mount Onas!”
“I went through seven hells to bring him here, and you’re going to just let him go ?”
Novi nodded, infuriating Fallon even more.
“You can’t catch him without hurting him. You can’t catch any of them without hurting them. That’s why you steal them from their mothers when they’re little babies...before they’ve even hatched!” Novi shot back. She finally pushed past Fallon and walked up to Kai, petting his head before scratching behind his horns. Knowing that they didn’t have much time, her heart was heavy with the impending farewell.
“Oh, my sweet boy...I’ll tell you exactly how to get to Mount Onas, alright? That’s your real home, where all of your family lives.” Kai's massive head tilted, his intelligent eyes fixed on Novi. She could almost sense his confusion, his reluctance to leave. “You see all that water out there? Well, all you have to do is fly in the opposite direction. Then you’ll see a bunch of mountains.
Mountains?
“Yep,” she nodded, still petting him. Her voice trembled with emotion, but she forced herself to continue. “They’re the biggest rocks you’ll ever see. Some of them are so big they touch the clouds. And they have white snow on top of them.
Snow?
“You’ll love it. I promise. Sometimes it’s soft, and sometimes it’s not, but it’s always cold. It’s on the top of the mountains. Look for the biggest mountain with snow on top. That’s Mount Onas. That’s where your family is. Make sure you tell your other friends how to get there. I’d feel bad if they got lost.”
She held him close for a moment, letting her fingers trace the ridges along his head, memorizing every detail. The chimera's iridescent scales shimmered in the fading sunlight, a reminder of the magical bond they shared. He let out a low, keening sound that tore at Novi's heart. She pressed her forehead against his, whispering a final piece of advice.
“Oh, and don’t eat people, Kai. Only eat other animals. If it has two legs, don’t eat it, okay? Two legs will probably hurt you, unless it’s me or Annika. I love you so much, my sweet boy.”
Kai lowered his head and blew out a warm breath, gently nuzzling her belly. Then he looked back at her, his enormous amber eyes seeming to understand the gravity of her words.
Novi sad . . .
“I’m not sad,” she assured him while wiping her eyes on the back of one hand. Her voice was thick with emotion, and she fought to keep it steady. “Sometimes we cry when we’re really happy. And I’m so, so happy that you’re finally free.”
With a final, lingering touch, Novi stepped back from the creature, her heart heavy with both sadness and hope. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the words she knew she had to say.
“Now go fly! Go find your friends and take them to Mount Onas!”
Kai surveyed the horizon, then began to awkwardly maneuver on the balcony. His wings unfurled, majestic and terrifying in their span. With one last look at Novi, he launched himself into the air.
Novi watched, transfixed, as Kai's form grew smaller against the approaching twilight sky. Every beat of his wings carried away a piece of her heart. Beating…beating…and then he was gone.
Tears streamed down her face as a lifetime’s worth of emotions threatened to overwhelm her. She pulled Annika into a fierce hug.
“Thank you for setting him free,” she choked out between sobs. “For setting all of them free. Your prophecy came true. You really are the Liberator of Souls.”
“Liberator of Souls?” Fallon roared, his usual composure shattered. His eyes flashed with barely contained fury, his jaw clenched as he surveyed the scene before him—the shattered glass of the broken windows, and the fragments of ceramic roof tiles that littered what was left of his balcony.
The air crackled with tension thick enough to choke on.
“The chimeras are sacred to us and she let them all escape!” His voice cracked, and a raw edge of desperation sliced through his anger as he motioned towards Annika. “She’s destroyed our ancient temple! She killed the Prioress, and I’m getting reports every ten fucking minutes on how many wounded there are!”
“I’m glad the Prioress is dead!” Novi yelled back, letting go of Annika before turning to Fallon. She could feel her own anger rising, matching his with equal intensity. “She made my life miserable when I lived in the temple! I wanted to die when I was there! The only thing that made life worth living was sneaking in to see Kai!”
“That beast was the only thing worth living for?” Fallon’s words cut through the air like a blade. Novi stared at him as if he’d pierced her heart.
“You know that’s not what I?—”
A sharp gasp stopped her mid-sentence. She looked down, her eyes widening in shock. Annika stepped forward in concern.
“What’s wrong?”
Novi didn’t answer right away as she felt an unstoppable warm wetness spreading between her legs. When she spoke, fear and awe were both mingling in her voice.
“I’m pretty sure my water just broke.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oohhh, I’m sure…” Novi replied with a knowing nod. “I’m gonna need a change of underclothes.”
Fallon's anger evaporated in mere seconds, replaced by his calm, level-headed leadership. “Callista, send in the guards.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As Callie nodded and scurried away, Novi cast him a confused look.
“Why are you sending for the guards? You should be sending for the midwives.”
“The Royal Council has issued a warrant for Annika’s immediate arrest,” he said in a voice as cold as ice.
“You can’t have her arrested!” Novi protested. “I want her here with me!”
Fallon narrowed his eyes at her. “Why? So you and our child end up like the Prioress?”
Guards burst into the room, seizing Annika before Novi could explain her reasoning. She cried out in protest, but another wave of nauseating cramps hit, stealing her breath.
“I didn’t mean it, Fallon!” Annika desperately pleaded as the redcloaks led her towards the door. “It was an accident! I didn’t know any of that was going to happen!”
Ignoring her pleas, Fallon turned to the guards.
“When you bring her to the dungeon, put her somewhere that no one will hear her. And send for one of the midwives.”
Novi's eyes blazed with panic and determination as Annika was ushered out of the room. "Fallon, please! I need her here with me! I need her just like you do!”
Before Fallon could reply, she grabbed the Grimoire of Damnation off his desk and stepped forward while raising her chin defiantly.
“I know you did some kind of blood ritual with her! What was it for? And why are you practicing Kaos magic?”
An amused expression drifted across Fallon’s face.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.” He gently took the spell book away from her, tucking it safely under his arm. “Right now your only concern should be to safely bring our child into the world. Be grateful that you have Callista by your side.”
“I am grateful, but I still deserve to know what you’re doing,” she insisted.
Fallon merely shook his head.
“I am not having this conversation with you, Novi. You know very well that there are issues you’re not allowed to be privy to.”
Novi drew in a breath to argue, but just as she was about to speak, Mauricio appeared, his face ashen and sober.
“Apologies, Your Highness, but the Royal Council demands your presence at once. The city…the court…everything is in chaos!”
Acknowledging the urgency of his secretary’s request, Fallon's mouth pressed into a tight line. He caressed Novi's cheek with his free hand, then gave her a tender smile. “Put everything else out of your mind, aside from what you can control. You must remain calm for the sake of our daughter. Do you understand how important this is to me?”
As much as Novi wanted to get to the bottom of Fallon’s use of forbidden magic, she knew he was right about this. Their baby was coming. Getting upset and continuing to argue wasn’t going to make anything better.
Letting out a sigh of resignation, she nodded. “I understand. I’m not done having this conversation, but I understand.”
Fallon’s eyes flicked to hers, knowing that she was too stubborn, too tenacious to simply ignore the fact that she’d found a book of forbidden magic in his desk. He let his hand rest for a fleeting moment on her belly.
“Our firstborn child will not enter this world for many hours to come. These things take time.”
Stepping away to join Mauricio, Fallon turned to Novi just before he left. “I’ll return as soon as I can. I give you my word.”