Page 103 of Mantle

I eyed the door at the far end of the space that led into his bedroom.

He’d had to step back from our work to perform a Ruminat in order to clear his head, something vital for a magic-wielder.

I took in what we’d managed to accomplish in the last little while, eyeing the table in his cramped kitchen of the rustic cottage.

The wood surface was scorched in places from past experiments, stained by spell elements, herbs, even his own blood. Above the table was a sagging shelf lined with reused potion vials, stacks of syringe racks, mismatched glass jars. A narrow cauldron was etched with necromantic symbols that pulsed faintly while the serum cured. There were syringe holders beside it, ready to receive the milky liquid with flecks of Sylas’ power once it was finished curing and cooling. Several mortar bowls filled with crushed and liquified elements were also situated on the makeshift workspace. A large curved glass beaker glowing with Sylas’ magic swirling inside was beside it. And a copper funnel was suspended above the beaker by a stand of iron designed to filter magically-infused fluids. Amongst all of that were dozens of syringes.

Even with what we’d been able to accomplish already, it wouldn’t be enough.

With Sylas’ condition, he would need to be sustained constantly.

He’d told me that when Corvin had attacked him tonight, the bastard had manipulated him into burning through massive amounts of power, forcing him to draw from his own essence just to survive. And because of the infection he’d been carrying, his healing was already compromised. Corvin has known exactly what he was doing. He was the one who’d infected him in the first place. He’d wanted Sylas dead—before word could reach us about him searching for the Wrath of Hades… or the fact that it wasalreadyon this plane. That was why the desiccation had been so fast. So brutal.

Sylas would require constant dosing and at increased frequency as well now.

And it already took a great deal of power to make the serum.

It wasn’t sustainable.

Fortunately, I had a solution in mind, which I’d present to him once he emerged from his room.

I stepped back from the table and took a walkabout his home, heading back into the modest living room and gravitating toward the bookcase, taking in his impressive collection of magical volumes.

I needed to distract myself from the fact that V had sent me a mind-link update that he and Jaxon hadn’t yet located Ariana. I was holding on with a white-knuckle grip to the fact that she was no damsel in distress. She was a fucking warrior and she’d grown to not only accept her power, but to also wield it with absolute greatness and capability.

I’d had Warlow check in on Nyx, and he was doing well, actually resting and recovering. With the Corvin aspect to those memories Nyx had recovered, there was concern that it would make Nyx a target now that Corvin was out there in the world.

I ran my fingers along the spines of the volumes in Sylas’s bookcase—until an eruption of white light had me jolting and spinning around.

A magical hologram shimmered into being—just like the one Cornelius had summoned of Ryker that day in his home.

CassiusandCornelius both came into view.

But that wasn’t what drew most of my attention.

It was what Cornelius was holding in a white-knuckle grip.

The sight of the fucking thing sent a shudder through me, knowing what it could do to the woman I loved and so many members of her family.

The Wrath of Hades.

The blade had an unnatural silver hue, the edge honed and precise. Down the center ran a double, decorative groove. The hilt was encrusted with multicolored stones, the grip wrappedwith patterned silver. It was ornate and striking, belying its dangerous nature and the fact that all it carried with it was death.

“The link Corvin formed has been severed,” Cassius informed me.

Cornelius continued, “We’ve also run tests to confirm that his spell hadn’t gotten close enough to determine where it was being held. That knowledge remains safe.”

“So you didn’t just know about it, you had it all along?” I questioned Cornelius.

“That was the mysterious topic behind the meeting you requested? You’d discovered that fact? How?”

“Sylas Morgrave gave Ariana a warning.Death circles her.I launched an investigation and the Wrath of Hades obviously came to mind as something that could bring about that upsetting reality.”

Cornelius choked. “She hasn’t come to us with this.”

“I found out on my own from the source himself. And before you go there, he doesn’t deserve your ire. He never speaks of the warnings he imparts. They are sacred to him. He only did so with me due to a misunderstanding between us.”

Cassius remained unusually silent.

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