Page 105 of Mantle

“Yes. Or you might’ve crafted a spell that required your death and attempted to revive yourself the moment it struck. And the final part likely would’ve failed—you’d have remained dead. You were younger then. Less studied. Far more reckless.” He stepped closer and pressed a finger to two particular lines of the spell I’d seen earlier. “But as you can see, I’ve discovered a far more viable—and safer—way around what binds you. You didn’t see itbecause you lack the deep, specialized knowledge of necromancy needed to detect it. This spell is rooted in death magic and was heavily concealed by a veil your parents constructed, saturated in blood magic. Not family-linked, but specifically targeted: bound solely by their blood, not yours. Only they could see what was hidden beneath.” A small, smug smile touched his lips. “Fortunately for you, there was a loophole. A necromancer of high enough skill couldtastethe death magic beneath the veil. Which I did.”

“How did you even access the spell itself to be able to determine any of this? And when?”

“Shortly after that night you caught me with my serum and found out my secret. That night when you selflessly agreed to help me, I quietly vowed to do the same for you. I accessed the inner sanctum of Maven Coven by wielding one of their visiting Ancient Vampire guests they were meeting with to discussextra protectionfor their Coven in light of Blackline Protocol being put into effect.”

“Fuck me, that was risky.”

He lifted a shoulder. “We’ll call it a calculated risk. I don’t like taking control of the undead in that way, but it was the most feasible way to access what they didn’t want known. I had no idea if I could break what bound you until I recognized the necromantic magic buried at the core of it.” He cocked his head to the side. “You see through the spellwork, though, yes? The cost to liberating you?”

“Two costs.”

“Correct.”

“First, you would have to die by actual definition. Your heart would need to cease to beat. But, as you can see from the spell I’ve written, I would tether you beforehand and pull you back from death before you enter the Valley of the Dead, before irreversible damage is done. At the same time, the moment youare between life and death precisely, I would put the legacy enchantment in stasis. If I don’t—”

“The Maven Coven and my parents will fall as the enchantment will be broken, their power will be drained with me no longer essentially an anchor for it all.”

“Precisely. Now, it can’t remain very long in stasis. It would need to be transferred to somebody.”

“Thatsomebodyneeds to be given a choice. I won’t let this be a curse to an unsuspecting soul. I won’t pass on pain like that.”

“Do you have somebody in mind?”

“Marlise Leroux.”

He frowned. “Your ex?”

“One of the Maven Coven’s most talented and revered magic-wielders. She’s always coveted the role of Head of the coven.”

“Perfect. You line that up and I’ll prepare the rest.”

I couldn’t believe it.

Could this actually be?

Could I actually be free of it?

I laid my hand on his shoulder. “Thank you for doing this. It means a great deal to me.”

Emotion shone in his eyes for a brief moment and he gave a nod of acknowledgement.

But that was all he could endure, and then he looked away and gestured through to the kitchen. “So, how’s the serum situation?”

“All ready to be placed in the syringes. You can take your next dose at any time. And it won’t be forever, Sylas. I promise you that. We will find a way to fix this.”

He smiled, but light didn’t reach his eyes. “Let’s hope.”

“I have an idea. Maintaining a high-level spell long-term requires immense effort and constant energy—that kind of sustained casting would drain anyone.” I paused. “Anyone but a Celestial. If Ariana infuses the spell with her magic, we couldturn it into a self-sustaining process. A continual, perpetual generation of the serum.”

His eyebrows shot up. “That would be incredible. Thank you, Kai.”

Before more could be spoken, a thunderous crash sounded outside, followed by a wave of blinding light that shot through the house like a violent lightning flash.

“What the shit was that?” Sylas exclaimed, swinging his head toward the front of the house.

Our answer came in the next moment when a blast of silver light had the door flying open.

My breath caught in my throat, my pulse spiking, as Ari stumbled over the threshold.

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