Page 10 of Death Warden
“A spell to prevent me from telling you everything.” Finley shot Tobias the side eye.
Tobias made a sound of exasperation. “It was for her own good. So she could live a normal life. Be happy…at least for a while.”
“But now Mary and Leo are dead,” Fin reminded him.
Wait a second. “But the necromancer didn’t kill them because he’s locked away.”
“Correct,” Tobias said. “The fire is a sick coincidence.”
My mind was whirring, going over everything that he was telling me. “Back up.” I held up my hand. “This dark necromancer killed my parents to get his hands on Fin?”
“Yes,” Fin said softly. His emerald eyes gleamed with a sheen of tears. “When he entered the house, I felt him. I ran to Amy, to warn her, to protect her, but she ordered me to take you and run. I didn’t want to, but I had to obey.”
“What do you mean, youhadto obey?”
“Fin belongs to the Blackmores, to the owner of the amulet. He had no choice but to follow Amy’s orders.”
“She uttered them with complete intent,” Fin said. “I had to leave. I had to save you and not go back.” He bowed his head and a tear fell onto the table.
Oh, God…
“Your mother knew that Dralos couldn’t be allowed to get hold of Fin and she knew that a Blackmore needed to survive to keep Fin safe.”
“But we got our revenge.” Fin’s eyes glowed. “We found him, and we bound him and locked him away.”
“We used the amulet as a lock,” Tobias explained. “The Thornes used the goblet’s power and the Crescents used the book’s magic to fuel the spell that binds him. They also bound a member of each of their bloodlines to the lock. Their artifacts now hold only a fraction of the power they once did, but it was enough for them to channel and keep the lock spell fueled. But now Mary Crescent is dead, leaving no heir, and so the responsibility of the lock is on two shoulders: yours and the Thornes’.”
“Is that why I felt like I was being crushed? My amulet went all hot too.”
“Yes, the burden is now split between two necromancers, not three. With the added strain on your lock, it’s imperative you find your conduit.”
“My what?”
“Your perfect match,” Finley said. “Every necromancer in the three bloodlines has one. Your father was your mother’s conduit, and Leo was Mary’s. A conduit always takes the necromancer’s family name.”
“Wait, slow down. Why do we need conduits? Mages need conduits, not necromancers.”
“Although your bloodlines produce powerful necromancers, their ability to draw power from the spirit realm dips when they reach thirty. A conduit is essential to keep a necromancer fueled. Without one you’ll experience pain, headaches, sickness. Necromancers in your families usually find their conduits way before then, though.”
That made sense; after all, necromancers came from Mageri bloodlines and Mageri relied on conduits for their magic. But it highlighted how much I still didn’t know about myself and the limitations of my abilities.
“And with the added stress of the lock to maintain…” Fin placed his paw on my hand. “We need to hook you up and fast.”
“Wait, are you saying the lock is feeding off my power?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck.” I ran a hand over my face. “Fine. How do I find my conduit?”
“It’s supposed to happen in time,” Tobias said. “You’ll have a revelation where you’ll see your conduit and you’ll develop a mark unique to your connection to him.”
The wordsperfect matchandunique connectionscrolled through my mind. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. About having my future partner chosen for me like some cosmic match-making from the powers-that-be.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Tobias said. “I can feel your panic, but, Adi, it’s a good thing. The person chosen for you will be a good match in every way. Youwillfall in love with him.”
I closed my eyes and exhaled. Freaking out over this was pointless. It was what it was and there were bigger issues at stake. “We don’t have time, though, do we?”
He winced. “No, we don’t. You need power to tide you over until your conduit is revealed. Which is why I have a final secret to reveal to you.”
