Page 50 of Tell No Tales
That had been the story of his life. No one trusted him. It had given him a complex.
She studied him for a moment. "You and your seeker have a link, too. It's still open."
He nodded, though he doubted it would stay that way. Klaus had shut him off with a wall of fury after he'd refused to help the kitten.
"I'll teach you how to shield your thoughts from an open link. I can offer you that much in return for being such a horrible classmate."
The technique was surprisingly easy, after Vadim's years of learning frustratingly little from Martiz. All he had to do was find Klaus's voice in his head and build a wall to keep it out. He found Yvette's link and walled her out, too.
She tapped his knee to show it worked. "I don't need access to your mind to know you're angry at Martiz."
"Why didn't he teach me this?"
"He was more interested in keeping you out of his head."
"But why?" Vadim knew he sounded like a child, but he couldn't remove the ache of unworthiness in his chest. "Why would he continue to make me feel inept?"
"You know why," she said.
He swallowed his pride and finally saw his adolescence for what it was. Martiz was on a power trip, and Vadim had unfettered power he could steal on a whim. It was better to leave him thinking he was worthless, and then when the time came, steal his power.
"We were afraid of you in school." She hugged her knees and rested her chin on her knee. "We didn't know how much like him you would be. When Hesse first drew you into his inner circle, he was watching you to see if you would slip up and do something unbalanced." She grinned. "You never did."
"Martiz may be a horrible person, but I've never seen him raise a dead body." Vadim had to stop and take a deep breath after defending the man. He held up the journal. "This says a healer can form an army of the dead to do their bidding. Someone approached Hesse with this idea before the War of Unification."
Yvette shivered and pulled her knees closer to her chest. "Necromancy. Now you know the truth of it. Healers are the worst of us, not the best. Death weavers get a bad name for dealing death, but we can reanimate corpses. Only the body, though. Not the mind, and most certainly not the soul. Necromancy burns the soul to raise the body. It's a horrible practice, outlawed in most of our realm."
"Most?"
She stared at her feet. "Coryn just reinstated it."
"She plans to raise an army only she can control, and then destroy all magic." Vadim spoke the words, trying to make them seem more real, but he couldn't fathom it.
"Taking her leverage is the first step to stopping her."
"She's got a five-year head start on us." Vadim shared what he'd learned from Delilah's letter. As he did, he felt Klaus move farther away, until it was obvious he had returned toStarlight Specter.
"How long are you staying with us?" he asked.
"We'll leave before Hannah starts throwing lightning around." Yvette grinned. "We'll use the cover of the storm to chase down that naval ship and find out why they were following us. We'll meet up with you before you reach Hearthstone. In the meantime, stay safe. Martiz was never Coryn's prize. She's still on the lookout for the spectral weaver that got away."
Coryn wouldn't trade Hugo for anything, not even their tormentor, not if she planned to rid the world of magic and control everyone with an army of undead. Yvette's mention of Niall made him think dangerous thoughts, but Coryn would need both Niall and Hugo for her plan to work. It was better not to offer the spectral weaver on a platter, either way. They needed a safe place to tuck Niall away while they invaded the palace. It would be best to keep him onStarlight Specter, far from temptation.
He nearly tripped up the stairs. The dark wood and low light made it hard to see, and the fog made twilight even more dim above deck. He smelled decay in the direction of the box near the main mast. He also heard something he'd never heard before: plaintive meowing from the afterlife.
"What are you on about?"he asked.
"You can hear me?"
Vadim snorted a laugh at himself for talking to a dead kitten. In all his years, this was something he never thought he'd do.
"I'm sorry, Sir. I made a mistake."
Vadim's incredulity increased, if that was possible. Sir. How the fuck was this kitten so adorable? He hadn't even seen its physical body yet, but its soul was pure.
"Can you help me? A kind man petted me and sat with me through the horrible pain. He cried when it was over. I wanted to go to him, but I was here, hovering above him. If I could be his kitten, I want to live!"
The conversation was disconcerting after discussing necromancy with Yvette. Now a kitten wanted to be returned to its body. Vadim had seen Niall return life to a chicken, but he didn't know if he could do the same.
