Page 37 of Rose and Shadows
“Well, like you said, Lazriel needs you to stick around. This is how we do that while also being able to eliminate Victor. And eliminating that motherfucker gives us a much more unobstructed shot at Morien.”
He handed the spell back to me. “We need to discuss your father in personal detail, unfortunately. As regrettable as it is, it’s also necessary. You need to absorb what will be conveyed to you now, not through him throwing it at you during battle and thereby compromising you. And then, depending on how you receive this revelation, I will impart some information to you regarding the decay of the Valley of the Dead.”
“You’re talking about a way you’ve found to stop it from fracturing, from the tears opening up?”
“Yes.” He sighed. “However, you jumping on that and completely bypassing what I said about Morien and personal revelations raises concern that what I’m about to tell you will not be absorbed well by you.”
“I have very little sentiment toward that black magic warped sadist.”
“You’re claiming that it’s become an automatic reaction for you to transcend any mention of him?”
“Pretty much. It’s not compartmentalization, it’s the state of things.”
“I see.”
My lips twitched. “I’m a complicated motherfucker, huh? Even difficult for somebody as learned and as astute as you to get a proper read on?”
“It’s a challenge, yes. But a rather intriguing one.”
“Good to know. But I also need to know now why you’re so willing to engage in saidchallenge.If it was solely about us working together to defeat Morien, asking me to assist with breaking the tether between you and Victor falls within the parameters of that, but your concern about my stability and everything else doesn’t. It can’t be about your son being my love either, because it must be clear that our connection is solid regardless.”
“First,” he said, reaching into his inner jacket pocket, “there is this.” He pulled something free and then opened his palm to reveal a pear-shaped stone that filled the entirety of it.
“A Stone of Recollection.”
“Yes. Containing my memories that I referenced when we were on our way to Ambrose a few days ago.”
“Right. Memories that connect to me, to something Morien did that you were privy to.”
He nodded, and I studied the stone.
At first glance it was merely shimmering with silver magic, the mark in this case of Cornelius Martel. Given their longstanding alliance it was no surprise to me that he’d had Cornelius perform the spell to fuse Remnant’s memories into the Stone. But as I reached out and brushed my fingers over it, the magic swirled and shifted, giving way to crimson flecks.
“What the—” I swept a hand over it, then I felt my blood there also, fused within it.
And those crimson flecks… they weremypower.
“How?” I choked out. “I didn’t facilitate this memory storage.”
“You did. Temporarily. I had Cornelius bolster and reinforce it because you weren’t strong enough back then—nor learned.”
“I don’t—”
He pulled his mask away and put it down on my desk.
I started as he turned back to face me fully, and I took him in completely for the first time.
The lower half of his face always hidden was all sharp angles and years of endurance carved into flesh, a jaw built from iron will and grim resolve. The stubble lining his jaw was dark, clinging close to the skin like a severe outline. His lips were set in a hard line of resolve, and they quirked at my reaction.
With a wink, he dropped his fangs, then tore into his wrist.
He held it over the stone, blood dripping onto it.
In a burst of speed he had a glowing silver vial in his free hand, pulled from his jacket. He popped the cork. “If you will.”
I called my power and extracted the magic, levitating it out of the vial, then sweeping it over the stone.
He pocketed the little that was left, then told me, “Your magic or your blood connecting with the Stone will complete the spell and unlock the memories bound within.”
