Season 4 of Witchfire
After sacrificing himself to save Chance Nightshade, London Irephang - lamia prince of the vampires - is resurrected as an immortal vampire. Now, Chance Nightshade and Nora Walker must combine their powers and delve into the mi...
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My fingers tightened on Lachlan Smith's diary as we strode down the halls of the Incantum, free from the library at last. It was leather-bound and wrapped in string, unusually heavy for its size; as if the parchment itself was weighed down by the violent history branded into its pages.
Seth had raised his eyebrows when I claimed my prize, a tattered old book from a veritable hoard of treasure, but I hadn't found a way to explain its significance yet. It offered no guaranteed solutions to my friends' problems, but the potential for a way forward with all of them, and that made it priceless.
Every tome in that dark, forgotten basement was written in an equally ancient and mysterious language, dead to all save Lachlan, the only person alive who could translate them (so far as I was aware). I had a strong suspicion his research into family trees would provide insight into Chance's abilities; perhaps even teach her how to wield witchfire safely and purposefully. Lovingly dubbed the Light of Arcanus in other tomes, it could supposedly eat any curse and cleanse any area of sinister spells and traps, though I wondered if it would prove useful in defeating the Mad Witch as well. Jerome and Waters had also been looking into it, to see if they could reverse the psychic commands that held them hostage to the whim of their masters.
My other hopes for the book were less pragmatic, but I had to know if Old Magic could be used to cleave a soul in two. Ivy Thatcher had become a fast friend in a short amount of time, and I was wracked with guilt over the sudden coma she'd fallen into after saving my life. Normally her werewolf-vampire body would heal without consequence, but after accidentally absorbing the soul of her late boyfriend (something about drinking his blood and killing him, if the story was to be believed), she was quick to tire and burn out, especially when she used her healing magic. My mother and I suspected that her health would deteriorate altogether unless we found some way to intervene; some way to remove the strain of housing two souls in one body.
If only there was some way to surgically remove Sail's soul and deposit it in another body — preferably one without a soul of its own. It was a tall order, and I didn't feel ready or qualified to tackle any of those challenges, but I relished them nonetheless. It meant I didn't have time to think about the mess my life had become. The mess I'd been putting off confronting by lingering in the Labyrinth; that I was going to confront right now.
I hate you.
My mouth tightened as we slipped around another person in the hall, utterly oblivious to our presence. The crown steadily drained my energy, but it was such a small stream that I barely even considered it a nuisance as we slunk towards the infirmary, each step slower than the last.
After some stealthy snooping at the nurse's station, Seth tugged me towards Ruben's room. His hand was lukewarm in mine, but a welcome reminder to quit my shaking and face my fate.
Still, I hesitated. My heart beat faster, a panicking bird in the cage of my ribs. Sweat poured down the back of my neck.
