Page 100 of Shrine of Fire

There was another long winding hallway. Whoever the architect was, he must have loved him some hallways.

“The magic in this place is…” Cuan tensed behind me.

“Many powerful artifacts are kept safe here.” Vicente stopped in front of a piece of the wall. He tapped one of the bricks and breathed out an expression in a language I didn’t recognize.

The wall shifted to the side, revealing a giant room. Rows and rows of shelves, all of them filled with items. Underneath the item was a small nameplate with neat handwriting. Vicente went down one of the middle rows, talking under his breath. It was adorable. I would make sure he found a good pack.

“We tried to organize them by magic, a long time ago but…”

Kalahar grinned. “But spirit magic doesn’t go into nice, neat boxes?”

“Correct.” Vicente straightened up, confidence pouring over him. “You said you want the Seal of Souls, but I think we would be better served with something less…direct.”

“She is in the spirit realm. We need a conduit to direct our energies directly into her prison.”

“Did you use something similar the first time you tried to seal her away?” Vicente’s voice only held dry academic interest. He gestured at a golden disc. “This is a Seal used for grouping unlike elements together.”

“Yes.” Kalahar grimaced. “It was barely enough. We cannot do it without it.”

“Alright.”

I wandered around as Aki, Vicente, and Kalahar talked about the positives and negatives of the various seals. Most of them were golden discs, small enough to hold in the palm of your hand. There were also porcelain vases, jeweled boxes, rings, totems of gods and goddesses, and more. Framed artwork, and small boxes that resembled the anastasis boxes in the Shrines.

I stopped at the end of a row. On the bottom shelf, a large wooden lacquered box held many brooches. They weren’t anything amazing, nothing like the Seal of Souls, but they called to me just the same.

I picked one up, fingering the intricate design. It was no bigger than my palm, shaped like a bird. I dug through the rest.

“What are you doing, my love?” Cuan came around the other aisle.

I gestured with the box. “I don’t know.”

He picked up the bird brooch. “There’s spirit magic here.”

He sorted through the rest of the box, grouping them together. “These all belong.” He gestured at six of them. “Don’t ask me how.”

“The spirit magic thread is the same,” Vicente said, coming over to us. “You’ve found the family icons.”

“What did they use them for?”

Vicente pushed some black hair out of his face. “Families used to wear them to connect themselves together. They would be passed down through the generations, until they became family heirlooms. They were made with a little bit of spirit magic, twisted around to create the feel of being bonded as a pack.”

Hashir nipped my neck. “So like an alpha bond?”

“Yes, but no.” Vicente kept grinning. He was adorable. We were going to find him a nice pack who liked his thirst for knowledge. “It’s not an alpha bond. It’s like…a connection. They aren’t powerful, but we can’t make them anymore. You would give one to a close friend or child. Extended family members. Anyone you wanted to feel close to, who would help uplift and support you.”

“Hmmm.” I looked at the set of six. All birds, some with their wings tucked, and some with their wings outstretched.

Vicente smiled. “We can bring them too, if you’re so taken with them.”

I shrugged. “I don’t know why. Being bonded will have the same effect.”

“Actually, not quite the same. A pack bond is a conduit between you and the rest of the pack. These icons link you in a less direct way. The loving support of each of you, separate but together.”

That decided me. “We’ll take them.”

In the end, we brought the icons, the Seal of Souls, and another seal that wasn’t as direct called the Seal of Unity. We wrapped the gold discs carefully in velvet bags, and the icons in small linen pouches.

Duke Antu and Maruis were arguing softly when we entered the sitting room.

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