Page 30 of Chaos Carnival

The book writhed in my palms, each heartbeat drawing me deeper into its secrets. Ancient words cascaded across the pages,promising answers, solutions, power. My fingers traced the grotesque symbols while my mind raced.

Celeste's words about things between realities nagged at me. If someone like her—someone who traded in firstborns and memories—feared those ancient beings, what horrors could make even her pause?

I pushed the unsettling thought aside.

Addie's face flashed through my thoughts. Her vacant eyes as she danced for Ivan, her body moving like a puppet on strings. The memory burned, fueling my desperation. And Maverick... the poison spread further up his neck, crystalline patterns that would eventually freeze his heart.

The tome sang to me, ominous whispers of forbidden knowledge. Everything we needed to save them both lay within these pages. Ten years of memories seemed a small price to pay. But they would be the good ones. The rare moments of joy, of peace, of connection. I didn’t have many of those.

I lifted my gaze to Maverick. Black veins covered half his face now, but his eyes were fierce as ever.

“Your call,” he said, voice rough with pain. “I'll back your play this time.”

My fingers tightened on the book's writhing cover.

Blood will have blood.

The words echoed in my mind, heavy with meaning I couldn't quite grasp. But the alchemy thrumming through the tome felt real enough to taste.

“We'll take it.” The words tasted like ash in my mouth. “Take the memories.”

Celeste's smile stretched wider, her teeth gleaming in the shadows. “Excellent choice.” She pressed her palm to the book's cover, and it opened with a sound like tearing flesh.

Ancient symbols crawled across the pages as she worked, her silver hair writhing with eldritch energy. The air grew thickwith alchemy that made my teeth ache. My eyes narrowed as I watched her fingers trace patterns in the air, leaving trails that coalesced into uncanny shapes.

Maverick reached for my hand, his skin still frighteningly cold. Through our bond, his guilt, his anger, his resignation echoed across. But underneath it all was understanding… we had no choice.

“Hold still,” Celeste commanded. Her fingers pressed against our foreheads, and pain exploded behind my eyes. It felt like she was reaching into my skull with hooks of steel, sorting through memories. Tears leaked down my cheeks as I imagined all the moments I'd never remember—quiet mornings with Addie, shared laughter, peaceful nights under the stars.

The ritual seemed to last forever and no time at all. When Celeste finally pulled away, satisfaction rolled off her in waves. “It's done. The price is paid.”

I wiped my eyes, refusing to break down completely. There were more important things to focus on—Addie trapped in Ivan's circus, the hunters on our trail, the poison still creeping through Maverick's veins threatening to take him from me and collapse my world. Future memories meant nothing if we didn't survive the present.

We stumbled out of the shop into the twilight. The book's weight in my arms reminded me of everything we'd just sacrificed, but I shoved the grief down deep. There would be time to mourn later. Right now, we had work to do.

Chapter 14: Eternal Pacts

Maverick

Thedyingsunlightpaintedblood-streaks across the cobblestones as we emerged. The iron gates of Père Lachaise loomed, twisted metal clawing at the bruised sky. I held Tess's hand tighter, trying to steady myself as another wave of vertigo hit.

“Fucking perfect.” My vision swam, the ancient tombstones blurring and doubling my vision. The poison spilled through me like liquid fire one moment, arctic ice the next. Each heartbeat sent fresh agony racing through my chest. “When Celeste said 'consecrated ground,' this seemed like the right spot.”

The gates' shriek set my teeth on edge as I pushed them open. My muscles screamed in protest, weakness seeping into mybones. The crystalline patterns spreading across my skin felt like thousands of needles burrowing deeper with each breath.

“You're the one who insisted on coming here.” Tess squeezed my fingers, her warmth temporarily cutting through the numbness creeping up my arm.

“Yeah, well...” I traced the outline of the ritual rings in my pocket, fighting back a wave of nausea. The metal burned cold against my fingertips. “There's something poetic about soul-binding in a graveyard.”

“Your idea of romance needs work.” Tess pulled her coat tighter with her free hand, scanning the entrance. “You sure the hunters won't track us here?”

“Sacred ground's got its own protections.” The words slurred a little as black spots danced, blurring my vision. My knees buckled, and Tess caught me before I hit the ground. The poison thrummed through my body like a second heartbeat, each pulse bringing fresh waves of agony and exhaustion.

Stone markers rose around us, their weathered faces telling stories of lives long past. My control leaked out involuntarily, coating the nearest headstones in delicate frost patterns that sparkled in the dim light. Beautiful, if you ignored that it meant I was losing control.

The path ahead writhed like a living thing, markers blurring my vision. Tess's presence grounded me, but the dark energy of that pulsing book canceled the effect. The cemetery's corruption called to it like a siren song. Each throb of its magic sent whispers, promises of unlimited power, if only she'd reach out and grasp it.

“Don't listen to that book.” I shot her a warning look over my shoulder. “Those kinds of offers always come with strings attached.”

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