Page 76 of Faeheart
“Later,” he promised, squeezing my hand. “I’ll tell you everything later.”
The second-floor gallery was a long, narrow space lined with enchanted paintings on one side and massive potted plants on the other that overlooked the hall. Caden had encouraged them to grow wildly over the past few days. The foliage provided perfect cover while still allowing us to peer through the leaves at the grand entrance hall below.
Atlas pulled us behind a particularly massive fern, his golden eyes glowing in the dim light. “Kill your magical signatures,” he hissed. “All of you. Not a spark.”
We complied immediately, drawing our magic deep inside ourselves until we were practically invisible to magical detection. It was uncomfortable, like holding your breath underwater, but necessary. Through our tetrad bond, I could feel each of my mates doing the same, our presence in the magical world dimming to nothing.
“They’re coming,” Caden whispered, his blue eyes wide as he peered through the fronds.
The air at the mansion’s entrance began to shimmer and distort. A tear appeared in reality itself, widening into a portalthat pulsed with sickly purple light. Beyond the beautiful seascape illusion was the Veil, gray and depressing. But it was quickly blocked out. Through the portal stepped figures in hooded robes, their faces hidden in shadow.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, counting as they entered. “There are so many of them.”
At least thirty robed figures poured through the portal, moving with military precision as they secured the perimeter of the foyer. Their movements were coordinated and professional. These weren’t amateur zealots, but trained fighters.
“So, this is what the Purity Front’s elite looks like,” Atlas growled. “Bunch of fucking cowards in those cloaking spells. It’s almost like theyknowthey’re doing the wrong thing.”
The last of the hooded figures entered, forming a protective circle around something they were escorting. A cold dread pooled in my stomach as the object finally emerged through the portal. It was a massive obsidian cube, roughly the size of a small car, floating several feet above the ground. Its surface rippled like liquid despite appearing solid, and faint red symbols pulsed across its faces in hypnotic patterns. The artifact radiated wrongness, its magic twisting my stomach into knots.
Through our bond, I felt Elias’s shock and recognition. “Blood magic,” he breathed, so softly I barely heard him. “That’s what they’ve been powering with sacrifices. But… what is it for?”
The hooded figures parted, and a tall figure stepped forward, removing his hood with deliberate slowness. Even from our hiding place, I could feel Elias’s entire being freeze beside me, his emotions shutting down so completely it was like he’d disappeared from our bond.
“Elias’s father,” Caden whispered, his hand finding Elias’s in the darkness.
The man below us surveyed the damaged foyer with cold satisfaction, his aristocratic features eerily similar to Elias’sbut devoid of any warmth. Behind him, several more figures removed their hoods, some human, others distinctly fae. I recognized at least three members of the Seelie Court among them, minor nobles who’d always sneered at my family’s parties.
“The attack worked,” Elias’s father announced, his voice carrying easily through the hall. “The wards are down, just as our intelligence suggested. The tetrad bond has failed.”
One of the fae stepped forward, her copper hair catching the light. “And my son?” she asked, her voice carrying no trace of maternal concern.
My heart stopped. “Mother,” I hissed, instinctively shrinking further behind the foliage. Was she involved with the Purity Front? Had I asked for help from the wrong person?
“If he’s alive, Lady Briar, we’ll find him,” Elias’s father replied smoothly. “Though in his weakened state, he may not survive what comes next.”
My mother nodded, her perfect features betraying nothing. “A pity. But necessary sacrifices must be made for the greater good.”
Atlas’s hand clamped down on my shoulder as rage surged through me. His grip was iron, keeping me from doing something stupid, like revealing our position. Through our bond, I felt his silent warning.Not yet.
“Begin the ritual,” Elias’s father commanded. “The Cube of Binding requires activation before we can proceed with the cleansing.”
The hooded figures arranged themselves in a precise formation around the floating obsidian artifact. As they began chanting in unison, the symbols on the cube pulsed faster, bleeding from deep crimson to blinding scarlet.
“What the hell is that thing?” I whispered.
“It’s a prison,” Elias replied, his voice hollow. “A soul prison. They’re going to trap us inside it, then use our power to fuel their revolution.”
The blood drained from my face as the implications hit me. Through our tetrad bond, I felt the others’ horror matching my own. We weren’t just facing execution, they wanted to trap our souls and use us as an eternal power source.
“The ritual is nearly complete,” one of the hooded figures announced, their voice muffled by the fabric. “The Cube has accepted the sacrificial offerings we provided.”
My stomach turned as I realized whatsacrificial offeringsmeant. How many innocent people had died to power that abomination floating in our foyer? Students from the academy? Random humans who’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Through the leaves, I watched my mother examine the illusory damage with detached interest. “The destruction is quite thorough,” she observed, running a gloved finger along a fake scorch mark on the wall. “Though I’m surprised they managed to damage the mansion this extensively before succumbing.”
“Desperate creatures fight hardest when cornered,” Elias’s father replied, his cold gaze sweeping the room. “But their struggles only delayed the inevitable.”
The chanting grew louder, more urgent. The cube began to spin slowly, its liquid surface rippling faster as the blood magic reached its crescendo. Red light poured from the symbols, casting everything in hellish shadows.
