Page 72 of Faeheart
“Enough,” Atlas said finally, his voice rough with controlled anger. “They’ve killed enough that we need to stop them permanently.”
“Look at this,” Elias said, pointing to a diagram in the grimoire. “A ritual circle designed to channel life force into an object. The more lives sacrificed, the more power the object can contain and channel.”
I studied the intricate pattern, my fae nature recognizing the twisted elegance of the design. “That’s not just any ritual circle. Those symbols around the perimeter, they’re containment runes. Whatever this empowers, the casters want to make sure it doesn’t explode in their faces.”
“Smart,” Caden observed, though his tone suggested he found the intelligence behind the ritual design unfortunate rather than admirable.
“Here,” Elias continued, turning the page. “Disruption techniques. If we can break the ritual circle at specific points...” He traced his finger along the text. “The contained energy will backfire on the casters.”
Atlas’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Turn their own weapon against them. That’ll throw a wrench into their plans.”
“It’s not that simple,” I warned, reading over Elias’s shoulder. “We’d have to get close enough to the ritual site to physically break the circle. And if they’re smart, they’ll have it heavily guarded.”
“Plus,” Elias added, his voice troubled, “If they’ve already completed the ritual and powered up the item, which it’s likely they have, there won’t be anything to disrupt. The item would need to be destroyed, and I don’t know how we’re ever going to get that close. Once we’re outside the wards, we’ll have nothing to protect us.”
“What if we could trick them?” I suggested, a sudden idea flaring to life in my mind. “We made them think the mansion’s wards were failing when they’re actually stronger than ever. What if we took them down and just… let them in?”
Three sets of eyes turned to face me, a look of shock and horror painted over their faces.
“Are you completely fucking insane?” Atlas growled, his golden eyes flashing with alarm. “You want to drop our only protection and invite them inside to kill us? We’d be sitting ducks!”
“Hear me out,” I said quickly, raising my hands before he could launch into a full lecture. “The mansion’s defenses aren’t just the outer wards. Remember what that servant told Elias this morning? The house itself is stronger now because of our bond. What if the real trap isn’t keeping them out, but letting them in where we control the environment?”
Through our tetrad connection, I felt Elias begin to analyze the possibility, his academic mind working through the logistics despite his initial horror. Caden’s thoughts pulsed with nervous energy, while Atlas radiated pure protective fury.
“The mansion has been a sanctuary for decades,” Elias said slowly, his voice thoughtful. “Every spell, every ward, every defensive enchantment has been building up in layers. If we could turn all of that inward...”
“We’d be trapped in here with them,” Caden pointed out, his blue eyes wide with concern. “If something goes wrong, there’d be no escape.”
“There’s no escape anyway,” I countered, gesturing toward the windows that showed the endless illusory seascape full of sunshine and clear waters. “We’re already trapped here until someone opens a portal out. At least this way, we’d be fighting on our terms, in a place that responds to our magic.”
Atlas began pacing, his werewolf instincts clearly agitated by the suggestion. “It’s too dangerous. Too many variables. What if their artifact is powerful enough to corrupt the mansion itself?”
“Then we make sure it never gets the chance,” I said, my fae nature thriving on the audacity of the plan. “We let them think they’ve won, let them get comfortable, and then we spring every trap this place has at once. There’s gotta be something we can do.”
Elias looked up from the grimoire, his brown eyes bright with sudden understanding. “The mansion’s defensive systems aren’t just protective, they’re adaptive. If we could magically program them to recognize the Purity Front as a threat once they’re inside...”
“The house would turn against them,” Caden finished, his mind buzzing with excitement. “Every door, every hallway, every room could become a weapon.”
Through our bond, I felt Atlas’s reluctant consideration of the plan. His tactical mind was recognizing the strategic advantages even as his protective instincts rebelled against the risk. “It would have to be perfectly timed,” he said finally. “One mistake and we’d all be dead.”
“We’re probably all dead anyway if we try to face them in open combat,” I pointed out. “They won’t arrive with anything less than their best. At least this way, we’d have a chance.”
Elias closed the grimoire with a soft thud, his decision crystallizing through our soul bond. “Well,” he said with a sigh. “We better get to work.”
Chapter 28
Elias
The mansion resisted our efforts at first. Wards that had been in place for decades were not easily persuaded to let down their guard. Magic had a tendency to getstickyafter a while.
“It’s not working,” Caden muttered, his magic pulsing against the stubborn barrier. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pressed his palms flat against the wall. “The wards are rejecting my attempts to reprogram them.”
I closed my eyes, feeling the mansion’s defenses through my magical senses extending through the house. The protective spells were layered like geological strata, each one reinforcing the others in a complex tapestry of magical intent. Decades of enchantment had created something almost sentient in its resistance.
“We need to convince the mansion we’re not trying to harm it,” I said, opening my eyes to find the others watching me. “These wards were designed to protect, not attack. We’re asking them to do something fundamentally against their nature.”
Atlas growled in frustration, his golden eyes flashing. “We don’t have time for magical therapy. The Purity Front could arrive any moment.”
