Page 45 of Tales of a Monstrous Heart
‘The house must have thought you’d find it interesting,’ he said with a soft smile, but it faltered as he considered the sorrow in the room beyond us.
Memories of a family, a life and a world that didn’t exist anymore. All crammed into one tiny space, allowing time to devour them, but I knew it didn’t stop that pain. Grief was a monster all its own and there wasn’t a blade sharp enough or a spell eloquent enough to kill it.
It remained. Unaffected by time. Endless in the worst way.
‘The study is further down the hall; the door just nearly took me out.’ He smiled, glancing once more at the painful darkness in the room before reaching into his apron and pulling out a small book. ‘Here.’
The telling red cover of the Saint’s holy book. I took it carefully, emotion welling painfully in my throat at the ease of his help.
‘Thank you, William.’
He smiled, turning to leave me there but I reached for his arm. Those warm brown surprised eyes meeting my own.
‘You’re not strange, William.’ I smiled, hating he thought that for even a moment. ‘I think you’re quite wonderful.
His smile wobbled on his lips before he nodded, sipping from my grip and leaving me in the hallway. Ashamed of my nosiness, I closed the door, allowing my palm to press against the wood as the house softly creaked in response.
The house missed them too.
I found the study in the direction William had pointed, positioning itself where I’d last seen a storeroom to be. There was no sign of Emrys, just a cup of tea, abandoned on his desk.
Although perched next to it like a dust sprite requiring my attention was a small doll made of the rough fabric fromfarmers’ sacks, thread and straw. At the centre of its chest was a dark smear.
Gingerly, I picked it up, trying not to disturb the delicate stitching as I examined the smear more closely. It was blood.
Be wary of spells made with blood. They are desperation given purpose, and the Verr like nothing more than desperation.Master Hale’s teaching came back to me. How beings only made promises in blood if they had no other choice.
It was a Nox offering, a small doll used to protect creatures from the dark. An offering to the ancestors. A level of desperation that made me furious and sad all at once. Relying on ancient tactics because the Council were deaf to their pleas for help.
Such desperation alongside an anthrux bite made my blood run cold, too many horrible thoughts trying to crash into my mind. This was worse than even my nightmares could predict.
Reimor. An ancient tale, and an ancient charm to protect against a darker type of magic.
‘Lagnor.’ I whispered the command, an old spell that rested somewhere between a prayer and incantation. To protect.
‘I didn’t know persistent snooping was part of the partnership deal.’ Emrys’ voice came from over my shoulder.
He stood behind me, somehow effortlessly manoeuvring silently around all the clutter in the study, his hands slotted in his pockets. He was dressed in a smart long grey coat, his cravat missing, and dark trousers to match his boots. His hair was still wet and brushed back from his face.
‘A saints’ book? I wouldn’t put that on my desk. It might combust.’ He frowned down at the abandoned book.
‘Where did you get this offering?’ I asked.
‘In Mr Thrombi’s belongings,’ he replied conversationally, seeming more alert and interested than usual. ‘He was on his way to a reporting centre when he was struck down with the illness.’
‘Or somethingwantedto strike him down,’ I corrected. Anthrux were created from curses, after all. Someone had intentionally made a bad bargain and there was nothing to say one hadn’t been set after Mr Thrombi on purpose.
‘How is he?’ I asked, shaking my head in an effort to be free from my dark thoughts.
‘No change, but we’ll see how he heals,’ Emrys replied.
‘Beings don’t make Nox offerings for no reason,’ I pressed.
‘Nox. That’s a Kysillian offering is it not?’ He surprised me again by knowing Kysillian myths.
I nodded absently, looking at the slumped doll. ‘The guardian of the dead. Protection against a darkness where it dwells.’
‘You should keep it with you. Such things are dangerous in the hands of those who don’t respect them,’ Emrys offered gently, noticing my interest, but I was caught by his words.
