“That is ironic and a little terrifying. No wonder he is kept locked up if even Lilith is afraid of him. I had heard that a few of the ancients had lived beyond a point of turning vampire, and there was something worse that could happen to them.”
Barnabas blinked rapidly, his expression suddenly interested in what Razvan had to say. Even with that interest, he continued weaving his complicated spell. Now that he had introduced even more strands of darkness, he had to be just as careful not to make a mistake.
“I have lived as long as you, or close to it, Razvan. I have heard many things, but until I walked with Xavier in the underworld, I had not heard of this demon-beast. I had no idea this could happen to a Carpathian. There is more than one?”
Razvan cleared his throat twice, the way the assistant mages had done when Xavier had been working out the spell on them. “I have not heard of it happening to others, but I do know several locked themselves away even from other Carpathians, considering themselves too dangerous to be around anyone.” He coughed lightly and drew a light film into the room through the open window. “The demolishing of a house puts caustic materials in the air.”
Barnabas cleared his throat several times as well. “It is so. Where do these Carpathians secret themselves? Do you know? You seem to be privy to many things.” There was a fawning quality to Barnabas’s voice.
“The portal has been closed,” Razvan announced. “That is one more lost to Lilith. The ground has been consecrated.”
Annoyance crossed Barnabas’s face. “The royal is busy. I told Lilith she should rid the world of that family, but she wanted to use them. That is what comes of not listening to sound advice. She schemes too much.” He coughed. “I do not need to retreat to the underworld. I go only to speak with the high mages.”
He coughed and choked, both hands suddenly going to his throat. His eyes widened in horror. “No. You cannot steal my magic. You didn’t move or speak.”
His voice was strangled, his breathing labored. He tried to pry his fingers from his throat, but they dug into his neck now, actively part of his own chilling demise. He went to his knees, his face swollen and purple. His eyes began to bulge, blood vessels popping. Blood began to trickle from his nose and the corner of his mouth.
Barnabas shook his head over and over. His fingers dug deeper into his throat, helping to choke the life out of him. He fell to the floor and convulsed, but his hands remained locked. The spell remained relentless. Merciless. Crafted by Xavier. Woven by Barnabas to kill Razvan and Skyler. Turned back on him. The spell would never let up until he was dead, the air sucked from his body, and he was dry and withered with nothing left but a shriveled shell.
Razvan stared at him dispassionately. How many lives had this single mage taken over the centuries of his existence? How many cruelties had he performed?
Beside him, Ivory emerged. His lifemate. To Razvan, she was the most beautiful, selfless, wonderful woman who had ever been born. Of course she would come to him when he was witnessing the demise of a cruel mage. He had to stay and see it through to the end. She would not want him to be alone.
“I never thought I would cast a spell of the dark arts.”
“You didn’t,” she assured. “He cast the spell. You simply turned it back on him. Essentially, he did himself in.”
Razvan nodded. That didn’t lessen the fact that Barnabas had committed far too many atrocities, just as Xavier and his brothers had.Xavier had used Razvan’s body to help commit those atrocities. As he watched the mage slowly and painfully expire, the memories slipped through his mind of those difficult days. Ivory wrapped one slender arm around his waist.
“It is our time, Razvan,” she whispered softly.
“Yes, it is,” he agreed. “They cannot have any part of me, not as long as I have you.”
CHAPTER
16
Andros strode into the study, now turned into the judgment room. He went straight to the six chairs where the five remaining judges sat. He stood in front of them, hands on his hips, blue eyes like twin crystals burning right through the five men.
Grigor and Garald stood at either end of the room in front of the doors, both grim-faced. There were wounds on all three of the royals. Vasilisa had entered with Afanasiv. They stood on either side of Lada, who had walked to the place between the judges and the nine chairs where she had been made to stand while they questioned her.
“What is this?” Stepan demanded from his place in the first row.
Andros slowly turned to face him. “What is this? This is an inquiry, Stepan. A real one. One concerning high treason. Before I ask my questions of those in this room, I want to know where Lada’s daughter is. Remember before you answer, I hear lies. My sister and brothers hear lies. If you lie to me even once, I will know you are part of the conspiracy against the royals and all Lycans. You will be put to death immediately. So think very carefully before you make a mistake. It has been a long few days, and I am not in a mood to be trifled with.”
He waited. The clock ticked. Outside the wind howled. Someone shifted restlessly in their chair until it creaked in protest.
“Stepan, I asked you a direct question. Where is Lada’s daughter?”
Stepan shook his head, glanced at the men facing him in the judges’ seats and looked down at his hands. “I don’t know, Andros. She was taken from us.”
Polina sobbed and hastily covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes downcast.
Vasilisa exchanged a long look with Afanasiv.Someone on that panel of judges took that child,she told him.Maybe more than one of them has knowledge of where she is.
Easy enough to get the information.Afanasiv didn’t really understand why Vasilisa was waiting for her brother to question the group of Lycans. As far as he was concerned, every judge sitting in those five chairs was complicit. He didn’t like that an innocent child was involved or that she had been taken from her mother to force her mother to betray Andros.
He scanned the first suspect’s mind. He was the one wearing a robe over his clothes. His name was Ira Semenov, and he had lost his wife recently. They had belonged to the Sacred Circle their entire lives. He had recently been asked by Artyom, his close friend, to sit on the council. Ira was certain Artyom had asked him because he’d fallen into such a depression after losing his wife.