“Because it’s true.” Khent shook his head. “I’ve tried my best, but the answer is clear. We know why the goddess wants us to find the artifact. Not because it leads to the location of the next Bloode Stone. But I think because it has orisa Bloode Stone itself.”
“What? But lycans have touched it.”
Rolf nodded. “True. And normally anyone not a vampire would be consumed by a Bloode Stone’s power. Like Fara was when she burned up protecting it from Atanase.”
Kraft still felt badly about that, but Hecate had resurrected Fara after all. A good ending to a bad set of circumstances. “Then how are Bloode Stones involved?”
Khent said, “It has to do with the way the Bloode Stones wield power over us. Why we’re nearly untouchable unless our bloode—which holds our magic—is involved. Varu helped me experiment with the Bloode Stones he carries and our dead vampire tissue. The tissue reacted. Which had me thinking—”
“Always a scary pastime,” Rolf had to add.
Khent ignored him, and the draugr’s smile grew wider. Good that at least Rolf was somewhat true to form. Kraft still didn’t know what to make of a Khent who wasn’t such a dick all the time.
Khent continued, “—that if the sorcerer had an artifact made of Bloode Stones and mixed with lycan magic, perhaps the lycans could handle the thing if it was attuned to their species. None of those who touched the artifact revealed any lingering effects. But that statue is important to Sebastian.”
Kraft scowled. “We learned last night that the sorcerer claims to be able to use the statue to make berserkers for a grasping, greedy lycan pack who want to rule their kind.”
“Berserkers?” Rolf stilled. “I need to check something.” He turned to look on one of the lab tables.
Khent frowned. “The sorcerer claims to be able to make berserkers? But he needs the artifact, which we assume has Bloode Stones, the power of Ambrogio. Primus.” The first of their kind. “We also know he took a lot of lycan blood from those he sacrificed, as well as his sorcerers... Hmm.”
“What? What hmm?”
“That blood circle used in their spell still bothers me. You said you scented brimstone on the premises, yes?”
Kraft nodded.
Rolf returned, looking unhappy. He held out an ancient text to Khent, tapping on the page. “It’s beyond bad if he gets it to work.”
“You mean the sorcerer could actually make berserkers?” Kraft gaped. That was all they needed, evil powerhouses who could tear out throats and claw through buildings to fight for the wrong side. Then he grinned. But what a beautiful battle it would be.
His smile had Khent and Rolf grinning as well.
Khent cleared his throat. “Yes, well, while the fight would be glorious, it would open us up to too much chaos. Which is what we’ve been trying to avoid. Plus, the sorcerer in possession of vampiric relics is not something that should be. I want his head.”
“You can have it.” Rolf grimaced. “I don’t even think I want to drink him down. He must be so tainted from such cross-contaminated magic.”
“Stop. Hold it,” Kraft growled. “I’m still confused.”
Khent raised a brow. Ah, that familiar arrogance was back. “Don’t you see? Brimstone? Lycans? Blood sacrifice, magic, vampire power?”
Kraft shrugged.
Rolf sighed. “Somehow, Sebastian is going to use lycan blood, powered by the Bloode Stones—vampire magic—to call through to hell. My guess is he’s planning on breeding hellhounds and lycans to create a new kind of berserker. And if he’s got his hands on Riley’s blood, which we know he has, he could very well beef up his hellish creations with a hint of bloode magic—through the stones in the artifact.”
“It shouldn’t be possible, we know,” Khent said. “But he’s actually very clever. Using hell to bridge the power gap is genius, really. I have to add him to my collection, if at all possible.”
Kraft glanced at the small dead menagerie Khent had collected: three crows (Riley had eaten the fourth a few weeks ago), a dog, a bobcat, an eagle, and a man dusting some shelves in the back. “When did you add the guy? Hecate allowed that?”
The man turned, and Kraft saw something else flash beneath the dead aura. “Onvyr?”
The dusk elf dropped his glamour. “Oh, ah, hey, guys.” Tall, pitch black, with pointed ears and a lot of muscle, the fae tried to look friendly and nonthreatening.
Epic fail.
Khent looked murderous. “You arenotsupposed to be in here. Where is Gary?”
“Gary wanted to play Nintendo, so I traded my game for a look at your lab. It’s awesome.” Onvyr took a step closer to the door. “I can help, you know. I’m not a wizard or anything, but I can smell demons really well. Better than vampires.”
