The space was filled with silence when Nox finished explaining our idea, until Arowyn snorted. “Well, Fates. The newbie saves the day again. Where have you been all our lives?”
To my surprise, Milo shot me a glare. I barely had time to register the hurt and anger in his eyes before he looked back at Nox. “If that’s the spell I think it is, it’s a powerful one. I’m not nearly as strong as him. As—as Silas. Not enough to help you the way he could.”
“That isn’t true,” Kieran said, shaking his head. “Silas believedin you. Hechoseyou as his apprentice. I saw you tonight, Milo. You’re every bit as strong as any of us.”
On my left, Everett stepped closer and put a firm hand on Milo’s forearm. “None of us expect you to be Silas. He’s taught you well, and you’re more than capable of being what this refuge needs.”
Tessa gave Milo an encouraging smile and hitched her thumb at Everett, who readjusted his eyepatch. “I’m with Captain Everett on this. You’ve grown so much, Milo. And Silas wassoproud of you. More than I think you’ll ever know.”
Milo raised his eyes to meet Nox’s, his lower lids lined with silver. Nox nodded at him. “They’re right. And even if you can’t do this spell yet, we’ll still believe in you.”
“Through flame and ash,” Kieran added.
“Through flame and ash,” Milo murmured, his lips barely moving. With a deep breath, he crossed to Silas’s Grimoire, pausing for a split second before turning the pages.
I set the cloth with Scarven’s blood on the table as Milo prepared the spell. He gathered ingredients and put them in a mortar, glancing back at the book every once in a while. It felt like we were all holding our breaths. Nox reached over and brushed a single finger down my arm, and I caught it with my hand and squeezed.
Milo took the cloth and smoothed it on the table, then sprinkled crushed herbs on top of it. He muttered a spell, and flames erupted on the surface of the cloth.
“Vidia,” he breathed.
My heart pounded, my skin tingling with eagerness as we watched the fire dance and flicker. I didn’t realize he’d have toburnit. This really was our only shot. Once that small bit of blood was gone, we’d have nothing.
I waited, muscles tight and teeth clenched, as the edges of the cloth began to darken and curl in on themselves.
“It’s not working,” Milo said, his shoulders sagging.
We waited a couple more seconds, and still, nothing happened.Nox leaned forward and blew out the fire with a blast of hot breath. “Again,” he instructed Milo.
The young Alchemist blinked at him. “There’s hardly any cloth left. I can’t do it, Nox. I’ll ruin it.”
Nox planted his palms on the table and pierced Milo with his stare. “Youcan, Milo. You can find Scarven. You can find the man who did this to us. ToSilas.”
Milo held Nox’s eyes for a heartbeat. Two. Then he reached for his mortar and spread more herbs on top of what was left of the bloody cloth. Nox opened his mouth and let out a small stream of dragon fire, igniting the herbs anew.
One last time, Milo muttered, “Vidia.”
Nerves churned in my stomach. My pulse raced, beating back the exhaustion that hovered over me like a cloud.
Nothing.
And then?—
60
Nox
“...success, all things considered,” a middle-aged man with a thick mane of black hair and near-white skin was saying. He stood in a gray room with more bookshelves and cabinets than I could count, and was speaking to someone outside the vision’s field of view.
“Yes, it appears so,” a second voice said. One that made blinding hatred crash through me. My dragon instantly roared in my chest when Scarven appeared, stepping closer to the other man. “You brought down their wards?”
The man nodded with a sinister smile. “And killed their Alchemist so he can’t put them back up.”
Beside me, Devora sucked in a breath. “That’s Malek Mortep,” she whispered. “Scarven’s head Alchemist. The one who’s helped him create all the experiments. I recognize the room—they’re in the Hollow.”
Scarven spread his hands wide. “And how is it thatyoualone made it out alive, dear Malek?” His tone was mocking and sharp.
To my surprise, the Alchemist chuckled. The sound made the hair on the back of my neck rise. “You don’t keep me around because I fight in losing battles, my lord. You keep me because Iwinthem. We both know you didn’t want any of those men coming back alive.”
