“Oh? A Mazonist ruler may impregnate whomever he pleases.”
Niklaus curls his hand around his collar.
“I’ll prove I’m a witch. Three days. That’ll work!” I interrupt, rising from my chair to get Niklaus’s attention and try to keep him from getting killed.
Maxwell frowns, looking a bit disappointed. He drums his fingers along the table in thought. And I know he’s debating whether or not just to choose to have me in his bed, if only to put Niklaus in his place.
“I am barren, so impregnation isn’t even an option. But I am a very powerful witch and would be very useful to the Mazonist legacy,” I add, but Crow Ivast flips through pages of a book in my periphery, and something buzzes in my core as I recognize the cover.
There has never been much information about Vexamen history in our lessons growing up, but Aunt Ruth and Uncle Warrose shared much of what they knew. They told us all about how Crow Ivast uncovered the original human experiments on twins. How he migrated with the rest of the Mazonist followers from Alkadon and was seen as a psychologically impaired freak there for talking to himself in public and having inherently maniacal ideas to expand the mind.
And there was a book where he wrote down all of his trials, tests, and…chemical warfare archives.
In other words, the injection Masten and Kaspias used to put my father in his coma.
Aunt Ruth found the details of the neurotoxin that was used. Crow Ivast named itDíevetz AlkadonAgent. Which translates to, Death to Alkadon. He planned to use it on the royal families there so that they would be unable to sire any additions to their bloodlines, but fell ill when his son, Cardinal Ivast was just a child. Crow knew how important his book, known as the Ivast Codex, was to his enemies. He burned every page that had an antidote, counteragent, neutralizer, or remedy to his creations.
Aunt Ruth and Uncle Warrose scoured every archive in Vexamen existence.
Crow Ivast had a brilliant mind and ensured those secret remedies would die with him. Ultimately keeping my father in his coma for twenty-one years thus far.
Yet here he is. With that highly sought after book. Right in front of me. Can I live with myself if I leave this room without even attempting to know how to wake my father when I come back?
“But if it appeases you all, I do have a way of proving my powers can collect intimate details on complete strangers. Shall I demonstrate?” My voice shakes. This is a long shot. It holds great potential to break my heart. But I’m going for it.
“Oh, we do love magic tricks,” Malcolm hums.
“Crow Ivast, there were spirits whispering your name as we speak. They’ve shared many secrets. May I share a few?”
Crow sighs, waving his hand for me to continue, as though he finds this entire charade a waste of time.
“Your wife’s name is Absinthe. She is an incredibly religious woman.”
The men chuckle, looking unimpressed.
“Not a secret,” Crow comments with a slow blink. “Anyone who’s been in the same room as my bride knows this.”
I smile sheepishly. “And that you’ve had many affairs? Had two bastard children that you had killed? Fell in love with a woman twice your age who mysteriously disappeared? Is that all common knowledge as well?”
I’ve never been so thankful that I paid attention in this part of our history lessons.
The Mazonist Brothers gape at me in shock, then back to Crow.
“This all true?” they ask.
Crow is positively stunned. His oily brows pull tight together, then lift to his hairline.
“Yes. It is true.”
“And I’m also hearing how you created a neurotoxin that can put a person in a coma once they have sexual intercourse. That’s impressive.” I hold my breath and hope my inquiry isn’t too on the nose and obvious that I’m fishing.
Crow’s upper lip twitched, then curls into a mocking half-smile.
“I haven’t even completed the formula and equations for that yet. It’s all theory.”
“Well, you will.” A twinge of hatred burns my forehead and cheeks. “But…it looks like you always have an antidote, except this one. I suppose this one was too complex for you to form a solution to.”
“Absurd!” Crow stands, slicking his stray hairs away from his face nervously. “Yes, it is complex. All of my chemical agents are. But I’ve already mapped out the only antidote that could reverse the effects of the neurotoxin before it is activated by consummation!”
