Thalia, Cassius, and Keegan all stood around the table in the small dining room in the manor, watching as Camilla held up the jars of teeth to a light.
“I’ll have to test it out,” Camilla said, setting the jar down with a clink. “It’s possible, but don’t get your hopes up.”
Cassius nodded, his face still carefully blank, although his shoulders tensed.
“Can you test it out here?” Thalia asked.
Camilla shook her head, curly hair flying. “Not here. I need to go to Perden. Decima can help.” Thalia shuffled the information to the side as the shifter turned to Cassius. “You’ll want to come too. The Mages have found something.”
Cassius straightened. “What is it?”
Camilla just shook her head. “They can explain more. But we might have a different solution to what you’ve asked.”
Thalia glanced between the two and caught Keegan’s gaze. At her confused stare, he shook his head.
Camilla shoved the teeth into the satchel. “I can take these back to start testing, and I’ll inform the Mages you’re on your way.”
Cassius nodded. “Thank you.”
Camilla smiled, slinging the satchel over her shoulder. She stared at Thalia, noting the bruise on her throat. “It’s good to see you, Thalia.”
Then she was gone.
“What is the solution the Mages are trying to come up with?” Thalia blurted out as soon as the three of them were alone. Lady Decima had mentioned a similar thing at the council meeting with the other Houses.
Keegan slid his eyes to Cassius, raising a brow as if to sayYou take this.
She’d thought there’d be awkward tension between her and the golden-eyed Vampyr, given the state he’d last seen her in. But Keegan didn’t seem to care, which put her at ease.
Cassius sighed, running a hand through his long hair. Thalia pushed aside the image of her own fingers running through the strands. “We’d hoped when the creature first emerged that they’d know of a way to stop it. Or the very least, how to find a cure.” Thalia waved a hand for him to get to the point. Cassius gave her a look before continuing. “When that failed, we started thinking of a different solution for the issue.”
“Like what?”
“Creating a place for Vampyrs to go if things turned south.”
“Like a sanctuary?” Thalia’s brows pinched in confusion.
“In a way … the mountain—Lorceium—doesn’t just provide the ore which Agripa uses as fuel. There are pockets of magic in the mountain, the last of the Mages’ reserves. They’ve been trying to see if those pockets can be harnessed to use as protection.”
“Like the wards around this place,” Thalia murmured.
Cassius nodded. “The wards here are strong but not lasting. They’ll eventually fade in the coming years, and not even Camilla’s magic can replace them. But the magic in the mountain is far greater. Strong enough to withstand hundreds of years.”
“So all the Vampyrs would move into the mountain? It would save you from getting bitten?” Thalia said.
Cassius sighed, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “Yes. But the problem we are running into is that there isn’t enough room to bring allthe Vampyrs of Vaccarium into Lorceium. The pockets of magic are small, some not much bigger than this room. The Mages are trying to find a way to grow those small pockets.”
Thalia swallowed, realization dawning. “But what happens if the Vampyrs retreat into the mountain? No one will be able to fulfill the treaty with the humans. What happens if the creature turns to Agripa when there’s nothing left for them here?”
Cassius’s eyes darkened. “This is a last resort. One we don’t wish to implement unless it’s necessary.”
Thalia shut her eyes, pushing past her sudden panic about the creature entering the human realm. The humans didn’t stand a chance against the bitten Vampyrs; there was no way in hell they’d stand against the creature that had infected them.
Resolve suddenly filled Thalia’s gut. The Vampyrs needed a cure, not just for themselves but for the whole of their world. “When do we leave for Perden?”
Thalia rode in front of Cassius, the rocking of their horse sending her more forcefully back against his chest.
Thalia chided herself as they made their way through the forest. Now certainly wasn’t the time to think about the steady reassurance of Cassius’s arms around her.
