It clicked then that this was the head Mage. Larellia took a seat near Lady Decima, folding her pale hands together. “A bitten found its way into the borders of House Olvectus.”
Cassius jerked and Keegan cursed. Larellia waved her hand. “Don’t be so dramatic. It was dealt with.”
“You killed the bitten?” Cassius asked, his words low.
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you know, we’ve been trying to harness the pockets of magic to expand them to encompass the entire mountain as a whole. It’s been slow going, the magic is fickle. It does not like to bend or move in the way we want it to. However”—Larellia lifted her silver gaze—“it can be used to suspend time.”
“What do you mean?” Keegan’s eyes widened.
“These pockets can hold someone for an indefinite amount of time. They will remain frozen, unaging. Simply sleeping until a Mage pulls them out.”
“So what are you saying?” A muscle in Cassius’s jaw flickered again.
“We may not be able to house all of Vaccarium, but with the pockets in the mountain, we can bring the bitten here. We can suspend them until a cure is found, without the fear of them waking or retaliating.”
Cassius had paled slightly, and Thalia didn’t know why. She tried to catch his gaze, but he wouldn’t meet her stare.
“This brings us to our second point,” Larellia said, nodding to Camilla. “We’ve been running tests, trying to figure out if the poison in the teeth can be used as a cure.”
“And?” Thalia asked, her first word the entire meeting.
Larellia finally glanced at her, surprise flaring in her silver eyes before it was gone. “We believe we have something, but we need a bitten to test it out on. Camilla informed me that your sister was bitten and is staying in the manor by the lake? If we bring her here, we can test out the antidote. If it fails, at least we can suspend her until a cure reveals itself.”
Cassius stared at Larellia, his face paling further. His hands clenched on the table, his eyes flashing before he got out, “She won’t be of any use.” Thalia’s stomach dropped as Cassius continued, “She—she is already in slumber.”
Camilla gasped, her face morphing in horror. “You drained her blood?”
“We didn’t—I didn’t know this was an option,” Cassius rasped. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”
Thalia’s stomach twisted in knots. If it weren’t for her, his sister would be awake; she’d have a shot at being cured. But because of her—because of her own brash judgment—Sybil would never have a chance.
Bile rose in her throat, and Cassius still wouldn’t look at her.
Larellia stared at him. “We shall have to find another bitten, then.”
The conversation moved on, Larellia explaining how the cure might work and Lady Decima chiming in every once in a while.
Through it all, Cassius sank deeper and deeper into himself.
Thalia feared he might never look at her again.
Thalia’s chamber in the castle overlooked the waterfall. Even so high up, she could have sworn the mist still licked her face. Her room had open archways and no windows to block the mountain air from entering, but braziers lit about the room kept out the chill.
Thalia stared into the night. Up here, the clouds were no more than wisps against the night sky.
She glanced behind her at her closed door. Cassius hadn’t found her. Hadn’t said a word or looked at her since Larellia said they could suspend a bitten.
And she didn’t know if he was angry with her or himself.
Thalia chewed the inside of her cheek. After the meeting, they’d been shown to their rooms. But that had been hours ago. Tentatively, she padded to the door.
She made it all of two feet down the hall before she ran into Camilla.
“What are you doing?” the shifter asked, dark brow raised. She didn’t seem to have rested or changed from the day.
