“Where?” Camilla’s eyes widened.
Thalia shook her head, the memories of the creature coming to surface. With all the accusations flying like arrows, she’d had little chance to dwell on what she’d seen. “When I touched its head, I went into its memories.”
She looked to Cassius, if only for some comfort as she plunged ahead. “It showed me a place in the forest. One with five pools of water.” Thalia’s stomach twisted, nausea rising in her. “There’s—there’s hundreds of them.”
“What?” Larellia paled.
Thalia shook her head, her throat constricting. “It’s laid … eggs. In the pools. They’re corrupted now.”
Keegan let out a curse as Cassius turned to her, voice quiet. “Are you sure about the pools?”
Thalia nodded, fighting the growing dread. “Yes.”
Cassius glanced at the others, and Larellia let out a bitter laugh. “It’s spawned.”
“But—but how?” Camilla shook her head, not believing the words. “We went to the pools when the humans finally let loose their rivers. The springs were thriving, nothing was amiss.”
It took Thalia a moment to realize that the springs were the ones sacred to the Vampyrs. The very water that seemed to fend off the poison of the creature.
“Did you see the mother?” Larellia directed her sharp gaze.
Thalia shook her head, fighting the sudden panic in her veins. Sweat dripped down her spine. “No. I—something pulled me out before I could see it.” At Larellia’s mistrusting stare, she added, “But I felt it, behind me—the creature, I mean. I don’t think it would leave its eggs unattended.”
“So we go, then,” Keegan said. “We destroy the eggs, and the mother will come running.”
Larellia shook her head, her face hard. “As much as I would like to agree, no.”
“What do you mean?” Camilla turned to her, wide-eyed.
Larellia didn’t take her attention off Thalia. “We don’t know this creature’s habits. Whether or not it would even feel sorrow if its young were killed. Even if we managed to destroy the eggs and purge the springs, it could have laid eggs elsewhere. The entirety of Chaménos could be covered by its foul ilk.”
Thalia closed her eyes. She didn’t want to think about it. The image of the eggs was enough to push bile into her throat. The thought of hundreds if not thousands of those hell-bent creatures waiting to unleash themselves …
“What do you propose we do?” Cassius asked. Thalia opened her eyes and found that he’d shifted closer.
Larellia laid her pale-white hands flat on the table. “Trying to destroy the creature and its spawn on our own will be futile. But there might be another way.”
Everyone stared at the head Mage, waiting.
Finally, Thalia could no longer stand the silence. “What way?”
Larellia’s gaze sharpened like the edge of her scythe. “It is true that the creatures made are meant to be near impossible to kill, but they are linked to their creator. If their creator dies, they will die too.”
Thalia blinked. “How is that possible?”
“Magic binds us all. When one takes magic and corrupts it, part of you goes into it. It’s a different kind of soul bond. One that can be severed as easily as cutting a string,” Larellia finished.
“So how do we find the creator?” Camilla asked.
Larellia tilted her head, something electric pulsing the air. “Seeing as it has some connection with a human, my guess would be to search there.”
Thalia barked out a laugh. “You’re suggesting you all look for a Mage in the human realm?”
“Not us. You.” Thalia’s eyes widened, and Larellia lifted her chin. “You have a connection to what’s going on, a connection to that creature, despite what you say. Someone very close to you created it.”
“How would I even find out?” Thalia countered.
Lady Decima stood, the movement catching Thalia’s eye. She placed a dark hand on the creature’s hide and it started glowing, marks and whorls appearing before they vanished. Lady Decima turned to Thalia and took a step toward her, and Thalia jerked.
