The slight glow radiating behind her brother’s eyes told Cassia he was trying to search Bridget’s head for answers. The crease between his brows deepened with concern. Without thinking, she pulled on the heatradiating from Castor’s hand, her only thought the desire to find out exactly what Bridget knew. Before she could blink, an intoxicating spark of magic funneled through her veins. Cade’s presence flooded her mind.
What did she see?Cassia demanded.
Before Cade could respond, she tugged on a memory that he was analyzing. Bridget’s memory. It was dark, and hazy. More dreamlike than real. He was in a dark forest holding a sword that glowed. A beast almost identical to the one outside the wall charged at him.
With a gasping breath, Castor removed his hand. The image she’d been analyzing disappeared with a searing pop.
Cade’s eyes narrowed at them both. Had he realized he hadn’t invited her in?
“And the scroll?” Finn asked. “That one is even less documented than the crown.”
Stellan rifled through the same papers, then roamed his eyes over a far bookshelf. “From what I recall, that one alluded us, as well. There might be something in a book that I remember, but—”
“This is just your theory, though, right?” Cade challenged, effectively stopping Stellan’s perusal. “You don’t actually remember what Vega was after. Why do you assume it’s the artifacts? She was powerful enough to almost decimate the Tuathans. She completely destroyed Cavamyne. Why would she need them?”
“Because of who she is. It’s why she’s obsessed with blood magic,” Stellan answered, his mouth falling into a hard line.
“A psychopath?” Archer chided.
Stellan’s throat bobbed. Silence pierced Cassia’s ears as she waited for him to answer. Finally, he said, “A Druid.”
Chapter twenty
“The book in Boston. It was about Druids. That’s why you asked me why I had it,” Bridget said, looking stunned.
But she wasn’t the only one. The entire world seemed to tilt on its axis as Cassia processed his words.A Druid. Just like she was supposed to be. Apparently. If Castor was right. Blood drained from her face as she stared at her hands. Vega had committed so many atrocities… and now she was the same as her?
Finn’s brows furrowed. “But the Sanguis are BloodWitches. That’s a pretty big key word.”
“And Druids don’t exist anymore,” Cade added.
Castor’s stare burned a hole in the side of Cassia’s face. She didn’t dare look at him. Her lungs already felt like they were collapsing in her chest. If there was any sort of pity orfear, she would die.
Stellan’s gaze flickered to hers.
He knew.
Cassia dug her nails into her sides and used all her strength to keep her face as neutralas possible.
“Why do you think that is?” Stellan asked Cade, finally taking his eyes off of her. “I was knocked out for over four decades after I cast that curse in Cavamyne. When I woke up, walls were already being built around every city. Humans were essentially exiled to Andarre. After that, it was years before people were able to travel freely between each region. The Regina Torneamentum started because they wanted a controlled way of allowing interaction.”
“All of this division started because they wanted to keep Witches and Tuathans apart?” Castor asked. Cassia tried not to flinch at the sound of his voice. “That’s essentially what a Druid is, correct? We didn’t try to completely erase them from history in Tafari, but they weren’t exactly a hot topic.”
A frustrated hum emitted from Stellan’s chest. “Believe me, if I had been awake, I wouldn’t have let them decide to keep the next generations in the dark. Look, the Sanguis were given their name to set them apart from the Druids that didn’t turn to blood magic for more power. Not all of them are evil… And the Sanguis aren’t the sole proprietors of blood magic. It can be performed by any of the species, but it’s extremely intoxicating and deadly to everyone but a Druid. Magic may be fickle, but it loves balance. For everything it gives…”
“It takes,” Bridget finished. “Quinn said the Wraiths are what happens when there’s nothing left to give.”
Stellan nodded. “When you’re no longer willing to pay the price, it will take your soul.” The statement seemed to suck the air out of the room. He continued, “Druids are different, though. They’re unique in the sense that they’re a combination ofallthe species, even humans. Because of that, they don’t have their own magic. That bit of human blood, mixed with everything else, somehow nulls their natural abilities and creates this perfect storm of hunger. If they want to wield magic, they have to take it.”
Cassia couldn’t breathe.
“From blood?” Cade asked.
“Not necessarily. Everything alive has a bit of magic in it. Before the Sanguis, Druids lived in balance with their land in Suza.” Stellan pulled out a map from a pile on the table. He unrolled it and pointed to an unmarked land in the southwest corner of the continent. The one she’d been told her entire life was completely dead. “It was the perfect give and take… Until they wanted too much. That’s when some started turning to blood magic. While it physically doesn’t affect them like it does Tuathans or Witches, their price is that it destroys everything around them.”
The patch of land screamed at her. Cassia wanted to melt into the floor and disappear from existence. She didn’t want to be a Druid. Shecouldn’t. It wasn’t her fault that her twin happened to be full of Tuathan blood and that somewhere in time one of their ancestors decided to breed with a Nymph, completely screwing her over. Plus, her ancestors had basically separated all the species to guarantee she didn’t exist. Yet, here she was. Screwing up things again even when she didn’t try. Too lost in her spiraling thoughts, Cassia barely heard Stellan’s next statement.
“Vega’s quest for more power destroyed Suza. It destroyed Cavamyne. It only makes sense that she wanted an endless source.”
