Page 195 of Of Masks and Fury

“We need to seal the veil,” Addie said. Every eye turned to her. “That’s the only way to stop the Skathes permanently. We have to cut off their source, then we can destroy the rest of them.” She flickered as she spoke, her form going translucent for a heartbeat before solidifying again. Her drake pressed against her side.

The pendant around my neck grew warm, then hot. I pulled it out from beneath my tunic, and it glowed with a familiar blue-white light.

Kerralyn flipped through her journal, stopping on a page covered in symbols. “These match what you described from Velacross’s journal.” She held it up for all of us to see, pointing. “This one here is mentioned in three separate texts about veil-sealing rituals.”

I moved closer, studying the symbol. My veil-sight activated, and I could suddenly see the pattern beneath the ink. Layers of meaning, threads of power woven through the simple drawing.

“It’s a key,” I breathed. “Or a lock. Or both.”

“The texts I read as we traveled south mentioned a cost.” Kerralyn’s voice gentled. “Sealing a breach requires sacrifice, life force given willingly to repair what was torn.”

Addie’s hand went to her chest. We both knew what that meant. One of us might have to die to close the veil.

The room erupted in protest, including Trew’s roar of denial, Lexie’s vehement curse, and Derren’s sharp, “No.” But Addie and I locked eyes across the space, and I saw my own grim acceptance reflected back at me.

If that’s what it took to save everyone, we’d do it.

Trew’s snarl cut through the chaos. He crossed to me in three strides, gripping my shoulders. “Don’t even think it. We’ll find another way.”

“There may not be another way,” I said.

“Then the veil stays open.” His eyes blazed into mine. “I won’t lose either of you. Not for this. Not for anything.”

The fierce protectiveness in his voice made my chest ache. But before I could respond, Addie swayed, catching herself on the arm of the sofa.

“You need rest,” I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. “We all do. We can’t plan anything if we collapse.”

She nodded, exhaustion written in every line of her too-thin frame. “The guest rooms are ready. Mother kept them prepared, and I freshened them recently.” A ghost of a smile curled across her lips. “I knew you’d come.”

I helped her stand, noting how she leaned on me. Her collarbones stood out sharply beneath her skin, and her cheekbones were too prominent. They’d hollowed her out from the inside.

“We can find our own beds.” I met our friends’ gazes and they nodded.

“Can you help me, Isi?” Addie asked in what reminded me of the little girl voice she’d used when she was tiny and had a nightmare and rushed into my room.

“I’d love to.”

Her drake never left her side as we moved through the corridors, me supporting her when she swayed.

The guest rooms opened off a hallway lined with soft rugs and paintings of meadows in bloom, and she’d taken one at the end.Addie lit torches along the walls with trembling hands, each flame catching with a whisper of magic that made her flicker again.

Inside her room, I helped her over to the bed, where she sat on the edge.

“This is all Mother’s doing. I’m sure she wanted us to feel safe here.” She gestured to the comfortable furnishings, the thick blankets, and the bowls of dried flowers that still held their scent. “She inherited this place from her father, and I guess it now belongs to us.”

“How much time do we have until the next Day of Mercy?” she asked, looking up at me with so much pain in her eyes that it gutted me.

“Six days.” I calculated quickly. “We traveled fast, but when we get back, we’ll have to leave right away.”

Horror crossed her face. “How many are condemned this time?”

“Twenty-three.” The number sat bitter on my tongue. “Men, women. Some barely adults.”

Addie’s hand splayed over her heart.

“Whoever’s controlling this has been harvesting magic from the Day of Mercy executions for years. That’s how they’re fueling the bloodfire bonds. That’s how they’re maintaining their youth and power.”

“Stolen life force,” she whispered. “Fates, Isi, it’s monstrous.”