“This happened overnight?”
Sam nodded. “For the male. I watched the female slowly decay throughout the day. My powers did nothing but help slow it. I believe the more power and energy it has to feed on, the slower the decay or transition.”
So blood-banded couldn’t spread the infection. They’d only die in a gory mess, and their souls would end up missing.
Was this Lilith’s plan all along or something new?
“We need to find a way to stop their infection, Sam.”
Eagerness sharpened his expression. “I’m already on it.”
Chapter
Nine
Lucille
Ididn’t go to the healers’ wing like I’d planned. As much as I wanted to lean on my best friend, I had to find the answers.
At her funeral, I gave myself a horrible moment to consider what I’d do if my mother were sent to Hell’s Circles. I had created an insane plan to ask Ronen for Tsal-mawet, open Portal Lake, and search every circle until I found her. All I needed was to learn the other sigils to open the different circles. And if Ronen decided to come with me, so be it. No one would’ve stopped me.
Except, she wasn’t sent to the circles. She was a disembodied soul, and I had no idea how to help her. Which was why I was currently standing in front of the floor-length Doors of Moirai, hoping their red, black, and white tiles would switch from the scrolling rune and Tsal-mawet to answers on how to save my mom.
But the image never changed.
Why? What was the purpose of that rune? I’d never seen it before in Cato’s books. I didn’t know what it did or why the dagger was depicted next to it. A dagger, I might add, that wasn’t in my possession. Why couldn’t the damned doors give me clear instructions?
I stormed into the library. My shoes slapped against the white marble floors as I passed the tall bookshelves and stopped at my book-covered table. I threw open the giant tomb on runes with a bang and scanned the pages. They began with Prima Runes—what I considered easy runes. Then Implexus runes, the kind that require a cost. The final section held Velatus Runes, veiled markings only visible to those who knew what to look for. Like the Wrath Rune Michael had placed on me and my mother.
Page after page, I found nothing that matched the rune the doors depicted. At the very end of the Velatus section, a small category caught my eye: Sanguis Runes.
There, I found two runes that were close, but each was missing details.
“Of course.” I scoffed to myself. “It’d never be that easy.”
Annoyed, I pulled out the book on the Seven Circles and read something new about the grades of sin.
Then I laughed.
The sound was mocking and loud. It vibrated through the quiet library, most likely alerting Cato to my presence.
My mom would’ve gone to the circles.
She lied. She stole. She poisoned me. But that wasn’t even half of it. There was more she hid from me, so scared that if I found out, I’d hate her.
Maybe I would.
Maybe I’d hate her as much as I hated myself right now.
I turned the pages to the chapter on death and finally found what I was looking for.
My mocking laughter turned aching, and I slammed my fist against the book again and again as a shill scream wrenched free.
“You’ll bloody my books if you keep doing that.”
My hand paused mid-slam, and I twisted toward his emotionless voice. “And if I said I didn’t care?”
He blinked. “You wouldn’t be welcome in my library. That would make whatever you’re searching for difficult, now wouldn’t it?”
