Page 119

“What’s that?” I asked.

“A targeted forgetting spell,” Nyx told me. “It can erase specific sections of memories. It’s used when only minor erasure is required—like the events of that night.”

Kai stepped back and scrubbed his hand over his face. “You’re telling us thatPuritashas engineered a way to not only siphon Celestial coercion magic out of a being, but to also reuse it?”

“I know,” Ariana said. “It’s horrific.”

“The damage that could be done with this in play…” Kai murmured, starting to pace.

“Cassius is looking into it, into how this happened. I shouldn’t even be telling you this. He asked me to keep it a secret. Even my family doesn’t know. He told the Guardian Movement during the debriefing that he couldn’t identify the magical signature. But he did. He read it as mine and something… manufactured fused with it, something also with Celestial weight.”

“What?”Kai barked. “Manufactured? How? That can’t…”

“There must be another player then,” I posited. “Another Celestial player. Fuck. Maybe Draco and Malrik—”

“No. Don’t go there,” Nyx told me.

“He’s right,” Ariana said, reaching out and stroking my arm. “They are both dead. I promise.”

“Well, clearly we can’t be sure of anything, can we?” Kai snapped. He spun back and asked her, “What about that device? I’ve only just started looking into it, so I don’t have answers yet. Dothey, though? The Guardian Movement? The place that’s supposed to contain the brightest magical and supernatural minds in existence?”

“The device was created by Chimera Circle. The Hellfire matched that from Draco’s sword,” she revealed.

Kai stilled. “Draco’s sword?” His voice grew louder, more irate. “Draco’s fucking sword that Cornelius returned to the Celestial Plane?”

Ariana grimaced. “Yes.”

Nyx folded his arms across his chest. “So that means the sword was removed from there and returnedhere?”

“That’s right,” Ariana confirmed.

“Motherfucking shit,” I choked.

“Why can’t the Guardian Movement know aboutPuritaspossessing your magic and using it?” I asked. “Wouldn’t them being able to identify the magical signature make it easier to deal with it?”

“Cassius said that the ramifications would be extreme. Knowing that a horrific attack like what happened at the Compound today with fucking Hellfire happened because of somebody who was being controlled bymymagic… it would create an uproar. They’d not only fear me, they’d likely react in dangerous ways. It could destabilize the Guardian Movement, have people losing faith in it, a whole lot. So, Cassius is conducting his investigation on the quiet.”

A growl escaped me. “That sounds like a whole lot of fear-mongering. Likely, to keep you in line, Ariana.”

“I don’t think so,” Nyx spoke up. “He’s not what we initially thought.AndI also think he wanted this kept quiet and to investigate solo for another reason—a personal reason, if you can believe it.”

Ariana spun toward him as Kai and I stared at him dumbfounded.

“He saved Velra,” Nyx revealed.

“Saved her?” Kai queried. “Healed a wound, you mean?”

“More than that.” A haunted look shone in his eyes. “He brought her back from death. I arrived from helping Ryker take down Caius to find Cassius kneeling beside her anddisintegrating an iron blade she’d been stabbed by. And then… he did a whole lot more than that.”

Ariana started. “He… what? That’s a violation of Celestial Law.”

“That’s what I’m saying, he’s not as tied to them as we think. He’s got his own thing going on. His own thoughts, wants, desires, and emotions.” He eyed me. “He’s not like the rest of them, not an automaton, as you refer to it. He actually showed genuine care for her. Even… seeming to form a connection with her. It was… strange, but undeniable.”

“The Rift Mark warned of a coming threat.Soon,”Kai pointed out.“If it’s not Cassius, then…” He trailed off, shoving his hand through his hair as he paced again. “Then… there could be another True Celestial on this plane. That being could have come down with Draco’s sword.”

“Motherfucker, this is—there’s so much to do. The failsafe, me figuring out how to properly wield my Primal Celestial Resonance and learning every fucking thing that it can do that could help us deal with all of this.” I eyed Nyx. “Then the special cloaking you were trying to develop for Ariana. And then—”

Ariana pressed her hands to my chest.