Page 81 of Dissection of Immortal Hearts

“We discovered the mirror in Hecate’s tomb, which is why we called it Hecate’s Mirror. Ana formed an immediate bond with it. One by one, we found the pocket watch, the net, and the smoky quartz, which would hum with energy whenever Sandir approached. By then, we were so enchanted by their power that we had all but forgotten the supposed threat to our world. Our sole focus became finding the remaining two items: Renenutet’s Necklace and the Gloves.”

“The same two items that are missing now,” Amelia said.

“We did identify the necklace’s location,” Callan continued, “but someone else had already found it. Her name was Galia, the most powerful witch at that time. The necklace recognised her as its true owner and could not be taken from her by force. So, Ana devised a plan: I was to grow close to the witch and persuade her to give me the necklace. It was a risky gamble, but at that point, the options were scarce. I approached her as a client in need of magic. No one foresaw the love that ignited between Galia and me in an instant. She was…” Callan pressed his lips together, his voice softening. “…everything.”

Alex gasped once more, reciting, “‘In my arms, she was a skilful lover…’”

“Yes, that was about her.”

Mikhail turned to check if the new Oracle was as captivated by Callan’s romantic tale as Alex was. To his surprise, Amelia wasn’t looking at Callan but at him.

Had something just passed between him and Amelia, or was he imagining it? Now that he was aware she bore no guilt, not reciprocating her feelings made him uneasy. Still, he couldn’t risk fuelling either her illusions or his lingering impulses – remnants of the attraction they once shared. He refocused on Callan’s story.

“I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of stealing the necklace from Galia, but Ana and Sandir were my family, and we were supposedly saving the world. One night, Galia told me about the humanids – beings like us who lived on another planet but were far more advanced. They had saved our planet when it was in its greatest peril by creating new species to feed on its energy. Then she turned to me and whispered gently, ‘Do you know that your sister is a humanid? And that she most certainly isnotAna, the first nymph.’”

Callan fell silent, allowing his listeners time to process his words. Mikhail wasn’t surprised by what he’d revealed, though.

Amelia was the first to react. “So, I’m not the only one who’s fallen for the ‘Ana’ ruse.”

Callan’s lips curved. “Indeed, Amelia. She does play the part quite well.”

“How did Galia perceive that… that woman was a humanid?” Alex’s excitement brightened her expression and raised the pitch of her voice.

“Galia possessed a prophetic gift. It wasn’t as strong as the Oracle’s, but when combined with the necklace, it was powerful enough. Her revelation about Ana was astonishing. However, she said something even stranger: ‘Do you have any idea what will happen when all the artefacts are brought together? Death. Black, agonising death,’ she told me. ‘United, they will awaken a curse far worse than any sin upon this Earth.’”

“How did you find out about Antambazi?” Mikhail asked.

“After Galia’s revelation, I didn’t tell Ana I’d learned the truth, for I was afraid she might kill Galia. I lied, claiming I was done with her plans and tired of chasing artefacts. She went from heartbroken to furious, but in the end, she left with Sandir. I stayed with Galia and spent the best years of my life by her side. That was until I met Arius.” Callan’s gaze swept over the rest. “The first reptilian, and the sole ruler of the unseen realm ofAntambazi, where he had spawned a nation.”

Amelia cleared her throat. “How does a single man create an entire race?”

“He reproduced with the human women who lived in that hidden realm.” Callan leaned against the window, the afternoon sun gliding over his profile. “I didn’t know how Ana – sorry, I still can’t refrain from using the name – learned of Antambazi’s existence, but she somehow convinced Arius to search for the Sacreds with her –for her.” Callan’s pale lips curled back into a faint sneer. “Together, they beheaded Sandir and took the net and the quartz from him. Their next targets were us.”

Alex rested her chin on her hand, riveted to the firstborn as if he were a beam of life-giving light.

“Galia received warnings in her dreams. They were cryptic messages urging her to act, though she couldn’t understand their meaning. Eventually, I helped her decode them – they pointed us to Antambazi. Galia was adamant that whoever lived there would play a significant role in the plague she feared. So she gave me her necklace, and protected by its power, I entered the realm and killed Arius.”

For a brief moment, the atmosphere shifted. Perhaps it was just an illusion, or maybe something more, but Amelia believed she saw dark tendrils forming around Callan’s very body.

“But while I was in Antambazi…” He exhaled heavily. “Ana went to Galia and killed her. Without the necklace, Galia was no longer protected. She had given it to me, to protectme. When I returned, I found her corpse. I was so enraged that I went back to Antambazi, determined to finish Ana once and for all. She had the mirror, the quartz, and the net, while I carried the ring, the pocket watch, and the necklace. We fought using the Sacreds. Then a light bomb exploded, likely sparing the rest of the world only because we were in the shielded realm of Antambazi. I lost consciousness, and when I woke up, I was in a sarcophagus inthe Temple of the Dead Immortals, in a state of hibernation. Until you stole me. I was too weak to do anything, so I wandered the corridors of the Hospital, listening and learning modern speech and customs.”

“What happened to the Sacreds?” Mikhail asked.

“I assume they scattered once more, like a self-preservation mechanism.” Callan shrugged. “When I awoke, Hecate’s Mirror had been stolen during a tournament. From the Chosen in the Hospital, I gathered that Sandir’s Net and Quartz remained sealed in Antambazi. The pocket watch was missing until I located it, and my ring passed between the two of you and Ana.” His gaze flitted between Mikhail and Amelia. “As for the two missing Sacreds, I have no idea where they are.”

Amelia straightened up, a crease forming between her eyebrows. “You said Galia spoke of a curse, a black death. Could that curse have been the very release of the reptilians that Ana – I mean, the Queen – is intent on achieving?”

Callan’s eyes gleamed. “The release of the reptilians?”

“She’s been striving for years to gather the Sacreds. If her goal is to remove the veil over Antambazi so reptilians can finally leave that realm and enter Earth, then perhaps—”

Callan laughed, earning scowls from everyone else. “A veil over Antambazi?”

“The reason the reptilians don’t…” Amelia trailed off. “There isn’t a veil over Antambazi, is there?”

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Kathrine