Page 19 of Forty Deaths Till Us Part

“I do not,” Rene said.

Manu shook his head as I tried to focus on the source of the strange sensation. It took me a few seconds to ascertain it came from the wooden wand in Rene’s hand. “May I see that?”

Rene handed it to me. “It’s a spell. You need magic to open this. I hate to admit this, but a witch was involved in Vladir’s death.”

Rene pointed to the wand. “Can you break the ward around the scroll?”

I frowned. “I am not sure.” As I held the etched wood in my hand, words formed in my mind.

“Ancient of the midnight sky, reveal the mystery that lies. Unveil your secrets deep and continue your endless sleep.” The wand hummed in my hand before the end dissolved and a circular hole was revealed. I tipped the wand toward my hand before a scroll slid from within.

Manu put his hands out eagerly. “May I?”

CHAPTER 7

Ipassed the scroll to Manu, and the ancient parchment crackled slightly as he gingerly brought it closer to his face.

His eyes moved over it eagerly and his pupils dilated as they roamed over the old script. “Rene, this is remarkable. It’s hard to believe this was here all this time. Just steps from the mansion.”

Rene nodded. “It is ingenious, really. We would never desecrate a vampire’s resting place. We take our eternal rest... quite seriously.”

Manu held up the scroll and flashed his light at the edges. “Let’s take this back to the conference room. We have the other pages and can see if they reveal more information when brought together.”

Rene moved to the door. “I agree. Dawn is almost upon us, and I wish to have Raven inside.” I stepped out of the mausoleum and though it was still dark, there was a sliver of orange on the horizon and my skin prickled. The tingly sensation bordered on pain, but I waited patiently as Manu exited behind me and Rene closed the door to the mausoleum.

We walked back to the mansion in silence, and Manu had his eyes on the paper the entire time. He tripped on an exposed tree root and Rene grabbed him to avert him from falling.

“Thank you,” Manu said absently as his eyes remained on the page.

We entered the foyer to find a trio of vampires standing by the stairs and the rest of the massive room empty. They nodded to Rene as we passed them and continued to the conference room.

Rene opened the door, and I scooted in, followed by Manu. He placed the newest page on the table, then grabbed the others from the shelf and put them together. As soon as the pieces touched one another, the lettering began to glow, and a secret passage lit up.

“What is that?” I asked.

Manu held his hands away from the pages. “I don’t know. The scripture is distorted when I look at it. Perhaps a spell of some sort?”

Rene stared at the page. “It is the same for me.”

I moved closer to Manu so I could stare at the writing. “That’s strange. It looks fine to me.”

“Read it to us,” Rene said.

“When the undead witch walks the earth and the moon rises high, she will call upon the magic hidden inside. Unleash her power, make it dormant no more, bring it to the surface, and let it soar.” As soon as the last word escaped my lips, my body began to heat. I released the page and touched my forehead.

“Raven, what is it?” Rene asked with concern.

“I am not sure, but I feel hot, and my skin is tingly.” I backed away as a flame erupted in my palm.”

“Raven?”

I flipped my palm up and down as the single flame moved over my skin without burning me. “I think this activated my firemagic, but I have no idea how to control it. My body feels like a pot about to boil over.”

Manu stared at the page of the prophecy. “This passage was about Raven. She could see it because she was meant to read it. The script did something to her power. Made it more...”

Rene cursed under his breath. “She was bound. The spell released her latent magic. Her death started the process of magic regeneration, but this scroll removed any barriers left in place. I should have seen the signs.”

I stared at the open flame in my hand. “You aren’t a witch, Rene. You couldn’t have known.” The flame pulsed and engulfed my entire hand as Rene and Manu backed away from me.