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Chapter Eight

C inaed:

P ercy and Gio’s home had a different vibe from the energy I’d known my entire life. Our ancestral castle was saturated with the same primordial earth magic that flowed through every phoenix. The guardians’ outwardly modest cottage felt like I’d stepped into a new world.

They’d crammed their house with layers of magic that were academic, purposeful, and pervasive. There were so many different functions that my brain struggled to accept what my eyes observed.

“I had a similar moment of awe when I first entered,” Otto said. “As Gio told me when I asked, there are few things you can’t accomplish with centuries to work on a problem. At the risk of totally blowing your mind, wait until you see the basement.”

When the others said we needed to visit Percy and Gio because they had an incredible library, I had visions of a large mansion with an entire wing devoted to rare books.

Or maybe a separate building to house their collection.

Instead, we’d arrived at a tiny bungalow that was barely as big as my suite in the palace.

“Basement?” I blinked. “They have a priceless library in a basement?”

“It’s probably best to see it before we try to explain,” Gio said as he led us down a narrow hallway. “Words fail to do justice to what Percy created.”

The fondness in his voice for his mate left an ache in my heart for what I couldn’t experience for myself. Telling myself it would happen soon didn’t make the hunger disappear.

We were led down a spiral staircase descending into darkness. Mage globes along the wall flickered to life as we approached. When we reached the first landing, I realized the vastness of their “basement.”

“Sweet mother of fire,” I muttered.

The underground library stretched in every direction, at least four or five times wider than the modest home above.

Towering bookshelves created a labyrinth of knowledge, their ancient wooden frames bearing the weight of countless volumes.

The air carried the comforting scent of old parchment, ink, and the faint tang of preservation spells.

“As Otto said, we had a lot of free time,” Percy said with a shrug. “We volunteered to create this library, and our fellow guardians helped us preserve the knowledge that might otherwise be lost.”

A mage and an ancient gryphon were seated at a massive table covered in books and scrolls. I’d never met the Eastern Guardians, but one look and I knew that’s who they were.

Percy took a minute to introduce me to Anso and Leifr, and I found myself hanging back slightly as the others greeted each other. They had the easy familiarity of beings who shared a purpose. I was the only being without a mate, and it highlighted Rod’s absence.

I stood next to Leo and Gund and felt overwhelmed by the task. Percy and Gio, with Anso and Leifr’s help, had pulled dozens of books and set them on a series of tables.

“We searched for anything that had even a passing reference to stone circles, druidic magic, or phoenix-specific spells,” Anso said. “There are twice this many or more we haven’t pulled yet, so we’ve got a lot to review.”

“We should split up,” Otto suggested. “That way we don’t duplicate work.”

We divided into groups and I was paired with Leo, Gund, and Cael to search for a clue to how Blackstone planned to permanently kill my grandfather.

Fear and resentment churned inside me when asked to work on this task.

I obviously didn’t want my grandfather to die, but I hadn’t forgiven him for the decades of forced separation from Rod.

Guilt followed when it was clear I hadn’t given my full commitment to finding my kidnapped relative.

I took a seat at the worn wooden table and plucked the top leather-bound book from the closest stack.

Harmonized Energies: Phoenix Fire in Combined Spell Casting .

The author’s name had worn away, but I doubted I’d recognize the being.

Especially since the date—1602—was still visible.

Still, the mages wouldn’t have selected this treatise if they didn’t think it was useful.

Hours passed in relative silence, broken only by the rustle of pages or murmured conversation. Despite my best efforts to focus, my mind kept drifting. After I read the same paragraph three times without absorbing a word, I set it aside and got up to stretch.

Roderick would’ve been more methodical than me. I read the books, but since nothing was on point, I didn’t take any notes. Rod would’ve cross-referenced interesting points to other sources. I envied his discipline, especially now when it mattered most.

Where I struggled most was my motivation. I didn’t really care if I never spoke to my grandfather again, but if he died, Rod and I might not be able to complete our bond. In addition to how much I’d personally suffer if that happened, the world was at risk of being overrun with demons if we failed.

“Cinaed?”

The voice broke my thoughts. “Rod! Is everything alright?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Rod said. “I sensed you’re upset.

His presence had slipped into my mind like a warm balm. We’d grown closer since we’d spent that night together, but feeling my emotions was new. “I’m fine, just frustrated.”

“That feels like an echo of my thoughts.” His mental voice sounded amused and I could see his face grinning at me in my mind. “Is there something wrong, or just a lack of progress?”

“Both and neither.” If anyone could understand me, it was him.

“I didn’t expect we’d find an answer, but I guess I’d hoped we’d have a quick break through.

The real problem is how I feel about my grandfather.

I’m still mad at him. That, and digging through ancient texts doesn’t play to my strengths. ”

“You’re more disciplined than you think,” he said gently. “With all the years we’ve to be together, we could teach a master class in patience.”

Not that I had a choice, but we agreed long ago to make the best of our situation. “ I’d wait centuries if I had to.”

“Let not put that determination to the test.” His presence in my mind was stronger, as if he were attempting to wrap his energy around mine. “You should get back to your research. We leave for Maine soon. I’ll update you when we arrive.”

“I miss you.” The words slipped out, but I didn’t regret them.

“And I miss you,” he said. “Be safe, my love.”

His presence faded from my mind, but I felt more centered than I had all day. Taking a deep breath, I returned to the text I’d struggled to read before I spoke to Rod.

C losing my book, I pushed it away and sat back. “We’re missing something,” I whispered.

“What was that?” Leo asked.

I hadn’t meant for the others to hear me since it was a half-formed thought, but it had been so quiet I forgot Leo was seated next to me.

Having put it out there, I decided to go with my thought.

“By every account, Blackstone is a methodical being. He wouldn’t have taken Grandfather unless he believed every aspect of his plan was in place.

The fact he hasn’t acted suggests something didn’t go according to plan. ”

The others had stopped what they were doing and looked at me and Leo.

“We don’t know that,” Gund said. “Maybe he needed your grandfather before he could begin his next phase.”

“No,” Leo said quietly. “Cinaed might be onto something. I’ve had similar thoughts.

Holding a powerful being like Ailpein captive is difficult.

Ask the warden at a mage prison if you don’t believe me.

The longer Ailpein is detained, the greater the chance he can escape, we’ll notice the magic used to detain him, or he’ll be able to get us a message.

It makes more sense Blackstone planned to act swiftly, but hit a snag. ”

I was glad to hear I wasn’t totally crazy. As a trained inquisitor, Leo’s opinion carried a lot more weight than mine. “If I had to guess, the hitch has to do with how phoenix regenerate. When we die, we go to a place between life and death. It’s possible to stay there for as long as we want.”

“What if he took away Ailpein’s ashes?” Otto asked.

“It wouldn’t make a difference,” Percy said. “Rising from the ashes is a myth. If the ashes were required, it would make regeneration fairly easy to thwart.”

He was correct, but it wasn’t something we told the world.

If beings were focused on our ashes, they wouldn’t search for a different method to kill our kind.

“That’s correct, but I still don’t understand how he plans to permanently kill a phoenix.

Adelais had to willingly end her life by refusing to regenerate. ”

“I have a question about that,” Bart said. “Do all phoenix know how to do what Adelais did, or is it a secret only a few know?”

My snarky side wanted to ask if he wanted to be sure I could do it if needed.

I didn’t know Bart well, but Rod said his brother had been willing to sacrifice himself to save his mate and brother.

“We’re taught at an early age the danger of releasing our power in the way Adelais did.

The idea being, if we know, we won’t do it by accident. Why?”

Bart suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I’ve been trying to think of how to kill a phoenix so I could figure out what Blackstone is planning.”

“No one thinks you’re trying to kill beings, Bart,” Anso said. “If we’re being honest, Percy, Darius, Ignatius, and I have had this conversation. Not that we have anything to show for it.”

“I think I know,” Bart said. “The spell that trapped the guards was able to leech dark magic into their souls. When they regenerated, a tiny bit was still there. If Blackstone finds a way to insert a thread of magic into Ailpein’s soul, he might be able to trigger the kill switch.”

Grandfather would point to this discussion as proof of his fears.

The context mattered, but he’d ignore that and focus only on the words.

“It doesn’t work like that,” I said. “There’s no ‘switch’ to flip that sets it off.

It’s about how our energy is focused. When we die, we instinctively go to the place in between and regenerate.

Blackstone would need to convince Grandfather not to go. ”

“If the ashes don’t matter, why can’t he regenerate somewhere other than where Blackstone is holding him?” Thalion asked. “Why not regenerate back at the phoenix castle?”

Regeneration was a deeply personal aspect of a phoenix’s life.

Openly discussing it with outsiders went against everything we were taught from an early age.

I wanted to tell them to ask someone else because Grandfather had already hurt me enough, but I didn’t.

I’d agreed to this task and needed to push through my discomfort.

“The short answer is we can’t change where we are reborn.” The hopeful expressions dimmed when the potential solution was cut short. “I’ve never tried, but others—many others—have tried. We always return to the place where we died.”

I waited for more questions, but no one spoke. The room suddenly felt small and stuffy. “I need some air.”

Percy met my gaze with a kindly expression. “There’s a small courtyard in the back of the house that’s warded. I’ll take you there.”

Grateful for the offer, I followed him up the narrow staircase. Percy led me out back to a garden surrounded by a low stone wall. The night air had the bite of winter, but after hours in the stuffy library, it felt like heaven against my skin.

“Thank you,” I said. “I needed the wind in my face.”

“You’re very like your father,” Percy said. “Compassionate heart, but steely resolve in the face of trouble.”

The words stunned me more than anything I’d heard thus far. “You know my father?”

“I do,” he said with a fond smile. “When he was a young phoenix, he came to study with Gio’s family. I’d perfected my charm by then, and he saw a young unicorn, not an alpha mage. He’d already cut a path different from your grandfather.”

Father had always been a softer and more reasonable voice than the king. For as long as I could remember, he’d talked Grandfather down from extreme positions. “He’s far wiser than my grandfather thought.”

“Indeed,” Percy said. “And more strategic, as well.”

There was a lesson in his words, but before I could ask, Percy stiffened and turned toward the front of his home. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” he shook his head and seemed more relaxed. “We have an unexpected, but not unwelcome guest.”

We reentered the house, and Gio was already in the main room. The others emerged from the library. The mages all had their hands near their stones. Percy joined his mate, and together they opened the door.

“Wexal.” Gio stepped back to let their guest into the house. “We didn’t expect you today.”

The younger unicorn bowed deeply to Gio and Percy.

“My apologies for interrupting your family gathering. There’s new magical activity at the Demon Cave.

The mages brought a prisoner with them. It was a being, but we couldn’t tell what species.

They also made a great show of their passing, yelling at the prisoner to move along and doing silly, meaningless magic. ”

I didn’t need Leo’s training to know this was to get our attention. “Are we sure the being was a prisoner and not just acting for our benefit?”

“Young master voices our suspicions,” Wexal said. “This is a trap. They made certain we observed what they wanted us to see.”

Of course it was a trap, but they didn’t expect to fool us. It was like that stupid, ‘you know that I know that you know that I know,’ conundrum. The only question was if we’d play along. “Who fancies a game of chess?”