Brimstone (Fae & Alchemy, #2)

by Callie Hart

That’s Zovena,

She’s Keeper of Missives.

Yes. See the ring on her hand? The thick band of gold with the purple stone? That marks her as a Lord. All five of them have rings. They’re a source of power, gifted to them by Malcolm. Each supposedly contains the same amount of magic, though it’s rumored that Tal’s is the most powerful. Zovena was Lìssian once, like Tal. He loved her. For her part, I think she loved him, too. But that was a long, long time ago.

That’s Ereth, I suppose? Keeper of the Evenlight?

Yes. He and his followers are religious zealots. They worship one of the demon gods. If he gets his way, every single living being in Yvelia will be drained of their magic and turned into slaves. Every continent will be turned into a wasteland paradise for vampires, where they can hunt and kill anything left alive for sport.

The other one is the Hazrax. The last of its kind. It is twice as old as anything else th...

It was not Fae, but it wasn’t vampire, either. It had come to Malcolm centuries ago, back when the vampire king was still in the throes of forging his empire, and had offered its services to the king. When Malcolm had asked if it wanted eternity in exchange, the Hazrax had sworn to destroy him if he tried to bite it, and Malcolm had believed every word. When the king h...

“wanted to watch.” From that point onward, the Hazrax had becom...

The old woman is Algat, Keeper of Records. She was a witch once. Cast out by her own clan for meddling in dark magics. She might look like the oldest of the Lords, but she’s actually the youngest. I had cause to deal with her once or twice before she transitioned. Pure evil runs through her veins, Little Osha. Do not underestimate her.

Taladaius

had been Malcolm’s favorite—his Keeper of Secrets—which meant that he was not a favorite among the five.

Nimerelle landed point-first, juddering, the blade burying five inches deep into the obsidian dais.

Ereth’s body was much less graceful when he struck the floor.

I might not have decapitated Ereth, but the bastard was lying in two pieces on the ground. The blow would kill him.

“They have to obey her, brother. It’s part of the curse of their court. You can thank Malcolm’s paranoia for that. Any vampire born of his line must obey the Sanasrothian crown. Now that the crown sits on Saeris’s head and she’s forbidden them from harming her, she’s basically untouchable. She doesn’t need protecting. They have to follow the edicts. They can’t hurt her. They can’t hurt you. And not only that, but she decommissioned the fucking horde, Fisher.”

“We have to hope. We need him. His grandfather was one of the last Alchemists. Foley knows more than anyone else about Alchemical magics and practices. Belikon burned all the Alchemists’ texts when he seized the crown. The few books that my

father collected back at the library in Cahlish don’t explain much of anything at all. So that leaves the knowledge that exists in Foley’s head. If he won’t share that with her…”

“Then Saeris will never be able to realize her full potential. We’ll never be able to destroy Ammontraíeth for good. And we’ll never be able to put an end to Belikon once and for all and stick Carrion Swift on the throne,” Ren admittedly grimly. “I suppose we’d all better hope and pray that Foley changes his mind and wants to be found, then. Because I, for one, would love to see peace in my lifetime.”

Half the camp is in ruins right now, thanks to eight feeders. Eight. And we still haven’t officially managed to kill them.” “I feel sick,” Ren said quietly. “In the pit of my stomach. I feel connected to them, like… the magic they took has tied me to them. I can feel them tugging on it, trying to siphon off more.

An eerie calm settled over the visitor in Layne’s body. Her sightless gaze found mine, and for a second, her confusion slipped away. “They told you. About the rot,” she said in a clear voice. “They told you it would come. It’s here, now. You must find the book in order to stop it. Without it, the decay will spread until it swallows this realm and millions more with it. I have seen it, Saeris. Find the book. Stop the spread. It’s the only way.”

“Edina—” She squeezed my hand tighter than tight. “Find it. But do not tell him about it. I mean it. It’s important. He can’t know about the book. Only you. Do you understand?”

“Edina? Edina!” The bedroom door crashed open.

I dropped Layne’s lifeless hand, spinning to face my mate. Fisher stood by the door, his face white as a sheet, his leathers spattered with mud. His voice was rough when he said, “Why were you calling my mother’s name?”

“He said he was severing us from the tapestry of the universe. That the gods wouldn’t be able to see us anymore.”

“Wait,” Maynir interjected. “So you and Fisher… you’re not God-Bound anymore?” Fisher shifted, absently rubbing the tattoos across the back of his hand that now matched my own. “We are. If anything, the connection between us is even stronger. The gods are just blind to us now. Zareth felt that it would protect us. Some of the other gods aren’t too optimistic about what’s happening. They’d rather birth a new universe than wait to see what happens with this one, so…”

“Zareth showed me this tree,” I explained. “There were thousands of leaves on its branches. He said that each leaf represented a realm occupied by countless living beings. Some of the leaves withered and fell as we spoke. He said that those realms were infected by a rot spreading throughout the universe. Whole branches of the tree were blackened and dying. Zareth said that it meant the end. Of everything. Of all realms. That the other gods wanted to wipe the slate clean and start over again, rebuilding the universe from scratch. But he had refused.”

He said that Fisher and I are an axis of some kind. A convergence in the threads of fate. He told me that none of the gods could see around us. He said that we had to find a way to fix this, otherwise everything was lost. I’m not saying we’re special, Iseabail. I’m just saying that…” I fumbled for the right words. “A god rolled the dice on an unlikely outcome, just to see if it would pay off. That’s it. That’s what we are currently working with.”

“When my father fled with the Daianthus heir, one or more of the gods must have delayed their escape. At least at their destination, anyway. Time continued here in Yvelia, but in Zilvaren, I believe it stood still.”

“Anyway. You’re God-Bound with Fisher. And right now, you’re bound to me, too. I don’t want to hurt Fisher by having any sort of power over his mate. And I definitely don’t want your rule over this court undermined by continual accusations from the other Lords of Midnight, claiming that you’re my puppet. So, my question to you, Saeris, is this: Would it offend you very badly”—he winced—“if I publicly disavowed you and severed our bond?” I let out the breath I’d been holding. “Gods

“No, of course I don’t mind. I agree with you on all fronts.

“Presiding over this place is beyond me. I have no experience of ruling over a court and no desire to learn, either. I need someone to cover for me and act on my behalf when I’m in Cahlish. In general, really. I need that to be you.”

My magic isn’t of this place. I can’t draw from it as freely as I would back in Yvelia. We’re lucky I can draw from it at all. There are realms and worlds amid the void of this universe that are entirely barren of magic. If a seed of magic didn’t still cling for purchase somewhere within the bowels of this miserable place, I’d be completely cut off from my gifts. I just exhausted a good portion of the magic available to me back in the hall.

I’m taking you to the next best source of silver I can think of.” He cut me a roguish grin. “The Brigand’s Bank.” “Why am I not surprised that you have an account at a place called the Brigand’s Bank?” “Oh, I don’t have an account, Lord Cahlish.” He winked at me. “I own it.”

Lorreth stood in front of him, an array of emotions fighting for control of his features. “Hello, Foley. It’s been too long. I can’t tell you how good it is to see you, brother.”

Foley bowed his head, waving the memory away as if it didn’t matter. “In answer to your second question, I’m not bound by the rules of this court because, as Lorreth said, I’m not a part of it. I’m permitted to exist here at Taladaius’s discretion, but I do not align myself with Sanasroth. If I had my way, I’d kill each and every one of the monsters housed in this black city and watch them turn to ash.”

“I’ve been living here, among these books,” he said. “Not among them. I made a promise when I joined the Lupo Proelia. I swore to defend the living against these wretches. I might not have been able to uphold that oath of late.…” His cat eyes glowed unnaturally. “But I certainly haven’t broken it.”

Carrion was watching me. “Go on,” he said. “Ask.” It was beneath me to pretend that I didn’t know what he was talking about. So I asked. “Are you in love with her?”

“No,” he said simply. And then, immediately, “Yes?” Heat flared up inside me, making my throat close. “It’s not a simple thing, Fisher. She’s… well…” “Spectacular,” I whispered.

The smile that spread across his face was sad. “Right. Exactly. She always has been. When other people are full of the kind of fire that burns inside her, it eats them alive.

No, I couldn’t blame the male for seeing what was obvious. I could only pity him that she wasn’t his and be fucking thankful that she was mine.

So yes. I love Saeris Fane, because she’s electric, and fierce, and loyal, and being around her brings the world back into focus. But I’m not in love with her, Fisher. I tried. But my heart was just too full of sorrow to make room for her.”

Fisher sighed. “It’s complicated. But the short version of it is this: Everlayne was in love with Taladaius once. They were betrothed. And the night before they were due to be married, Tal fled the Winter Palace, against his father’s wishes and his king’s command, and he knelt at the feet of Sanasroth’s throne.” “Willingly?”

“Why does any male act recklessly, Saeris? He did it because he was in love with someone else. He did it for Zovena.”

Would you build a house on top of shifting sand, Saeris Fane? Willingly? Knowing that it will come crashing down around your ears?” If he had used any other analogy, literally any other, I wouldn’t have had any qualms about ignoring him. But he had used that one, and it tore at a buried hurt deep inside me that still woke me, sweating, from my dreams sometimes. Did he know somehow? About my father? No, he couldn’t have.

It landed on the fourth step of the stairs, stark white against the black stone. I picked it up, turning it over in my hands, marveling at the transformation that had taken place. As soon as it had left the boundaries of the library, it had been severed from its magic. I cradled it in my hands, suddenly feeling terrible. It had wanted something from me. Wanted that something bad enough that it had left its sanctuary to get it, and it had lost its little spark in the process.

“I don’t… know anything about blood magic.” “Of course you do.” The strange creature drew itself up, tucking its hands into its billowing sleeves. “The quicksilver is greedy. You give it whatever it desires. Songs. Jokes. Memories,” it said. “Your mate wishes you to create many thousands of these relics, and yet you bargain for each one that you make. You shave off a piece of yourself for each one. Tell me, how will you know exactly what it is that you’ve forgotten, what you’ve lost, when your mind is riddled full of holes?”

Elroy looked up at me, the truth right there in his eyes.

I’ve known about the Fae my whole life.” He nodded at Carrion. “I’ve always known about him, too.”

Elroy grunted, gruffly clearing his throat. “That, my boy, is a dangerous amount of quicksilver.”

I’d dropped the relic back in the forge. The last time I’d gone into the quicksilver, I hadn’t had a relic. The gods had pulled me through. It had been instantaneous: One second, Fisher had been carrying me in his arms. The next, I’d woken up in that field of tall grass with two gods giggling over me. Fisher thought my Alchemist’s blood prevented the quicksilver from affecting me the way it had affected him once, but was it true? If I stepped into this quicksilver now, would it drive me crazy? Would it just kill me?