“That is not a generational curse—it was a result of violating the Magic Edictum. As I explained, the magic is a living being, a parasite feeding from us. For the same reason, the curse chooses its next victim, not at all randomly. It chooses to take the life of whoever seems to be a threat to their existence. I can imagine the last victims were well-educated, strong people, usually no children or elders. Am I right?” Mrs. Ilden asked, and Alissa confirmed.
“But my daughter is just a child. She poses no threats to ending a centuries-old curse.”
“But you do, my dear. You have magic in your blood. The curse can’t reach you. But because you might be able to end this—given your magical blood—it targeted your daughter to destroy you. To annihilate the person who can threaten its existence.”
The curse couldn’t have been more wrong in believing Alissa would watch her daughter die and kill herself in the process. The curse might be a living, sentient being, but it clearly did not know her. It did not know she was entirely made of love for that child, and she would never give her up without a fight.
Not knowing what a mother was capable of might have been the curse’s greatest mistake.
Alissa held her head in her hands, not knowing what to feel at that point. All those revelations, the true story about the past, and Senectus Subita. The power she possibly carried dormant within her. Although she was still reluctant to believe such magic could have been living inside of her all this time, a memory from the canyons made her wonder. The twins had called her blood rare. Could it have been a coincidence, or did they sense her power all along?
Then she remembered Karine’s cryptic words. “The key to your prayer in Golheim will be.”They had assumed the answer lay within the Library of All Things, the most logical place. But in truth, the answer had been Mrs. Ilden this whole time.
Alissa sighed. She was supposed to feel relieved of finally learning the truth, but instead, she was completely overwhelmed.
“How did you know all that, Mrs. Ilden? We have read hundreds of books, and none of them mentioned this story.” Eldric crossed his arms. He was so furious, his face was almost the same shade as the red curtains behind them.
“I’m aKsaren, dear, so were my ancestors. And although the kingdom wiped all traces of the truth from our books, my family carried it as a secret for generations to prevent us from using magic. This realm aims to extinguish our kind. If they find out there are any of us left, there will soon be none.”
“Listen to me carefully,” Mrs. Ilden warned, her gaze fixed on Alissa and Freyah. “You cannot tell anyone about this. You two are a threat to the Crown, to the secrets only you can expose. If they discover you are from Bryniard, they will kill you without hesitation.” She took a deep breath, her expression grim. “In fact, they might already know it, if the door-to-door search they are conducting for you is any indication.”
“What are you talking about?” Eldric asked, his shoulders tense.
“Iron Claw soldiers came to my house two days ago, specifically asking for your names. They’re sweeping through Golheim searching for you. I thought you knew.”
“They know we’re here,” Alissa stated, petrified. The stakes of knowing the truth revealed that they were in much more danger than they had anticipated.
“Do not underestimate the Iron Claws, dears. Contrary to what our people believe, their duty to this realm is to keep the true story of Bryniard a secret at all costs. They have no integrity, and they are merciless.”
Even as a Royal Guard, Eldric had never suspected the Iron Claws’ true purpose for the Crown. It all made sense now, why they guarded the walls when no monsters lurked beyond, why they were involved in the export from Bryniard. Hell, Eldric hadn’t even known they exported ale from Bryniard until he was tasked with picking it up this one time. It dawned on him that if he hadn’t been assigned to transport this shipment, Alissa and Freyah would likely have been killed.
Panic surged, bile rising in his throat. “We need to go. We must leave the capital before they find us.”
“If you need a place to stay for a while longer, I know somewhere you can hide,” Mrs. Ilden proposed.
“Thank you for the kind offer, Mrs. Ilden, but I think the safest option in our situation would be to leave immediately,” Eldric said, looking at Alissa and Freyah to make sure they agreed.
But there was still one thing Alissa needed to find out before going back to her loving child. The most important piece of the puzzle. “Do you know how I can break the curse and save my daughter and the rest of Bryniard?”
For a moment, the woman flinched at her seat, and Alissa thought Mrs. Ilden’s answer to her question would be a no.
“You know… my family has tried to save your town for generations, but after all our investigation, we have come to the conclusion that only a mage withZeitypower could break the curse. Unfortunately, our blood has only ever carriedKsarenpower.”
Alissa frowned. “Does that mean that if I don’t have theZeitypower you speak of, then my child has no chance of surviving the curse?”
The teacher nodded, her lips in a thin line. “Unfortunately, that is what we believe, yes. If you are lucky enough, you will have what it takes.”
Alissa felt sweat trickle down her back. She glanced at her hands and realized even her palms were damp. The chances of success seemed even slimmer than she could have expected. She hadn’t been convinced she was a mage to begin with. But now, to save Dhalia, she would need not only magic in her veins, but a particular kind—the magic of flesh and time.
“Let’s assume she is indeed aZeitymage. What then?” Eldric sat at the edge of his seat, his feet tapping nonstop.
Mrs. Ilden took a deep breath. “We believe the only way to break the curse is to bring back the universal balance Thayan had destabilized when he brought Karine back to life.”
They were confused for a moment until Freyah interrupted. “What does that mean?”
“It means Alissa will need to take the life of someone she loves withZeitypower in the same place a life was given all those centuries ago.”
Alissa felt her heart thunder and her legs fail. Eldric and Freyah exchanged glances; the heaviness between them carried unspoken words Alissa immediately understood—both of them would be willing to surrender their lives in the effort.