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“That was a calculated risk. It was only a matter of time before magickind discovered her. Better now, so she can make friends and allies before the war starts.”
Marrok merely grunts.
“You care about Olivia, too,” he goes on. “We have that in common. I won’t attempt to separate you from her. But if you don’t come with me now, Mathias will get his hands on her. I’ve shown you what can happen.”
I haven’t seen…and I’m not sure I want to.
A heavy silence falls over the group. Marrok sizes Bram up with a suspicious glare.
“I think he’s being honest,” I murmur.
Marrok turns a furious gaze to me. “You know precisely where trusting magic has gotten me.”
“I do, but can we afford to be stubborn?”
“I would not risk you.”
Does he say things like that because I actually mean something to him or because he needs me to end his curse? “I think the risk is staying here. I’m scared. Even if we don’t go with my father or Bram, we should go somewhere.”
“The book—”
“We’ll take it with us.”
Marrok shoots the other men a dark scowl. “We will leave. But she stays with me. Period.” Then he whirls on Bram. “’Tis only for Olivia that I will stay at your manor.”
“There’s plenty of room and a great deal of magical protection around the premises. It’s the safest place against Mathias and the Anarki. You’ll be free to leave anytime you wish. You can hide the book wherever you like.”
Marrok leaves the room and returns moments later, clutching the Doomsday Diary. As usual, I recoil against the power it radiates.
“Bloody unbelievable.” Bram stares reverently.
“It’s been found,” gasps my father.
“And so have we!” Lucan runs into the open doorway. “The Anarki are here, hundreds of them!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I slant a glance past the men and out the cottage door to find a sea of gray robes trimmed in deep red with an unfamiliar symbol on the front. My blood runs cold.
“We’re surrounded!” Bram shouts.
“This fight is too dangerous for Olivia. Let me take my daughter and the book. I’ll protect them.” My father reaches for me.
Marrok blocks him. “You will not touch her or the diary.”
“Later, you two,” Bram shouts. “Focus on the enemy outside. This will be ugly.”
My heart thuds. We need to defend ourselves, and I want to do something. But I don’t know how to wield magic.
Just outside, Lucan brandishes his own wand furiously. Duke jumps into the fray. Three of the Anarki drop instantly. Others merely jolt when a spell hits them, then resume their zombie-like shuffle, coming straight for the cottage door.
As they close in, I gasp. Their skin is cadaver pale. One reaches the threshold, staring at me with colorless, malevolent eyes.
I try not to scream…but it’s terrifying. “What is that?”
“Former human,” my father says. “Unlike wizards, these Anarki creatures have no soul.”
“I don’t understand.”
