Page 118 of Interion

I wasn’t even sure anymore if I meant my people or our people, since Serguei was a descendant. His face turned to ice and his eyes grew distant, lost in other eras.

“Because years ago, I promised your mother I would take care of you if anything happened to her. That’s what I’m doing now.”

My heart skipped a few beats. Serguei knew my mother.

“Knew, Kyller, and it pains me to see how much you look like her. When your back is turned, it’s like seeing Lagherta herself. Did you know she was our best warrior? She’s the one who taught me to fight.”

Something warm and sentimental seized my heart. I couldn’t remember her well—this was precious information.

“And your presence... I hadn’t noticed the first time, but your presence is the same as hers. The scent is identical. It’s unsettling how alike you are,” he said, pulling away.

“Can you tell me more?” I asked, a little sad. He was the only person alive, besides Zion, who had known my mother.

“Another day, girl,” Serguei said, biting the palm of his hand. His fae canines tore through the skin, and scarlet blood flowed, dripping onto the floor and flooding the room with the smell of iron and salt.

“Do you accept my deal? I want all the information from the sonar,” he said firmly.

“For one month of mental protection and a promise to never modify my memories,” I challenged.

“Such ambition for a weak girl like you.” Serguei’s smile widened—he was clearly considering it. I couldn’t suppress a shudder at the thought that he actually wanted to erase my memories. His hand opened when he made his decision. “I accept.”

Then I stepped forward and bit my palm. But as soon as the skin broke, it closed again, and not a single drop of blood fell. Serguei burst out laughing, his blood still dripping onto the floor.

“This is wonderful,” he exclaimed.

Sometimes I forgot how quickly my gift worked to mend my body. I pulled out a dagger I’d hidden in the back of my pants. Without hesitation, I plunged the blade into my hand, careful to avoid the bones. The pain was excruciating, but I withdrew the dagger slowly, coating it in blood. Drops fell to the floor, but by the time I pulled the blade away, the cut had already closed. I smeared the bloodied blade across my palm and, with a nod, clasped Serguei’s hand.

“I accept.”

My body shivered as the magic enveloped us. It felt like threads of energy clinging to my skin, and for a moment I had the urge to scratch, but as quickly as it came, the magic faded, leaving only the cold sensation of the deal. Serguei tried to pull away, but I held his hands. Surprise lit up his face as I healed him. When I finished, he stepped back, wiping the remaining blood with a handkerchief, then returned to sit on the couch, patting the seat beside him with his good hand.

“Let’s talk, child.”

Δ

After hours of conversation, Serguei finally seemed satisfied with what I’d told him about my visit to the sonar. He even wanted my theories about the scattered phrases the being had uttered.

“‘Granddaughter of the apocalypse.’ I’ve never heard anything like that, but it doesn’t sound strange to me,” he said thoughtfully, tapping a finger on his chin.

“I was hoping you’d know.” It wasn’t a good title, and it bothered me. Serguei seemed to remember something, because an “Oh” escaped his lips.

“The book! That’s it—there was something like that in the book.” He turned and pulled the black volume into his arms, opening it. But there was nothing on the pages; they were all blank. “I forget this beauty erases itself after a while. I even forgot to ask Zion if he’d gotten any more information.”

My eyes widened.

“You read this book too?”

“I tried. It’s a magical book, and it doesn’t seem to respond to everyone. It’s divided into three parts. I’ve asked many people to touch it, but the result is always the same.”

“I managed to open one part.”

Serguei looked at me in astonishment.

“What? Which part did you open?”

“The first one.”

“That’s wonderful—I managed to open the last one, the section about the Archangels. I’ll look into your mind so you don’t have to exhaust your gift by opening it again. It’ll be faster than reading. Then I’ll open my part so you can read it too.”