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“Exactly.” Then I frowned and added, “‘Those of us’? That’s an odd way of putting it, isn’t it?”
He shrugged. “Are you sure that’s what they’ve done?”
“That’s what they said they’ve done. And they definitely pulled me apart.”
“The bruises are evidence enough of that.” He leaned forward and placed a flat hand against my chest. It wasn’t a sexual touch by any means, but my pulse still reacted to the warm press of his fingers. After a moment, he swore and sat back. “The dark energy of the tracer definitely beats within you.”
I wasn’t surprised, but my stomach still sank. I guess a tiny, foolish part of me had hoped the Raziq had been lying. Still, I couldn’t help asking, “How can you be so sure?”
“Because I am not unfamiliar with such things. I’ve seen their use before.”
“Where?”
“It was a long time ago, and doesn’t matter now.”
In other words, mind your own business. He and Azriel were more alike than they thought. “They said it cannot be removed.”
His expression was grim. “It can’t. Not unless you die.”
Having Lucian confirm that particular fact made me feel sick. I put the knife and fork down and pushed the dinner plate away. “Which means the minute my father appears, they’ll grab us both.”
“Unfortunately, yes.” He thrust to his feet and began to pace, every movement reeking of frustration. “Which does not mean it cannot be stopped.”
“The only way it can be stopped,” Azriel said, appearing in the room in a sudden rush of heat and anger, “is via the use of dark magic. And that is never a wise choice.”
Lucian swung around, his expression like thunder. The dislike that emanated off the pair of them made me feel like I was a red cape between two bulls.
“Lots of unwise choices have been made over the course of the last few weeks,” Lucian spat out. “But we do what we must to reach the endgame, don’t we, reaper?”
“Dark magic may be a path you choose to walk, Aedh, but it is not ours.”
Lucian snorted and glanced at me. “If you believe he’s not willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants—and remember, what he wants is the same as what the Raziq want—then you are a fool.”
“Actually,” I said, rubbing my aching head wearily and wishing they’d both just leave me alone, “what I believe is that neither of you is telling me the entire truth when it comes to what you really want. That said, why do you both believe dark magic can null this thing inside me? Why not regular magic?”
“Because the tracker isn’t of this time or place,” Lucian said. “And regular magic would not combat it. Only dark magic has that chance.”
I frowned. “But white magic is strong enough to combat dark, so why wouldn’t it work against this?”
“Because what lies inside you is very different from the magic of this world,” Azriel said. He stood on the other side of the table, his arms crossed and his face unreadable. But Valdis flickered with blue-black energy and the air around him seemed to shimmer with heat. “But that does not mean we should not explore the option.”
Lucian snorted. “My wings may be clipped, reaper, but I am still Aedh. Believe me when I say that the magic of this world will not be strong enough to counter what lies within her.”
“Which does not negate the fact that we should at least try it first,” Azriel snapped. “Dark magic has a way of staining its users.”
“Does that mean this thing inside me is dangerous?” I asked hesitantly.
Azriel glanced at me. “I do not know.” Silently, he added, Has Amaya reacted to it?
I frowned. She seems no worse now when it comes to background chatter than she was before the tracer was attached.
If the tracer in your body does anything more than inform the Raziq of your father’s presence, she will react to it. Until she does, you are probably safe.
It was the “probably” bit of that sentence that was worrying. I glanced at Lucian again. “If anyone can counter this tracer, it’ll be the witches at the Brindle.”
Lucian snorted and crossed his arms. “I do not have your faith in their teachings or their power.”
“Why? The Brindle may not, in itself, be old, but it still contains eons of witch history and teachings. If there is any way to combat this tracer, then it’ll be found there.”
