Troubled (The Binding Chronicles #4)

19. There’s a Slight Catch

There’s a Slight Catch

M arius stared at Luna with wide eyes. “What happened to the humans?”

Obviously, the Firsts hadn’t succeeded in their dark mission to rid the kingdom of mortals.

Luna sighed, exchanging a look with Sebastian. The king had finished with the guards a while ago, and now he stood on her right, his hand on her shoulder.

“Hundreds died,” the king said. “Maybe thousands.”

“History isn’t entirely clear about it.” Luna frowned. “The book I read said, ‘Rivers ran red, snow was crimson, and the wails of mourning mothers and wives could be heard all over the land.’ All we know for certain is that it was a devastating massacre.”

An ache filled Marius’s chest, and he rubbed a fist over his heart. He pictured the feral vampires tearing through endless humans, devouring the very beings that provided them sustenance. Echoes of screams that had long since fallen silent rang in his ears .

“Awful.” He shook his head and gripped the throne’s armrests. “But they were stopped, right?”

“Yes,” Sebastian said. “I’d always been told that a group of witches stopped and entombed the First, but the story Luna found differs slightly from that.” He squeezed her shoulder. “Right, love?”

“That’s right. According to my research, there was just one witch. Selene Du Pont used forbidden, black magic to curse the Firsts and entomb them in the Hoarfrost Hollow.”

The hairs on Marius’s arms prickled. “A curse?”

“Apparently, she bound the Firsts’ powers, which allowed them to be captured and contained. The problem is that all magic requires a balance.” Luna frowned. “When Selene cast her spell, she made the vampires easier to catch, but it also made them far more difficult to kill.”

As if killing vampires wasn’t already hard enough. At least now, Marius knew why the First’s blood had been black. He rubbed his temples as the new information sank in.

A gods-damned curse. For all the things for history to lose, why this? It would’ve been helpful to know before he decided to try to kill the feral vampire on his own.

His mission had been doomed from the start.

Somehow, that made him feel both better and worse. Better, because he never could’ve done it on his own. Worse, because he’d doubly failed Vivienne, and he needed to get her out of prison now more than ever.

None of this was her fault.

A new question formed in his mind, and he glanced at the royals. “So, how does one stop a cursed vampire?”

“It’s… complicated.” Sebastian raked a hand through his hair, exchanging a worried look with the queen.

A knot formed in Marius’s heart. What could inspire nerves in such a powerful vampire ?

Luna reached up, laced her fingers through her husband’s, and rested their joined hands on her shoulder. “We know what needs to be done, but it won’t be easy.”

Marius snorted before he could stop himself. “Nothing ever is, Lulu.”

He’d learned that lesson at far too young an age. Easy lives only existed in fairytales. Everyone had problems. How one dealt with them was the true marker of one’s character.

His sister frowned. “I know, and I’m sorry.”

Why was she apologizing?

“What aren’t you telling me?” Marius asked, dread curdling his stomach.

A very long moment passed as Luna drew her bottom lip through her teeth before she sighed. “Two items are required to break the curse. A vial of water blessed by the gods, and a dagger made of obsidian.”

“Okay, so we get them.” This didn’t sound too bad, in the grande scheme of things. Why were they worried? “What’s so hard about that?”

Luna exchanged another look with the king, and she chewed on her lip. Marius hadn’t seen his sister this worried in years.

“The thing is, there’s a slight catch,” she said.

Marius raised a brow. “Interesting. What is it?”

Luna pinched her lips together, looking even more worried than before. “The objects are deadly for vampires. We can’t even touch them. Otherwise, Sebastian and I would do this ourselves.”

The knot in Marius’s stomach started unraveling, giving way to a flicker of excitement.

“You can’t do this.” He tried not to smile, but he couldn’t help it. His knee bounced as his gaze darted between the royals. This meant… “You’re going to let me do this, right? I get to go? ”

Marius had never appreciated his half-human, half-Fortune Elf heritage more than he did at that moment.

Luna shuddered, but it was the king who replied, “Yes. You’ll have to go.”

“But not alone,” the queen interjected, her tone stern. “I won’t allow it.”

“Not a problem.” Marius already knew who he wanted to accompany him. Talk about killing two birds with one stone. Why had he been worried? This was perfect. “Where am I going?”

“I’m still searching for the dagger’s location, but I know the blessed water’s location.” Luna stood, shadows slipping from her as she leaned against Sebastian. “Long ago, when we were first married, I was researching the Tether. I came across several references to the House of Forgotten Shadows. It never turned into anything, and honestly, I forgot all about it in the chaos of everything that happened after.”

Marius’s sickness, their family’s death, the evil queen attempting to kill Sebastian and Luna, a deadly tournament, and a quest to find the cure for the Wasting Illness. Just a few things.

“When Luna mentioned the House to me again this week, I asked Phyrra to look into it.” Sebastian’s deep voice echoed with remands of power and something else. Worry?

“Oh?” Marius’s gaze slid between the two vampires, tapping his fingers on his knee. He couldn’t keep his excitement to himself. He was going to get a second chance to prove himself.

“It seems the House of Forgotten Shadows existed.” The king frowned. “Or at least, it did.”

“Now it’s nothing more than ruins,” Luna said. “A remnant of times past.”

Marius rolled the name through his mind, but it didn’t ring a bell. He said as much to the royals, who exchanged a knowing look .

“No, you wouldn’t have heard of it. It isn’t in Eleyta, or at least, not within its current borders.” Sebastian rubbed his temples.

The king’s obvious worry both flattered and slightly alarmed Marius. What did they think was going to happen to him? Retrieving a vial of blessed water and a dagger sounded relatively innocuous, all things considered.

Luna sucked in a breath, “It’s in Northern Ipotha, near the border.”

Pain rippled through her voice, and Marius’s own heart twisted at the mention of their childhood kingdom. He hadn’t returned to Ipotha since their family had been killed and he’d been abducted.

What would it feel like to go back after all these years?

“We’ll have Phyrra draw up a map. She should be back in two days,” Sebastian said.

The spymaster was always coming and going. After dealing with the humans who imprisoned Marius and Vivienne, Phyrra had come back to Castle Sanguis for one night. She had reported that Azil was safe and returned Marius and Vivienne’s weapons before leaving again.

Marius didn’t know exactly what had happened in the northern village, but based on Sebastian’s conversation with the spymaster, it was clear they weren’t expecting any further problems. Once the royals heard about the villagers’ decision to pursue highway robbery, they left Victor in the north to monitor things.

“Perfect.” Marius rose to his feet and slipped his hands into his pockets. “Then we should talk about who I’m bringing with me…”