“The Impaler?”
“I don’t know. And something about anomalies and undying, and here we have the word eternal. She says something about guardians, and there’s a binding spell in here too. It’s a mess.”
“Undying? You think she was referring to the Sons of Adam?”
“She must have been, but the funny thing is she only mentions the phrase ‘Sons of Adam’ a couple of times. Vlad is mentioned on several pages.”
“Jasper told me he overheard Anna use the name Mordecai when referring to the Sons of Adam.”
“No mention of that name in her journal, but he’s mentioned in the other book.”
“And no clue if they can be killed?”
Conah sighed. “I’m beginning to think that the only reason she kept them alive was because she couldn’t kill them.”
“That makes no sense. Everything that lives can die. It’s the balance of nature.”
“I think these creatures exist outside of our realm of understanding.”
“But they’re products of demon and human couplings, right? Descended from Lilith and Adam’s bloodline?”
“There’s nothing in her journal to confirm that,” Conah said. “But this book.” He held up the slender, leather-bound tomb Jasper had brought for me. “This tells us they’re fraternal triplets who spawned the vamp race we know today.”
“And Lilith let them live because she couldn’t kill them?”
“I don’t know why she let them live. And I can’t be certain that they can’t be killed.”
“But they only attack at night, so they must be weaker in the day, right?”
“That’s what we can assume.”
That was something. “So maybe we apply the classic vampire lore from the Stoker books and film. Stake through the heart, decapitation or burning.”
“All things Lilith could have done. All things the coven could consider.” Conah shook his head. “No, I think there’s more to it.”
Fuck. “I need to know what we’re up against, Con.”
“Powerful ancient beings with celestial blood and no known weakness aside from what the coven did to them.”
“Drew from them to create Croatoan’s prison, and even that didn’t kill them.” I gnawed on my bottom lip. “But… it weakened them for centuries…” My gaze flicked up to lock with Conah’s sapphire one as an idea bloomed in my mind.
Conah’s eyes lit up.
Yeah, he was on the same page.
“If we could weaken them again…” we both said in unison, then grinned at each other.
“We need to find out what spell the coven did all those centuries ago,” Conah said.
Urgh. “Pretty sure all accounts of how the first elders locked Croatoan away, including the spell, were lost in the east wing fire.”
“Shit. It’s a shame witches don’t live for centuries.”
No, they didn’t, but… I sat up straighter as an idea occurred to me. “The ghosts of the witches who did the spell are still here. The original elder council.”
Conah leaned in toward me. “Then we ask them.”
“They’re not exactly with it, you know? Their minds are cloudy and confused, but maybe there’s a—”
“Spell to sharpen their minds.” He smiled. “Or I use my ability.” He held up his hands.
Oh, God, yes. Conah could get into a person’s or spirit’s mind and read their memories.
I pushed back my chair. “We need to speak to Anna. Now.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“No,” Anna said. “Absolutely not.”
She stood behind her desk, fingers steepled on the wooden surface, a slight frown flirting with her brow. Sunlight streamed in through the windows behind her, catching the auburn highlights in her dark hair and setting them on fire.
I stared at her. “Why not?”
“Like I explained to Sloane this morning, the elder ghosts are fragile. The fire that took their lives was no normal fire. It was enchanted, and it burned not only their bodies but their memories too. We believe the Order was responsible. The fire is believed to be revenge for what we did to their leader Croatoan, and an insurance policy that we could never replicate the act.”
“They believe he’ll be free,” Conah said.
Anna nodded slowly. “Yes. And by destroying the witches who locked him away and burning both their memories and written accounts of how the act was achieved, they ensured that if he did get free, we’d be at a distinct disadvantage.”
So, that had been the reason for the fire. “But Meredith said she remembered something.”
Anna sighed and straightened. “Residual memories. Incomplete. She says the same things over and over from time to time, but there is nothing more. There never is. I spoke to her today and she doesn’t recall waking you or siphoning from you.” Her mouth tightened. “I’m sorry about that. In hindsight, putting you in the east wing was a bad idea. I’ve spoken to Sloane, and you’ll be bunking with her until you return to the cabin. We’ll have a new room set up for your next visit.”
If the elder ghosts’ memories had been burned away by a warlock spell, then there would be nothing for Conah to find.
I looked up at the reaper. “It was a good plan.”
“I’ll keep translating the journal,” Conah said. “There could still be a clue in there, some way to weaken the original vamps, or hurt them. Some way we can ward them off permanently.”
Anna’s smile was determined. “We won’t let them have you, Cora. I promise you, we’ll—”
There was a fizz and pop and then an envelope materialized on Anna’s desk. Silver smoke curled into the air from the cream paper.
Anna exhaled. “Finally.”
“What is it?” Conah asked.
“A message from the silent sisters.”
The silent sisters had helped put Croatoan away. “The silent sisters must know the spell used to siphon power from the Sons of Adam.”
Anna sighed and picked up the envelope. “The silent sisters were my first point of contact once Dimitri came into the picture. I asked them about the spell used all those years ago. They have no record of it. They were merely called upon to use the power to craft Croatoan’s prison. The spell itself was performed by the elder council at that time.” She
