I threw up my hands. “Excuse me, but you seem to be forgetting that as long as Cain is alive, blood will always be shed.”
“There has to be another way,” Orpheus said, stepping forward. “Magic—”
“Failed,” Tristan snapped. “We tried magic and it failed. You know that.”
Orpheus met his friend’s challenging gaze. “My friend, it warms my heart to see you again. One day, when it is your time, we have much to discuss. But for now, I am begging you to turn around and leave.”
“Hold on,” I said. “This is a test, right? You predict my death to scare me and see if I run away. Well guess what? I’m not running.”
Ameritat shook her head sadly. “This is not a test. This is your grandmother and your friend promising that you will not survive this.”
I raised my chin. “Well this is your granddaughter and your son telling you we will see this through.”
Ameritat sighed. “As you wish.” She turned sideways and swept an arm toward the golden doors of the temple. “Your test awaits.”
I glanced sideways at Tristan. He stared at his mother for a few moments. I could feel his indecision. But finally he nodded. “Do it.”
Adam and I started to pass my grandmother, but she shook her head. “No, she must face this alone.”
I paused and looked at Adam. He looked ready to argue, but I put a hand on his arm. “I’ll be okay.”
He reached up and squeezed my hand. I shook myself and blew out a breath. As I passed Orpheus, he shot me a regretful smile. One that said he fully expected me to be right back here in no time—as a ghost.
The golden doors were warm under my hand. They creaked open to reveal a cavernous room with a high, domed ceiling. Statues of Hekate and other magical gods littered the space. At the front of the room, a female and male waited for me. She wore a golden chiton and her long, black hair was tied back in a simple braid. He wore a silver chiton and had cropped black hair. However, their faces were so similar, I guessed they were probably siblings, if not twins.
Frowning, I approached carefully. I didn’t recognize them, but the power came off them in waves.
“Are you prepared,” the female said.
“To face your test?” finished the male.
I nodded. “Yes. But if I may? Who are you?”
She smiled kindly. “This is my brother, Museos.”
“And that is my sister, Circe.”
I blinked. Holy crap. I was standing in front of the first mages. Literally, the first. Circe and Museos were the twins born from the union of Hekate and Hermes that spawned the mage race.
“Before you may proceed into the other realms,” said Museos.
“You must make a sacrifice to demonstrate your devotion to your task,” said Circe.
I nodded quickly. Given my experience so far, I figured they’d either want a trinket or to ask a question. “Name it.”
“Because you have refused to heed the prophecy of the Oracle, you will now sacrifice your powers.”
My mouth dropped. “What?”
“You will now sacrifice your magic,” repeated Circe. “That is, unless you have changed your mind?”
I held up a hand. “Wait, all of my magic?”
They nodded in unison. “As well as the magical items you bear.” They pointed to the various amulets given to me by Adam and Zen.
The magical trinkets I could part with, but my magic?
For the first half century of my life, I got along just fine without any magic at all. But in the last six months, it had come to symbolize more than just my ability to destroy or heal. It symbolized a new side of myself. One free of the demands of the Dominae’s authoritarian demands. Coming into my magic had brought me closer to Adam and many other beings I considered my family. If I let the magic go, would they still want me around?
I glanced back at the closed doors. On the other side, Adam waited for me to dispense with this test. What would he say if he knew that the next time he saw me, I’d be powerless?
On the other hand, what would he say if I gave up just because I was afraid I couldn’t cast spells anymore?
I looked back at the twins. The truth was, this wasn’t up to Adam. I wanted to believe that he and everyone else would still accept me if I lost the part of me that made me a mage. But in the end, did the possibility they wouldn’t accept me outweigh the benefits of making sure they were all safe?
No. It did not.
Besides, if they had a problem with it, I’d just kick their asses until they accepted me again.
“Okay,” I said. “Take them.”
I lifted the necklace Zen gave me over my head and handed it over to Circe, along with the few protective amulets Adam had created for the mission. She nodded and set them on the floor. Museos lifted his foot and, with a mighty stomp, crushed them to powder. A puff of smoke lifted from the debris as they expended their energy.
Next, Circe stood in front of me and Museos fell in behind me. “This might sting,” she whispered.
I gritted my teeth and braced myself. “Just do it.”
They clasped hands on either side of me and started chanting in Hekatian. I closed my eyes and tried to will my heartbeat to slow. Tried to convince myself this wasn’t a big deal.
But then the pain started. It began as a hot cramp in my stomach. The heat spread quickly, exploding through my veins like fire. I gasped and trembled. My heart lurched and then beat triple time. Sweat broke out on every inch of my skin. My insides felt like they were boiling. I might have screamed, but I couldn’t hear anything over the pounding in my ears. A sucking sensation pulled me in two directions at once. The pull was so intense it felt like they were trying to rip the skin from my muscles and the muscles from my bones.
I started to sag but their joined hands caught me under my arms. Supported my weight even as they weakened me.
I don’t know how long the agonizing process took. But when they finally finished, I felt like a discarded burlap sack. Opening my eyes took more effort than it should have. Through the slits between my lids, Circe was glowing from inside. Heat at my back told me Museos probably was, too. They hadn’t just taken my magic; they’d absorbed it.
I wondered if this was how Erron felt when the Hekate Council removed his healing powers. No, I decided. This was worse. Erron was a Recreant, but he still had power. He was still a mage. But I was…
What was I now, exactly?
“It is done,” they said in unison. “Go in peace, vampire.”