The Frozen Prince (The Beast Charmer #2) - Maxym M. Martineau Page 0,20
tucked it in his own jacket pocket.
“And if you try to undo that twine, your eyes will burn to ash long before you can even attempt to decipher the first word. No one is to look upon them until I come calling again.” He stared at the spot where the parchment was concealed. On Gaige’s other side, Kost flinched and tried to hide the action with a sudden clearing of his throat.
A mischievous glint flickered in Gaige’s steel-blue eyes. “Noted. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, you owe me a boon for hiding your secrets. Which I’m granting to Noc.”
“Fine.” Peeling his eyes away from Gaige, Eryx pinned Noc with a languid raise of his eyebrow. “Your request wouldn’t have anything to do with that fancy ring, now would it?”
Noc’s jaw twitched at the same time Kost clasped his hands together, knuckles turning bone-white. Noc reined in his emotions first. “No. It’s this we need your assistance with.” Rotating his wrist face up, he bathed Cruor’s Oath in the buttery-warm light of the candle. Eryx frowned and leaned in closer to inspect the inked scythe that had already brought us so much pain.
“A blood oath?”
Noc shook his head. “Not quite. Its magic is unique to our guild. When we accept a contract, we’re bound to fulfill it. If we don’t, we sacrifice our life in exchange for the failed bounty.”
Eryx scrunched his nose. “Who on earth would accept something like that?”
Noc ground his teeth together. “It’s not an option. Part of our curse.”
“I can’t remove it.” Eryx pulled away from Noc’s wrist and folded his arms across his chest. “You’re better off killing your mark.”
Noc glowered, and I placed my hand over his to keep him from lunging across the table. “It’s safe to say that won’t be happening.”
Eryx rounded on me with a knowing look. “Forced to kill your own pair bond? Cruel.” He drummed his fingers along the planks from thumb to pinkie and back again. “Still, it can’t be done.”
“Can another mage do it?” Calem moved a fraction closer to Noc. It was unsettling to see Noc—who had always been so calm, so controlled—this openly frazzled. On the verge of rupturing without so much as a second thought for the consequences. My heart squirmed, and I ran a light hand down the length of his spine.
Eryx snorted. “There aren’t a lot of us running around in your country. As soon as we’re done here, I’ll be heading back to my lands. And while our talents might differ, I don’t think any mage I know could eradicate this curse.”
Noc leaned into my touch. “Can you tell us who placed the bounty?”
My world narrowed to Eryx and the sparkling intellect clear in his stare. I hadn’t forgotten about Raven, the newest Council member whose symbol shared the same hue as the Charmer who placed the bounty. While I suspected her, to have proof by way of a mage, especially with Gaige as witness… Eryx just needed to say yes. To tell us her name. Then we could act. Force her to remove the oath or suffer the consequences. Exile for her actions. It only seemed fitting.
Eryx pursed his lips. “No. That’s not written in the magic.”
Noc cursed. “Is there anything you can offer us? Any information about the nature of this magic?”
“You don’t have long.” He said it so nonchalantly that he could’ve been commenting on the weather. But when he cradled his chin in his hands and targeted the mark with a somber stare, the weight of his declaration sent my heart crashing to the floor. “You’ve already denied the call of the magic, and it knows.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” White-faced and still as stone, Kost studied Noc. To lose him… My own stomach curdled at the thought, and I tore my gaze away.
“Magic is a living thing. Unless you have years of practice and an innate ability to control it, it will swallow you whole. With your bounty so close and you constantly fighting against the oath, I can only assume you’ll start to deteriorate. Quickly.”
Calem banged a fist against the table before standing. Muscles popped along his forearms, and the mercury thread around his irises flared. Maybe Noc wasn’t the only one we needed to keep our eyes on. “Gaige, you’re not getting your bargain’s worth. Or rather, we’re not. If he can’t fix it, then tell him to use his magic some other way. Force him to find the culprit.”