Circle of Death Read Online Free PDF Page A

here?”
    “I ask for absolute secrecy about this meeting. These pages are a compensation for that. If you decide to help me, I have the rest of the spell with me.”
    The man didn’t say anything while the woman carefully read the manuscript. They were the beginning of an ancient spell, something I knew the witches had tried to recover for years, unsuccessfully. But I knew where to find all kind of knowledge lost in history.
    She looked up, meeting my eyes without fear and with a power that almost threatened me. “This is genuine. These pages were written by Death herself. How did you get them?”
    I took them from Death’s library, of course. But nowadays no one even knew that place existed. Even those from the Otherworld who knew about Death’s Sanctuary had never heard about the library. And it was better if they never did.
    “It doesn’t matter.”
    The woman glanced at the man, nodding.
    “You’ll have secrecy.” He said. “What do you want in exchange for the full spell?”
    “I guess you know the stories of the birth of the vampires. Especially about the two firstborns, now known as Seth and Lucius.” I began.
    “The bloodthirsty brothers. And later Lucius’ disappearance.” The woman interrupted me, her low voice gaining a supernatural tone.
    “I hope you don’t want us to find the missing firstborn. It has been tried many times, to no avail.” The man said.
    I knew it. And that had cost me a fortune on the Fae’s wards.
    “That won’t be necessary. I am the firstborn who disappeared.” I smiled, showing my fangs, and letting my shields drop for a second.
    This time both of them hid their surprise. Their faces showed nothing, but I could hear their heartbeats getting faster. They felt my power and knew I wasn’t lying. The woman’s eyes became misty, and she leaned forward. A Seer. That explained the eerie voice. And that also told me exactly who she was. There was only one active Seer in the territory that was strong enough to sit in the council. Lilian Delaro, the second most powerful Seer alive.
    She stared at me for a couple of seconds, her misty gaze holding mine before speaking.
    “You abandoned your brother.” Her voice now sounded completely expressionless. “But hadn’t he abandoned you before? Why should you hunt together again, why turn away from all you conquered? Your paths are no longer the same, and what will be the result of this?”
    Abruptly, she fell against the back of her chair. For a couple of seconds she didn’t breath, and the man beside her touched her face, leaning forward to whisper something on her ear. With that strange sensibility to active magic that rarely was useful, I realized that he was calling her back, out of the trance. And I was sure that had been a true vision. Her words had been exactly the truth. Gasping, the seer came back to herself, still staring at me.
    I choose to break the silence. “I need to know how the power balance in the city is.”
    They looked at each other, still in silence, and I felt that itch again. They were communicating silently. What else had Lilian Delaro seen? The man straightened, turning to look at me.
    “There is no dominant power among the Otherworld in this territory. Your location would be sold for the right price. It’s better if you stay where you are.”
    They exchanged another glance, looking grave. I wondered what was going on in their silent communication. “It would be better if I stayed where I was”? How could they know? Did that have anything to do with Kelene’s secrets? I could bet it had.
    “Seth won’t find you through the witches.” The man went on.
    “And we will be on your side when the time comes.” Lilian added, her voice still with a trace of that eerie prophecy sound.
    I nodded, knowing that they wouldn’t tell me what that meant. That was the problem of dealing with witches: they often spoke in riddles. I retrieved the remaining pages of the spell and put them in front of the man.