The Azimar Archives Book One- The Book of Death

Mothlenor

Mothlenor eyed the crumbled mess of bed covers where Nevina had been seconds ago.

"Perhaps I am too considerate, and to my detriment," he said to the empty room. He dressed in silence, thinking over Nevina's words. She refused him, an honest enough surprise. He had been sure that she would choose to accept, especially with only more Coven daughter remaining in her care. Instead she had refused him.

Perhaps I could have offered her more... Perhaps I could have persuaded her to stay by my side.

"No matter, what's done is done." Mothlenor frowned, regretting the hasty dismissal he had given Nevina. He took a second to focus, then spoke a quick word under his breath. The walls of his brother's rooms faded away in an instant, replaced with his own familiar study walls.

There was the matter of Nevina's involvement in Areanath's curse to consider as well. She might not know how Areanath's curse worked, but if her Gift had been used to create it, perhaps her Gift could also be used to destroy it.

"Curses can't be broken or reversed. Only carried out until the energy holding them together ceases."

Her words had been only half right. But if Areanath had created the spell, its power should have died with him, not activated with his death.

Unless that's why his soul left his body. Unless Areanath's soul was providing the energy necessary to keep the curse active.

Mothlenor shook his head, ashamed he hadn't made the realization sooner. "My brother was far more talented than I ever gave him credit for." And he actively hid it from me, letting me perform little tricks for his amusement, laughing all the while.

Mothlenor stepped around to the far side of his desk, fuming silently. He yanked open the bottom drawer, hastily snatching up the Dragons' Eye and peering into it.

If my brother's soul is indeed still out in the world... But the Eye remained still and unchanging.

"Useless thing." Mothlenor tossed the Eye lightly onto the desk, watching as it slowly rolled across the top. His eyes narrowed as the Eye rolled closer to the far side of the desk. So useless... It would be easier to let the damned thing fall...

With a sudden lunge, Mothlenor reached across the desk and plucked the Eye from the far edge, just as it began to topple over and onto the floor. He straightened, staring into the dark depths of the stone. "Perhaps that will teach you," Mothlenor said to the Dragon's Eye, realizing even as he spoke the words how ridiculous they sounded.

It was an expensive find, he thought as he stared at the dark surface of the stone. And it did help me locate the Coven.

With a quiet huff, Mothlenor dropped the Eye back into the open drawer.

"At any rate, my brother's curse can be broken, Nevina, once I learn how it was made. And in the meantime..." Mothlenor turned, spotting the misshapen lump of golden stone through the open doorway of his bedroom, "I have other work I can attend to."