A Shield of Glass (A Shade of Vampire #49)(40)

“They found a way to hide you from Azazel,” Field told her gently, and I couldn’t help but sense the love for her pouring out of him. We were going to giggle about it later, between us girls, but until then, I needed her safe.

Her eyes popped wide open as she jumped out of bed, suddenly fresh and full of life.

“Hide me from Azazel? Yes, ma’am, thank you very much. Let’s do this!” she quipped, and came up to Phoenix and me.

We all went back into the archive hall, where Draven waited by the large table, the wooden bowl containing the concealment spell in his hands. The corners of his mouth were turned down, and a frown cast shadows over his eyes. I had a feeling something was off.

“Oh no,” I said. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing per se,” Draven replied, his voice lower than usual. “You won’t like the application method, that’s all.”

We stopped in front of him, quietly staring and waiting for him to elaborate.

“I need to apply this to your faces,” Draven said to the Oracles. “And then set it on fire.”

“Wait, what?!” Aida was the first to react. She gaped at him, then turned to me. “Please tell me you didn’t get me out of bed so you can burn me alive. I thought we were friends…”

The sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. I took a deep breath and raised my eyebrows at Draven.

“What do you mean, set them on fire?” I asked.

“That’s what the instructions say.” He shrugged. “It won’t burn through the skin; it’s just for the crystal powders to vaporize and seep through. It’s perfectly harmless.”

“How do you know? You’ve never done it before,” Field shot back.

“No, but my father did something similar to me when I was a child,” Draven replied. “I’d seen this formula before, only I couldn’t remember it because it was such a long time ago. When I was a little boy, my father worried about me going beyond the protective shield. He feared that Azazel had activated tracking spells to find the remaining Druids and bring them into the fold, and he didn’t want me to get caught if I ever got out. I was so little, I didn’t even remember this spell existed until now, upon reading the final instructions. He actually did it to me, and I had no idea at the time. He just asked me to stay still while he applied the paste to my face, then set it on fire. I was scared at first, but he held my arms and told me to stay calm. And he was right—it didn’t hurt me. It felt warm, but then it died out quickly, and he smiled, telling me everything would be okay.”

We didn’t say anything, just glanced at one another for a moment. Draven waited patiently with an innocent expression on his face.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t like it, but it’s the truth,” he added. “I’m just grateful to have remembered my own experience. Otherwise we’d be back to square one, because I wouldn’t have the heart to burn your faces off for the sake of protecting you. It’s not what Druid magic is supposed to be about. I assume this formula was modified after the spell was removed from the Seventieth Circle books…”

“You know what, if it keeps me hidden and Azazel can’t find me, I think I’m okay without a face.” Aida raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. “That’s how bad it’s gotten for us…”

“Do it,” Phoenix muttered, his gaze fixed on the bowl.

“Are you sure?” I asked, still worried about potential side effects. While I had all the faith in Draven, the same could not be said for the Druids’ dark magic.

“Just do it,” he insisted, a muscle twitching in his jaw.

He was on edge. I could feel him, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Draven nodded, then applied the paste to Aida and Phoenix’s faces, spreading it evenly in a thick layer. He set the bowl aside, then held a long thin wooden stick in the flame of an oil lamp on the table.

He brought the burning tip to Phoenix’s face first, his eyes flickering black while he kept a steady hand.

“Obscurin Geller,” he muttered under his breath as the flame touched the mask.

It caught fire, and I held my brother’s hand as he gasped, my heart stuck in my throat.

“Are you okay?” I asked, watching as the fire spread on his face. He kept his eyes closed and nodded nervously.

“Yeah,” he replied. “Druid’s right. It’s warm, doesn’t hurt.”

The fire dimmed as the paste turned into a clear liquid and was instantly absorbed by his skin. His face grew clear, and his cheeks reddened. He blinked several times, then looked at us.

“That was it?” Phoenix seemed surprised. “I didn’t feel anything other than warmth.”

“I think it worked,” Draven replied, then repeated the process with Aida.

She squealed as the fire covered her face. It also died down, melting the mask into a clear liquid that vanished beneath her skin. She gasped, then beamed at me, her hand still clutching Field’s.

“This might work as a spa treatment,” Aida quipped. “I swear I could feel my pores opening up!”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I hugged her and Phoenix. I heard Draven whisper an “I’m sorry” in my ear, but I brushed it aside and gave him a warm smile instead. I knew he hadn’t wanted to get all dark and gloomy earlier, regarding the Soul Fusion outcome. I felt his pain. There was nothing to be sorry about.