The Catalyst of Corruption (The Final Formula Series, Book 4) (17 page)

“This is tiring,” Alexander complained. “I do not tolerate those who refuse to respect the powerful.”

“Respect? You?” Rowan glared at him. “Your
power
is an illusion. The puppet does not respect the puppet master.” He stopped for a breath. “Without your blood gift, you couldn't lead a swarm of ants to a picnic.”

Alexander's eyes faded to white once more. “Grim—”

Leave them alone, Lex
. Suddenly Ian was standing beside us.

“Lory,” Alexander whispered. For the first time, that cocky, self-assured smiled faltered.

“Go home and stay,” Ian muttered.

I glanced up in time to catch the white flicker in his irises. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shimmer of darkness, and James was gone.

Alexander pursed his lips, then sighed. “Lory. You're always taking my toys.” He looked his brother over and abruptly grinned. “What
are
you wearing?”

Ian stepped in front of me. “You don't approve?”

A soft thump against the carpet drew my attention to Rowan. He was no longer up on his hands and knees watching us. He now lay on the floor, his eyes closed.

Trusting Ian to counter anything his brother might do, I dropped to my knees. “Rowan?” I gripped his hand and was shocked by the coolness of his skin. Rowan's skin was never cool, and certainly not after using Fire the way he had.

“Look at you,” Alexander said.

I glanced up in time to watch him reach out and lift a section of Ian's shoulder-length hair. He let it slide over his fingers, then cupped Ian's cheek.

“Lory, is it really you?” Alexander whispered. Had he been alive, I wouldn't have been surprised to see a tear slide down his cheek.

Ian took a step closer, and I expected him to punch Alexander or something. Instead, Ian reached up and wrapped a hand around the back of his brother's neck. “Lex,” he whispered, his tone just as forlorn.

I watched in utter astonishment as the pair embraced, cheeks pressed together and eyes closed. A pause, and they drew apart a little, though they each kept a hand on the back of the other's neck, foreheads touching. They stood that way for one long moment.

“Look at us,” Alexander whispered. “I told you that death would never take us.”

“You did,” Ian agreed. “Though I would argue that it wasn't a complete victory.”

Alexander laughed and they separated. “Lory.” He gave Ian a fond smile and shook his head. “You were always slow to adopt the latest fashion, but two centuries?”

“Does it matter? We look good in anything.”

“Good point. Still…” Alexander waved a hand at him.

Ian gave him one of those elegant shrugs.

I just stared at him. Ian had always been particular about his clothes and appearance. I knew he could be a bit vain, but he never owned it the way Alexander did. Was he just playing along? Waiting for an opening?

“Lex, where's Mattie?”

I released a breath. Yes, he was playing along.

“She died,” Alexander answered. “A natural death.”

“Are you lying to me?”

Alexander sighed. “It was pointless to Make her. Not after what you did to her.”

Ian frowned.

“It was brilliant, though.” Alexander's expression turned thoughtful. “Brilliant, but stupid.”

“That makes sense.”

The fire alarm suddenly went off, and I gasped as my heart almost leapt from my chest with the shrill blare. The fire had spread to the other banners, producing a haze of smoke that hung near the ceiling—and the smoke detector mounted on the far wall.

Ian turned and glanced back at me, his expression one of surprise, as if he had forgotten I was there.

The door banged open without warning, slamming against the wall. Cora ran into the room, followed by Era.

“What the—” Cora pulled up short, and her frown fell on Ian and Alexander, then she saw Rowan and me. “Rowan!”

“Hey!” Era pushed past her, and the light caught in her eyes, reflecting the odd metallic sheen.

Ian grabbed Alexander by the arm and took a step, pulling his brother after him. I blinked. They were both gone.

Chapter 15

I
stared at the spot where
Ian and Alexander had been. They hadn't used a portal, so that meant they had stepped into the veil. Were they still here?

Cora ran over and dropped to her knees on Rowan's other side. “What happened? Why is he here and not at the parade?”

I pulled my attention back to Rowan's pale form. I would have to trust that Ian knew what he was doing—and that he had only been pretending to be pleased to be reunited with his brother. “Alexander pulled Rowan through the land of the dead,” I told Cora, “and brought him here.”

“Era, the banners,” Cora said.

“I'm on it.” Era faced the burning fabric. A second later, the flames winked out. I assumed she had pulled away the oxygen. Next, she moved closer to the smoke detector. The curtains hanging over the nearby window lifted in a sudden breeze as she moved the smoke away from the detector. The blaring stopped, the silence a welcome relief.

“Rowan?” Cora laid a hand on his cheek. “Why is he so cold?”

“What?” Era hurried over and knelt beside her. She brushed Rowan's auburn hair from his forehead. “Oh God.”

“I'm going to strangle Ian,” a new voice said.

I twisted around in time to see Elysia step out of a portal.

“Not that it would do any good,” she continued.

Doug followed her, his blue eyes scanning the room before settling on us. A thump, and James landed behind him, but Doug didn't look back.

“How's he doing?” Doug hurried over to kneel beside us.

“Unresponsive,” I said.

Doug gripped Rowan's shoulder and rolled him over onto his back, then pressed his fingers against Rowan's throat.

Cora frowned at Doug, but didn't speak.

“His pulse is weak and his skin is chilled,” Doug said. “If I didn't know better, I would say he was suffering from hypothermia.”

James stepped up behind him, now wearing a pair of sweatpants Elysia must have brought. Had they gone back to the lab? He looked down at Rowan, his green eyes aglow.

“James?” I prompted.

“He's still here.” James raked a hand through his already tousled hair. “Had Alexander held him in the land of the dead much longer…”

“Era, call Donovan,” Cora said. “Tell him to get over here—quickly.”

Era nodded and rose to her feet. She pulled out her phone and walked to the far side of the room as she made the call.

“What do we do?” Cora asked Doug. “How do you treat someone who's been exposed to the land of the dead?”

“I don't know. It's not something I have much experience with.”

Cora frowned. “You were to be the next Deacon.”

“Until a few months ago, the ability to open a portal was little more than a myth. I never even expected to see the land of the dead until I went before Alexander, and the way things were going, I expected it to be my only sighting.”

Elysia stepped up behind him and gripped his shoulder before she looked up at James. “What happened last time he went through?” She nodded at Rowan.

James frowned, no doubt remembering the time he'd gotten angry and pulled Rowan into the land of the dead. “He didn't pass out, but it made him weak, physically and… magically.”

“Magically?” Elysia asked.

“He couldn't touch his magic until he grew stronger—which sucked since I had a couple of steel staples stuck in my back.”

“What?” Elysia asked. “How—”

“Long embarrassing story,” James said. “In a nut shell, I got my ass kicked by a couple of ghosts.”

“Which is why Era needs to stop playing with them,” Doug said.

Era had walked back over to us. She gave Doug a frown before addressing Cora. “I got ahold of Donovan. He's going to call Gerald.”

Cora nodded. Gerald was New Magic and had a talent they frequently used. He could teleport—and take people with him. Unlike the necromantic method of traveling, he didn't have to pass through the land of the dead. He used wormholes.

“Era, would you run upstairs and bring down a blanket from the day room?” Cora asked. “If Rowan's reacting physically, perhaps we should treat those symptoms.” The end of her statement came out sounding more like a question as she glanced at Doug.

“Yes,” Doug agreed. “We need to get his temperature up.”

“I can't believe we're having this conversation about Rowan,” Cora muttered. She looked at me. “Do you have anything?”

“Alchemical?”

Cora just held my gaze, and I realized she was asking if I had some of Rowan's remedy. If his magic came back with a vengeance, he was going to need some.

“James?” I asked. “Would you give me a lift to the lab?”

“Sure.” He stepped away from us and returned a moment later as the hellhound.

“I'll come with you,” Elysia said when James opened a portal and jumped through. “Just in case.”

In case Ian shows up?
James asked as we joined him.

“I'm going to take command of the bastard and make him wear a polyester leisure suit.”

James made a sound that might have been a laugh.

“What happened?” I asked.

“He opened a portal into the lab and shoved Doug and me through, leaving you, James, and Rowan alone with his crazy brother. A couple of living necromancers would have been a big asset in that situation.” She crossed her arms. “But Lord forbid I use my magic.”

James remained silent, opening a portal into my lab.

I stepped through and hurried to my shelf of samples.

“So what happened?” Elysia asked, following me. “Did Ian take him out?”

“Well, he took him, I'm not so sure about the out.” I tucked a couple of vials of Rowan's remedy into my pocket, then grabbed a vial of Extinguishing Dust. If he had a lot of trouble when he came to, we could knock out his power until he was stronger.

“What do you mean?” Elysia asked.

“They embraced,” I admitted. “If they could have cried, they would have.”

“Ian?”

“Yeah. Though, he might have been going along to get closer to Alexander.”

“That's got to be it,” Elysia agreed. “Alexander stole Ian's daughter, his own niece, and forced her to have his kids. How could you ever forgive someone for that?”

“Are you certain things transpired as Ian claims?” James asked from the far side of the bench. “It wouldn't be the first time he's twisted events to suit him.”

I frowned, remembering Alexander's claim that Ian had done something to Mattie. Ian hadn't argued with him. But then, I kept hoping that Ian had been playing along.

“Good point,” Elysia agreed with James. “I wouldn't trust him any farther than I could throw him.”

James was watching me.

I decided not to express my own concerns about Ian. “I'm ready.”

James gave me a nod.

A few minutes later, we returned to the library room at the Elemental Offices. I smiled when I saw Donovan gathered with others around Rowan who was now covered by a beige and orange quilt. Doug and Gerald stood on opposite sides, both of their expressions concerned.

“Addie.” Donovan gave me a big smile, looking as relieved to see me as I felt about seeing him. I hoped that didn't mean that he expected me to fix this. “Come here.”

I walked over to join him where he knelt by Rowan's head. Cora and Era sat on opposite sides of Rowan's still form, each holding one of his hands.

“Sit down here,” Donovan continued, reaching up to take my hand. “Sit cross-legged and place his head in your lap.”

“Um, Don…” Hadn't Rowan told him that he had broken up with me?

“Humor me?” Donovan offered me a soft smile.

I could never refuse Donovan and sat down where he directed me. He lifted Rowan's head and shoulders, allowing me to scoot beneath him. Rowan didn't make a sound, his slack face unchanging with the movement. Fear wrapped icy fingers around my heart. What if he didn't wake up?

Donovan walked around and took a seat at Rowan's feet. He pushed up Rowan's pant legs to grip his lower calves. Cora and Era each took an arm and shoved up Rowan's sleeves, gripping his forearm with one hand, and holding his hand with the other.

“Hold his face between your palms,” Donovan said to me.

Cora and Era had each closed their eyes, but at Donovan's command, Cora frowned and Era smiled.

“What are we doing?” I asked.

“Balance,” Donovan answered. “The four physical Elements and the Quintessence.”

Now it was my turn to frown. “I'm not magical, Donovan.”

“No, you're not.” He gave me another of those almost sad smiles. “You wield the secret fire.”

The secret fire, or the alchemist's flame, was another term for the Quintessence, the life force that burned within every living thing. Donovan claimed I could wield it as each of them wielded his or her Element. I accepted that I was the azoth and had the ability to imbue my blood with certain properties for use in my formulas, but I didn't buy that I was the fifth Element. That was something more. Something greater than me.

“Someone has been reading alchemy texts again,” I said.

He chuckled. “Maybe, but they only gave me the words, not the concept. I had already figured that out.”

“I'm an alchemist,” I tried again. “I need a lab to perform magic.”

“You made Gavin mortal without a lab.”

“No.”

“How else could Rowan have ashed him? He was a grim.”

“You made Death mortal?” Doug asked. I could hear the capital D on the word when he said it.

I looked up, smiling a little. “How do you make death mortal? Death is the result when mortality is gone.”

“The grim is the personification of Death.”

I remembered the first time we met Marian, Rowan's seeress. She had referred to James as Death. But that wasn't the only memory Doug's comment triggered. The edges of my vision darkened as déjà vu threatened.

“To control him is to wield the power of Death. Why do you think my brethren wish to possess him?” Doug waved a hand at James.

“But necromancers already wield the power of Death,” Era said.

“No,” I said. “Necromancers wield their souls, the power of life, not Death.” The déjà vu hit a little harder, and I closed my eyes.

“Addie?” James touched my shoulder, kneeling beside me.

“Then what is the power of Death?” Era asked.

I still had my eyes closed and the image of the ouroboros, the dragon eating its own tail, rose on the black screen of my mind. “To unmake that which is manifest.” The words spilled from my mouth as if someone else had spoken them, and I fell into a memory.

 

“Life and Death?” Neil sounded
skeptical.

I didn't look up, keeping my attention on the old text before me. The engraving made it so clear. This ouroboros was drawn with two dragons, one black, one white. They were eating each other's tails, forming a perfect circle.

“You can see the correlation to the taijitu,” I said.

“The yin and yang symbol? Sometimes, I think you put a little too much faith in these old writings. Hell, these people thought ingesting mercury was a good idea.”

“Perhaps, but their vision wasn't clouded by science. They could still see the mystical, and they sought to understand it. In some cases, they succeeded.” I looked up. “Your ancestors were among them.”

“Most of my ancestors were nuts.” He grinned. “And who are you to poo-poo science? Wasn't that you going on and on about that programmable stir plate the other day?”

I ignored him. “I'm right about this.” I pointed at the ouroboros. “And I know how to tap into it.”

Neil grew serious, his white eyes taking on that strange intensity that both thrilled and scared me. “Ash alchemy.”

“Yes.” I laid a hand over his heart. “With it, I can make you whole.”

“And so much more.”

I smiled. “And so much more.”

 

“Ad?” James's fingers brushed my
cheek. He sat behind me, holding me upright, as he had in the catacombs during my déjà vu moment there.

I sat up with a gasp. Rowan's head still lay in my lap, the other Elements gathered around him, Doug and Elysia standing over us. I didn't see Gerald, but with James here, he had probably bolted.

“Did you remember something?” Cora asked.

I rubbed my hand across my upper lip, and it came away bloody. “Just…vague things.”

“What did you mean by
unmake that which is manifest
?” Era asked.

I frowned at the blood on my fingers. “I have no idea.” That wasn't entirely true. I felt I knew the answer; I just couldn't articulate it. God, this was frustrating.

I looked down at Rowan who lay so pale and still between us. What more could I do with ash alchemy?

“I guess it doesn't matter as long as you can help Rowan,” Era said. When I lifted my eyes to hers, she gave me a reassuring smile. “Just do what you did with Gavin.”

“I was trying to kill Gavin.”

“Then do the opposite.”

I returned my gaze to Rowan. The opposite of what I did to Gavin.

As the azoth, I was supposed to be able to create the universal solvent or the universal medicine… in the lab. Without a lab, I had only the life force within me. My Quintessence. That's what I had thrown against Gavin, banishing Death from the mortal plane. This time, I had to save, not banish.

I closed my eyes and imagined the life within my blood. A life force the land of the dead could not weaken. It would restore what was taken from Rowan and make him whole. But more important than
how
it would work was my
belief
that it would work. I was a master alchemist without peer. I was the azoth.