When Darkness Ends

“What do you mean?”


“The writing itself is the illusion.”

Cyn shoved the scroll toward his companion. “Get rid of it.”

“Non.” Levet shook his head. “I cannot.”

Cyn released a trickle of power, a humorless smile twisting his lips as the gargoyle shivered at the pinpricks of ice that filled the air.

“You just said that illusions are your specialty.”

Levet rubbed his arms, his heavy brow furrowed. “If I break the illusion, the writing will disappear.”

“Damn.” Cyn shook his head. Why would a stranger leave a spell with the Commission that was hidden beneath an illusion? None of this made any sense. “Then what’s the point?” he growled.

“Your eyes see this.” A claw touched the fragile paper. “But your mind sees the truth.”

Cyn scowled. “Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?”

“I am trying to explain—”

“Then say it in words I can understand,” Cyn snapped. He hated magic.

Having to deal with it made him . . . irritable.

“The spell appears to be mumbo jumbo,” Levet said, his brows abruptly lifting. “Have you truly been trying to decipher it?”

Cyn flashed his fangs. “Get on with it, gargoyle.”

“Party do-do,” the gargoyle muttered.

Do-do? It took Cyn a second to realize what the fool meant.

“Pooper, you prat.”

Levet waved aside the correction. “But beneath the magic it is like a subliminal message that becomes lodged deep in your mind.”

Reaching down, Cyn grabbed the pest by his horn, dangling him off the ground so they were eye to eye.

“Let me make this simple. I need to know what this says.” He waved the hieroglyphs in front of Levet’s snout. “How do I do that?”

Levet pouted, but clearly realizing that Cyn’s temper was reaching a critical edge, he resisted the urge to make some snarky comment.

Wise gargoyle.

“Perhaps a magical artifact would . . .” Levet gave a small squeak as Cyn dropped him without warning and headed toward the door that connected to his library.

“Bloody hell,” he muttered.

“Where are you going?” Levet demanded, following him like a stray puppy.

“When Siljar said there was something in my library that might help I assumed she meant a book,” Cyn muttered, too late realizing how dangerous it was to jump to conclusions. Reaching the doorway, he turned to point a warning finger at the gargoyle. “Wait here.”

“But . . .”

Cyn stepped into the library and slammed the door shut behind him. No one, absolutely no one, was allowed in his private sanctuary.

He swiftly moved across the book-lined room to the hidden panel just behind his massive desk. Laying a hand on the wood, he waited for the magic his foster parents had cast to recognize his touch. With a faint click the panel slid open to reveal the small cupboard filled with Erinna and Mika’s most prized possessions.

It’d been Cyn who’d insisted on bringing the collection of magical artifacts to his hidden safe. The rare potions, crystals, and amulets were worth enough to encourage any number of demons to try and get their greedy hands on them.

He didn’t want his family taking unnecessary risks.

It was his duty to protect them.

Which was why he was so aggravated that they’d deliberately put themselves in danger.

Tucking his concern for them to the back of his mind, he grabbed a large crystal off the top shelf and returned to the study.

He’d barely stepped through the door when Levet was hurrying toward him, the fairy wings buzzing with excitement. Unlike Cyn, the gargoyle would be capable of sensing the magic of the crystal threading its way through the air.

“What do you have?”

“Truth,” Cyn said, hoping his foster mother hadn’t exaggerated when she’d said this particular crystal could not only force humans and weaker demons to speak honestly, but that it could see through written deception.

He could only hope it would work on an illusion.

“Oui, very clever,” Levet breathed, not bothering to hide his surprise. “At least for a leech.”

“Here.” Cyn shoved the crystal and piece of parchment into his companion’s hands. He might want to strangle the tiny plague to his existence, but gargoyles were capable of manipulating many different kinds of magic. “Remove the illusion.”

Levet nodded, but he looked oddly wary as he held the crystal toward the unrolled parchment.

“Very well, but without knowing what is beneath . . .” There was the sound of a loud sizzle, then without warning a tangible cloud of evil spread through the room. Making a sound of disgust, Levet shoved the paper and crystal back into Cyn’s hands. “Mon Dieu.”

Cyn shuddered. “What the hell?”

“It’s coming from the spell,” Levet said, backing away with a grimace.

“Is it dangerous?”

“Non. At least . . .” The gargoyle gave a small shrug. “I do not think so.”