Chapter 399: Will You Help Me?

Victoria felt sick.

But she could not entirely disagree with Thalia’s logic.

Their family had been paying in blood for three hundred years. Had been hunted and killed and persecuted for power they had not chosen. Power that had been bargained for by an ancestor who thought she was protecting her line.

Maybe Thalia was right.

Maybe the only way to survive was to be strong enough that nothing could hurt you.

"What does this have to do with Lilith?" Victoria asked. "Why are you telling me this now?"

Thalia smiled. That terrible, knowing smile that made Victoria’s skin crawl.

"Because resurrection is not a new concept for the Morvaine bloodline," Thalia said. "Our ancestor....Morgana, was brought back from death three times by the entity in the Veil. The grimoire documents it. The rituals. The prices paid. The methods used."

Victoria felt her pulse spike. "You’re saying...."

"I’m saying resurrection is part of our family history," Thalia interrupted. "The entity that gave us our gift exists in the space between life and death. It can pull souls back. Can anchor them to bodies that should be corpses. Can make the dead walk again if the price is right."

"What price?" Victoria demanded.

"That depends on who’s being resurrected and why," Thalia said. "When Morgana was brought back the first time, she traded ten years of her life. The second time, she traded a memory, something precious that she could never get back. The third time...." Thalia paused. "The third time she traded someone else. A living sacrifice. Someone who took her place in death so she could return to life."

Victoria felt cold spread through her chest.

"You’re saying to resurrect Lilith, I would need to sacrifice someone," Victoria said.

"Possibly," Thalia said. "Or you trade years of life. Or memories. Or pieces of yourself until there’s barely anything left. The entity does not care what you pay as long as the value matches what you’re asking for."

"And you know how to contact this entity?" Victoria asked.

"I’ve been dealing with it for fifteen years," Thalia said. "Making bargains. Trading pieces of myself for knowledge and power. Learning how to navigate the Veil the way Morgana did. Yes, Victoria. I know how to contact it. I know what rituals to perform. I know what prices it will accept."

Victoria looked down at the grimoire still open in her hands.

The truth about her family. The blood debt they owed. The entity that had given them power and claimed their lives in payment.

Everything she thought she knew had been a lie.

But if this was real, if resurrection was truly possible.....

"Will you help me?" Victoria asked quietly.

Thalia was silent for a long moment. Then she walked to the table and poured herself another glass of the smoke-scented wine.

"You came to me desperate," Thalia said. "Willing to cross any line. Make any deal. Trade anything to bring Lilith back. Yes?"

"Yes," Victoria said.

"Even if it means trading pieces of yourself?" Thalia pressed. "Even if it means becoming corrupted the way I’ve been corrupted? Even if it means Lilith comes back changed, different.....not quite the girl who died?"

Victoria thought about Lilith lying dead in the Blackwood estate. Thought about the bonds broken. Thought about the three Alphas grieving. Thought about losing the last piece of her family that still felt pure.

"Yes," Victoria said. "Even then."

Thalia smiled. "Good. Because Victoria, resurrection is not clean. It’s not simple. And it’s not free. You will pay for this. In ways you cannot imagine. And when Lilith comes back, if she comes back, she will carry the mark of death for the rest of her life."

"What does that mean?" Victoria asked.

"It means she will be changed," Thalia said. "The entity will leave its mark on her. Will bind her to the Veil in ways that normal living beings are not bound. She will see things others cannot see. Feel things others cannot feel. Walk between life and death in ways that will make her invaluable or make her dangerous."

"I don’t care," Victoria said. "As long as she’s alive."

"Are you sure?" Thalia challenged. "Because the Lilith who comes back might not be the Lilith you knew. Might not be grateful you brought her back. Might resent being pulled from death and forced to live with the corruption resurrection brings."

"I’ll take that risk," Victoria said firmly.

Thalia studied her for a long moment. Then she nodded.

"Very well," Thalia said. "I will help you. I will contact the entity in the Veil. I will perform the rituals necessary to anchor Lilith’s soul and pull it back from death. I will teach you the death magic required to merge her soul with her body again."

Victoria felt relief so intense it nearly brought her to her knees.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Don’t thank me yet," Thalia said. "You haven’t heard my price."

Victoria’s relief turned to ice. "What do you want?"

"Nothing right now," Thalia said. "I will help you resurrect Lilith. I will give you everything you need. But when she comes back, when you’ve proven that resurrection is possible, then I will name my price. And Victoria.....it will be a befitting payment for saving the last pure Morvaine witch from permanent death."

"What kind of price?" Victoria asked warily.

"The kind you won’t want to pay," Thalia said. "But will pay anyway because refusing means losing everything you’ve fought for. The kind that will make you understand exactly why I made the choices I made fifteen years ago. The kind that will show you there is no difference between us, not really. We’re both willing to sacrifice anything for the people we love. We’re both willing to become monsters if that’s what it takes to protect what’s ours."

Victoria felt trapped.

But what choice did she have?

Lilith was dead. The deadline was counting down. And Thalia was the only one who could help.

"Fine," Victoria said. "I agree. Help me resurrect Lilith. And when she’s alive again, I’ll pay whatever price you name."

Thalia’s smile was victorious. "Then we have a deal, cousin."