Chapter 5 - Julian's Sacrifice
"Julian, NO!" Violet shrieked, sprinting across the polished parquet floor and grabbing his wrists with all her strength.
The point of the silver dagger had already pierced his crisp white dress shirt, a single drop of crimson blood blooming against the fabric.
"It’s the only way, Violet!" Julian yelled, struggling against her grip as tear stains cut through the dust on his cheeks. "The journal says the covenant requires the blood of the Blackwood heir to sever the knot! If I offer my life force to the pedestal, the curse dies with me! You and Maeve can walk away free!"
"I didn't survive three years of being locked in a wheelchair just to watch you commit suicide!" Violet roared, her voice echoing off the high ceilings with such power that the glass display cases along the walls shattered in unison.
She slammed her hand against his chest, shoving him back against the marble fireplace.
"We stand together, Julian," Violet said, her breath ragged, her hands shaking as the cold numbness reached her knee. "You spent three years suffering in silence trying to find a way to save me. You think I’m going to let you die now?! We break this house together, or we burn in it together!"
Maeve stepped between them, her gray eyes flashing with raw power.
"She’s right, Julian," Maeve said, opening the cork of the silver vial. "A life sacrifice is required, but it does not have to be a death. The blood covenant was forged on a lie—your ancestor promised the Weaver eternal devotion, then murdered her to steal the land. The pedestal feeds on betrayal."
Maeve looked at the half-stone body of Victoria, whose eyes were filled with pure terror as she realized her control was slipping away entirely.
"To break a covenant forged on betrayal," Maeve explained, "you must offer pure, unselfish devotion. A willingness to share the burden."
Maeve poured three drops of the swirling silver liquid onto the blade of the dagger, then held it out toward Julian and Violet.
"Slice your palms," Maeve instructed sternly. "Join your blood over the central altar in the catacombs. If your love for each other is stronger than the fear of the stone... the pedestal will shatter."
Julian looked at Violet. The coldness that had defined his demeanor for three years had completely melted away, leaving only the fierce, devoted man she had fallen in love with long ago.
He grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "To the catacombs," he agreed.
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"No! Stop them!" Victoria screamed, but her vocal cords were suddenly covered by a layer of fine, gray mineral dust. Her head stiffened, her neck locking into place. Her desperate cries were reduced to a hollow, frantic murmur as her entire upper body turned to solid granite.
Ignoring the stone statue of the former matriarch, Julian, Violet, and Maeve sprinted back toward the wardrobe, descending once more into the heart of the earth.
