Chapter 150

Draven’s POV

The witches’ chants rang out against the cave’s jagged walls as we pressed forward with the ritual. I sensed the four phoenix stones’ raw power seeping into the water at our feet, their flames coalescing beneath the surface. It was time for the next phase. Nikolai inclined his head toward one of his coven; the witch stepped forward and handed me the ceremonial dagger.

Its black handle was cool in my grip. I began the incantation in a long-forgotten tongue, and the runes etched along the blade flared to life with a ghostly luminescence. Striding to the crystalline pool, I watched the water shimmer with phoenix energy. Valerius lay submerged, his deep golden eyes narrowing as I lifted the blade to his throat.

I hesitated, his inscrutable gaze boring into me. For the ritual to succeed, the ve