I hadn’t thought of that, but if a Fantome was powerful enough, they could force their own bone crawler to do a few things. It wouldn’t be wielding hybrid magick so much as manipulating a part of their body. Yet why would a Fantome do such a thing? Was there unrest about following the Tsar?
“I won’t defile the old ways with such sacrilege.” Kamilla’s voice turned shrill. “Are you in league with them? Have you come here to spy on me?”
“I’m not allied with any Fantomes, I swear.” My fingers itched to pull in magick. However doing so would expose me as the Necromancer I was. Just a few seconds ago, I had Kamilla convinced I was a Royal without magick. Maybe I could still make this work. “I’m a loyal subject to the realm. That’s all.”
Kamilla stopped her pacing. Her features softened with a new kind of calm. The sight was more alarming than her previous rage. “Hold now. I heard tell of a Caster girl. She was the one who sent the Tsar into exile. Whenever a bone crawler got near her, the insect would shift. And when she touched it, there was a flare of purple light.”
Gods-damn it. That was me, all right.
I slapped on a look of Royal indignation. “You’re insane. How could someone with no magick command the bone crawler inside you?”
Kamilla raised her left fist again. Her totem rings gleamed in the lantern light. “Guards!” One of her bands flashed with blue light. Smoke filled the room as two massive skeletons appeared, both wearing battle armor.
They headed straight for me.
I reached out with my mage senses, desperate to pull Necromancer power into my soul. The air was heavy with magick, but also with warding spells. I could sense the energy I needed. It hung in the air all around me. Sadly, the warding spells prevented me from pulling it in. I pressed against the energy block. Perhaps it was something I could break through.
Perhaps.
And even if I failed, it would still hurt like blazes. That was the least of my problems.
The skeletons grasped me from both sides, holding me firmly in place. I fought against their grip. The most I could do was rustle my dress.
Kamilla grinned. “Oh, you’re a clever liar. I felt you just now. You were trying to pull in Necromancer magick.” She eyed my gown. “Here you are, hiding as a fancy girl. All this time, we’ve been searching every filthy corner of the realm. I must admit, no one thought a Royal would take you in.” She shook her head. “This won’t end well for your friend.”
“Leave Amelia out of this.”
“You’re in no position to demand anything!” Little bits of spittle flew from her mouth as she spoke. “I won’t allow you to exile the Vicomte like you did the Tsar. I’ll destroy you, right now and slowly. Then, just before you breathe your last, I’ll make you watch the death of your friend.”
My heart pounded so hard the whoosh in my ears became deafening. “I’m a Necromancer, yes. But I want the old ways returned, the same as you do. Whatever the Vicomte told you, it isn’t true. If he gathers Necromancer magick into himself, then it will be for his glory alone. Not ours.”
“More lies. And liars deserve pain.” She raised her fist again.
Here comes another spell from her totem rings.
I couldn’t give her another chance to cast. What happened next took only seconds, yet it felt as if time moved extra slowly. Closing my eyes, I reached out with my mage senses. A web of warding spells surrounded me. The tiny cords of energy worked together to create a magickal wall that blocked me from pulling in power.
That wall had to come down.
Every muscle in my body braced. Pain was coming.
Using all my focus, I punched through the warding spells and reached for the energy beyond. Agony shot through my body as if every bone I had was shattered. Still, I gritted my teeth and pulled Necromancer energy in to me. Magick careened through my limbs, making my veins feel like they were on fire. I held in a scream as more energy poured into me.
Once I held enough power, I expelled my Necromancer magick into the delicate strands of Kamilla’s warding spell. The thin cords began to glow so brightly even Kamilla could see them. She froze in place.
That was when I made her warding spell implode.
A crash sounded, reminding me of glass breaking. The magickal web of blue light burst into pieces. The wards shattered. Thin strands of brilliance cascaded to the floor like dried leaves. The two skeletons that Kamilla created fell backward as well. Breaking the wards had severed their ties to Kamilla as well.
With the wards gone, the worst of the pain drained from my body. I swung around to face the skeletons and began drawing in more Necromancer energy. These warriors needed to answer to me.
Kamilla had the same notion. Unfortunately, she’d had time to summon additional power while I’d been breaking apart the wards. Now, she released her magick onto the skeletons. Blue mist surrounded the bony creatures. Within seconds, they hopped back up to standing. Turning in unison, they rushed toward me.
I quickly thought through my options. Since breaking the wards, I’d pulled in a little more energy. Not enough to command the skeletons.