“I know power when I see it.” The Vicomte’s eyes blazed. “You think you’re fooling me with your dreams and games?”
Hannah and Jonas froze. Their faces paled. The truth was obvious. The Tsar had been contacting them in their dreams, as well.
“Don’t bother to deny it,” said the Vicomte. “You’ve been in contact with the Tsar. Speaking with him in your sleep, right? You’re plotting to overthrow me once I have the vortex watch fully loaded with power. And you’re scheming with this little bitch on some elaborate trick to make me look the fool. Well, whatever you’re up to, it won’t work.”
Hannah fell to her knees. “We’re loyal to you, Your Eminence.”
“You must believe us,” added Jonas.
I saw my chance and I took it. “There’s no point in pretending anymore.” I pitched my voice to a tone of utter despair. In reality, my heart was filling with hope. The Vicomte was so paranoid that everyone was betraying him. I could use that to my advantage. “You heard the Vicomte. He’s smart. He knows how we’ve all been working together.”
Hannah leapt to her feet. “Liar!”
I focused on the Vicomte and gave him my most innocent face. “Release me and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Someone being reasonable,” snarled the Vicomte. “At last.”
Jonas staggered backward. “What are you doing? You can’t believe her.”
The Vicomte stalked over to Hannah. “I knew this was all nothing but a trick. Some girl from the backside of nowhere is a Grand Mistress Necromancer? Please.” He paused before her. “Give me the keys to her manacles.”
Hannah gaped. “But you can’t believe—”
“Hand them over!”
Trembling, Hannah pulled a small silver key from her pocket and gave it to the Vicomte. “She’s a powerful necromancer. Mark my words.”
“Marked.” The Vicomte marched back over to me and unlocked the manacles from both my wrists. “I did as you asked. Now do as you promised. Give me everything you’ve got.”
Happy to.
I pulled the watch from my pocket, released the prongs, and jammed it into my wrist. Instantly, I felt the totem ring call to my magick. I focused my power straight at the device.
Take it.
The watch face instantly lit up. The hands hit midnight. The vortex watch became fully charged. I allowed myself a small smile.
The Vicomte stared at me in disbelief. “You stole the vortex watch and gave me a decoy.”
“What can I say? It seems that I am rather tricky.”
The Vicomte wheeled toward Hannah and Jonas. They were already racing for me at full-speed. The bones in their left arms glowed blue as they prepared to cast major spells.
I knew I needed a counter-spell. The power of the totem ring seemed one step ahead of me, though. I didn’t even need to pull in magick for the casting to begin. The moment I thought of the incantation that I wanted, the vortex watch illuminated more brightly than ever before. Brilliant blue light flooded the chamber. Power thrummed inside my soul.
I had barely thought of the spell and then it came into being.
Raw energy poured out of my hands. Tendrils of blue smoke wound around Hannah and Jonas. I tried to retake control of the casting by speaking an incantation to transform the mist into bone rope, but the push of power was too strong. Energy careened through me, making me wince. The lines of blue haze solidified right where they were.
I couldn’t believe the result. My twisting lines of mist had instantly hardened into razor-sharp bone. I’d pumped in too much energy, too soon, so the rope froze in place wherever the mist was headed. Hannah and Jonas got skewered in a hundred spots at once. They were dead.
I blinked hard, not sure if what I saw was real. The spell was supposed to hold them, not kill them. Normally, I only used the precise amount of energy a spell required. This time, I lost control. In fact, the residual effects of the spell were still overwhelming. Every inch of me felt numb. And I’d killed two of my own kind.
Looking down at my wrist, I prepared to tear the device from my flesh.
But the vortex watch was already gone.
Oh, no.
The Vicomte stood nearby, the vortex watch gripped in his right hand and an evil smile on his face. “Thank you, Elea. I’ve been meaning to murder them for ages.”
Gods-damn it. I had become so overwhelmed with power, I didn’t notice the Vicomte stealing the vortex watch. This was terrible. With that realization, my mind shut down. I could only stare in shock as the very thing I’d fought so hard against now came to pass.
The Vicomte jammed the vortex watch into his left wrist.
“Finally.” The round dial glowed blue once more. The Vicomte gasped. “I feel the energy.” His rolled his eyes into his head. “It’s Power. Magick. Beauty.”
My mind began to function once more. I had to move. Unfortunately, my feet were still tied to the rack. Leaning forward, I began undoing the leather knots around my ankles. It took ages for my left foot to become free. Then my right. I leapt to the floor.
The Vicomte rounded on me. “You’re staying right here. I’ve wanted to test out Necromancer magick for ages. I know all your spells.”