“How can you say that? Of course, I didn’t want to learn. Who wants to be a death mage? And because I refused, you ordered Petra to murder me.”
“That never happened. I didn’t rule the Necromancers. Never have. I’m not your Tsarina.” I set my hand on my throat. “And if I did accept the throne, they’d kill me. In fact, they have a plan to end my life when the Martyr’s Comet vanishes.”
“Like I’d believe that.” Nan folded her arms over her chest. “Petra cast spells. She showed me that she was only acting on your orders. You’re the secret Tsarina of our people and you ordered me dead.” She turned to Mrefu once more. “Kill her.”
All the air sped from my lungs. It was as if someone had punched me in the stomach. Nan was my friend—we’d been imprisoned together at the Midnight Cloister. I’d never have survived without Nan’s sharp mind and sunny outlook. And now she wanted me dead?
“You can’t mean that,” I blurted.
However, Nan wasn’t paying any attention to me. Instead, she was locked in a growling match with Mrefu. I thought back to my encounter with Mlinzi and Walinzi. They’d talked about Nan and the exiles. Had she been banished out here with other Necromancers and then somehow became allied with Mrefu and his people? That would explain how she spoke their language and had a blazing hatred of Petra.
Nan let out a louder growl than usual, and Mrefu quieted. At last, she returned her attention on me.
Pure rage gleamed in her eyes. “I’ll be kind, which is more than you did for me.” She turned to the warriors. “Mrefu is right. While I rescued you from the Rushwa, Elea murdered the last of their kind.”
The warriors all lowered their weapons. Hope sparked in my chest. Maybe I could turn this around after all.
I took a half-step closer to Nan. “I appreciate your kindness.”
Nan flashed me her palm. “Go from this place. And when you see Petra, give her new orders. Tell her to leave us alone. Mrefu and the Zaidi have enough to do without fighting all your assassins.”
“Petra is not my ally. If she’s sending people here to kill you, I’ve had no hand in it. It’s the truth, Nan. I’m not Tsarina.”
“So leave anyway.”
“I can’t. Not without the Sword.”
Nan eyed me for a long moment. “I still don’t believe you. Petra warned us that eventually, you’d come to kill us.” She gestured toward my left hand. “How long before you cast a spell and murder us all? The Zaidi help us, they don’t deserve to be brought into our mage squabbles.”
“If I wanted you dead, I’d have cast already.” It was a lie, but it was the best I could do.
Nan sighed. “I’m part of a group of exiles now. This isn’t just about my life. I have responsibilities to the other exiles and to the Zaidi.”
“And I have responsibilities to every soul in our world. Please. Jicho and I came a long way to talk to you. I need the Sword of Theodora to fight Viktor. That’s the entire truth. If you’ve any trained Necromancers in your group, they can even cast an honesty spell on me.”
Nan narrowed her eyes. “We all refuse to get trained in that dark magick. That’s our problem. Petra must have told you.”
“Petra has told me nothing. And whatever she told you about me? Lies. In fact, the woman tried to lock me up and force me to rule.”
“She tried to lock you up?” With that question, some of the tension seeped out of the air. A wisp of a smile curled Nan’s mouth.
“She tried,” I answered. “It didn’t work for long.” I answered her grin with one of my own. The weight of worry on my shoulders seemed to melt away a little bit. This was good. Nan and I were sharing smiles. That had to mean something.
Mrefu let out more growls. Nan listened and nodded. This time, I felt certain that things were going in a better direction. “Mrefu says there is one in his tribe who is strong with hybrid magick. Kila Kitu. He’ll determine if you’re worthy to live.”
The connections formed quickly. First, there was the bubbling tar-like skin of the Rushwa. After that, I pictured Mrefu’s hybrid magick. Finally, I remembered the words of the Sire and lady once more. “Hybrid power always corrupts.”
Words tumbled from my mouth without my meaning to speak. “Do all the Zaidi wield hybrid magick?”
Nan shrugged. “To some extent. They don’t use it often, though.”
“Why? Is it because it turns them into corrupted monsters, like the Rushwa?”
“They don’t cast spells like you do. They merely use the power to enhance what they do anyway, like using the bows and arrows.”
“So they can’t get corrupted because they don’t cast spells.”
“It’s not that. Becoming corrupted has to do with intention, not the magick itself. If you use it for evil, it corrupts.” Nan’s features gentled. “I’m guessing you’re nervous about meeting Kila Kitu, don’t. He’s been in control over his power ever since it was gifted to him two thousand years ago.”
Despite the jungle heat, my blood chilled over. “And who was that?”
“You don’t know?”
When I spoke, my voice was a hoarse croak. “Was it another Tsarina named Elea?”
Nan nodded slowly. “She came to these lands two thousand years ago, at the time of the last Martyr’s Comet. Before she made her sacrifice, the Tsarina created the Zaidi.”
“She taught them Necromancer runes.”
“The runes are from the Zaidi.” Nan chuckled. “It was the Zaidi who taught their language to your people.” Nan stepped closer and gripped my upper arm. “You really don’t know any of this?”
“I’m learning and for the record, I’ve no plans to be a sacrifice.”
“Don’t you won’t be Tsarina?”
“So I can die to heal some gateways? No thank you. There has to be another way. I think I can use hybrid magick to accomplish the same goals. Would the Rushwa know anything about it? Any kind of hybrid spell could help.”
“No, as I said, they don’t cast like you do. But if you really want to avoid the prophecy of the Martyr’s Comet, then you should hide. If you don’t sacrifice yourself before the end of the Blood Comet, then they’ll take someone else. And there’s another super-power Necromancer out there. Until you take the reins of power, the job of dying is technically his.”
“You mean Viktor.”
“The man is evil and deserves murder anyway.”
“I’ve looked into it, believe me. But that would mean setting Viktor loose from the realm where we imprisoned him, getting the Sword, and killing him at the right moment…Assuming he attacks first, since I won’t kill in cold blood.”
Nan smacked her lips. “I can see that plan has limits.”
“Also, Viktor is in league with the Sire and Lady. They all want me to be the sacrifice.”
Nan scrubbed her hands over her face. “That settles it. You cannot stay here, and you must never get your hands on the Sword of Theodora. It’s for your own protection, Elea. That Sword is hidden for a reason. You simply must go. Maybe catch a gateway to another world.”
Mrefu replied with another low grunt.
“Really?” Nan lifted her brows. “You still think we should take her to Kila Kitu?”
Mrefu nodded.