And in this moment, Spirit-Rowan wanted that executioner to be me.
My heart railed against the idea. I gripped the hilt more tightly in my palm. “I told you. I will make this Sword whole again.” I stalked up to the wall and set the hilt against the base of the blade. It slipped into place with a soft click. After that, I tried to pull the Sword from its holding place in the wall. For the trickster’s spell to be broken, I needed to filly grasp the sword
And so I tried.
And tried.
My fingertips became bloody with the effort. I wouldn’t give up, though. Closing my eyes, I summoned fresh magick into my body. I couldn’t cast a spell, but enhancing my strength never needed an incantation. Back on the farm, I’d used magick to help chop wood and scare off suitors. Now, I’d use the same power again, only to end this insane cycle. Within seconds, the bones in my arms glowed with indigo-colored light.
Perfect.
Raising my fists high, I slammed them against the stone, bronze, and wood of the gateway. Blue sparks exploded everywhere. For a time, there was nothing but my fury, the Sword, and the gateway.
CRASH!
Great cracks formed in the arch. The Sword was still intact, but the gateway was splintered. Gears that had lain flat against the wall now sat at odd angles. Spirit-Rowan’s body glowed more brightly than ever before.
Then he disappeared.
Panic streamed through my limbs. “Rowan!”
As if in response, white spirals of magick came to life under the gateway. I gasped. Viktor. Had he been waiting here this entire time, looking for his chance to strike?
Beams of pearlescent light poured out from the gateway, twisting across the floor like so many snakes. The sense of magick became so thick, the air sparkled with its power. Quick as a whip, the cords of bright light wound Nan, Mrefu, and Jicho. The three froze in place for a moment. After that, they all collapsed to the ground. I rushed over and checked them.
All of them were in an enchanted sleep.
Another flare of white light pulsed from the gateway. Sure enough, a tall man appeared on the other side. Like always, he had lean features and dark robes. My insides twisted with fear and hate.
Viktor was here.
I wanted to tell him a thousand things. How he’d made so many mages suffer with his experiments. What he’d done to my life with his insane curse. That he had no right to touch Rowan’s soul. The only thing I got out was a single word. “You.”
“Yes, me.” Viktor’s lean features twitched with rage. “That was a rather entertaining scene. I enjoy watching you fret over nonsense. You want to know a secret?”
“No.”
“Ah, but you’re lying. Do you know how I can tell?”
I shook my head. Still, a burst of white mist poured out from the gateway, settling against my skin to encase me in a thin sheen of magick. My body froze. I could no longer leave the spot or look away. It was another form of possession spell, just like what had been cast on Echo, only this one controlled only my body but not my mind.
“I know everything about you,” said Viktor slowly. “Because you are my very own sister.” He waved me toward him. “Sending magick outside the gateway is massive drain on my power, and I muse conserve my energy for what is to come. Enter into my realm and I’ll tell you all about my plans.”
Viktor stepped off into the light that streamed from under the gateway. Meanwhile, Nan, Jicho, and Mrefu remained in their enchanted sleep. For my part, I tried to run away, but my limbs wouldn’t obey the commands from my brain. My skin still gleamed with the power of Viktor’s spell, confirming the fact that I was trapped.
Once again, I mentally cursed those damned trickster gods. What I wouldn’t do if I could cast a counter-spell?
Even so, there was no point dreaming about incantations. Thanks to the possession spell, my body had no choice but to heed Viktor’s demands, and so I followed him into the ethereal light.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Stepping through the gateway, I found myself in a space made entirely of white light. Brightness stretched off in every direction; there wasn’t even a horizon line. Only one figure stood out in full color: Viktor. He loomed over me in his long Necromancer robes, the drawn-out features of his pale face set into a mask of false calm. Deep in his eyes, there burned an inferno of rage.
Viktor bowed slightly to me. “Let us speak of the truth here. You owe that to me, at the very least.”
“I owe you nothing.”
His pinched face radiated a single emotion: rage. “Do you see this horrid prison you locked me in? You’ve no idea what a terror it is to be limited to monotonous brightness.”
I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes. “Terror? Being here is far less terrible than having your magick drained until you’re dead. Or having your arm ripped off and replaced with that of an animal familiar.”
“I did what I had to in order to survive. Gathering Necromancer magick into myself is essential for the upcoming war with Oni and Yuri. And I simply had to have an army.”
“You talk about destroying Necromancer and Caster lives like it was nothing.”
“Isn’t it? You and I are special. We live by different rules.”
Turns out, Viktor isn’t the only one who could scowl with proficiency. “I am not your sister.”
“Don’t be thick. Didn’t you ever wonder if we were related? By now, you’ve surely seen the versions of us throughout history.”
I paused. Were Viktor and I indeed related? I turned the idea over in my mind; it didn’t seem possible. “My only parent was my guardian Rosie. You are no brother to me. You forced me here with a possession spell to spew nothing but lies.”
“And how do you suggest I demonstrate the sincerity of my actions now?”
“Free me from this possession.”
“Done.” Viktor waved his arm. The bright lights faded from my skin and I could move freely once more. There was no question about the first thing I wanted to do with my new-found mobility. I gestured to the gateway behind me. I couldn’t see anything beneath the arch, but I knew Mrefu, Nan, and Jicho were magickally asleep on the temple floor beyond. “And what about my friends?”
Viktor shrugged. “They’re not possessed, obviously.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh, you mean their lives. They will be perfectly safe.” Viktor waved his hand. “Now that I’ve proven myself in good faith, how about we talk a while?”
“No.” I started to turn away.
Viktor sighed. “Fine. Walk away. Be my guest. While you’re at it, keep living in ignorance about who you are and what you can do.”