“Of course?” She was losing me.
“Yes. That which you were born with. The Phantom magic and the transporting, specifically. Stolen powers are much more difficult to manage. But we have something that will help you. A talisman.” She walked to the water and knelt, laying her palm flat upon the glittering blue surface. Her blue robe floated on the lake around her, glimmering in the light.
The water glowed bright from the very deepest part of the lake. Instinctually, I stepped out of the water and watched. The glow became almost blinding until it coalesced into a tight little spot and zipped through the water toward the Phantom. She gripped something shiny and stood, then handed it to me.
I stared at the gleaming sword hilt in her hand. There was no blade, just the hilt, and it was decorated with incredible inscriptions of some kind.
“Is that my sword?” I asked.
“Not the one that you so carelessly wore into our water, no.” She thrust it toward me, and I took it.
As soon as I clasped my hand around the metal, it felt as natural as if I’d been born with it in my hand. “Then what is it?”
“It is yours. Your Phantom blade. It will become part of you when it is whole. A talisman that will help you focus and control your power.”
“But there’s no blade.”
She smiled. “No. Nothing is ever easy.”
“You call getting here easy?”
Her smile didn’t falter. “You are near to the end, but you have farther yet to go. You must find the other part of the sword and prove yourself worthy of it. The hilt gives you partial control of your magic. Manipulating the past will be easier now because you’ve practiced it before. But the blade will complete the circle, giving you control of magic that you’ve failed with. Such as the demons.”
“Where do I find the blade?”
“I do not know, or we would have it. You are the only one who can find it. Use your gift. Once you’ve joined the two halves, you’ll have full control of your magic. This blade will become a part of you—forged with your mind and body. You’ll be able to kill demons with it, stealing their powers only when you desire. And it won’t require a sheath. It can be stored within the ether and will appear to you whenever you need it.”
“That would be handy.” In fact, all of that sounded very good. I’d loved my old sword, but this one felt just as good in my hand. Better even. And it had some badass upgrades. “But if my dragon—” I cut myself off, remembering at the last minute that Roarke was listening “If my gift didn’t work to help me find this place, will it work to find the blade? Or do I need a map for that, too?”
“No. Your sense will work. Our cave is protected from any who seek us using anything but the approved map. We didn’t want just anyone wandering in here.”
“Right. Of course. So, I’m just supposed to leave here and assume I can find the blade to this sword?” I held the hilt up.
“Yes. When you are ready, seek the blade and the control that you desire. It will be your talisman, imbuing you with control. You need only be near the blade for it to work.”
“But what if someone steals it?”
“It will always be yours. You can call it back to you.”
That was handy. “Who are the Shadows who cursed me?”
“That, I do not know. But you will face them in a great battle. To win, you must embrace your power. Acquire new ones.”
Ah, shit. Those were answers I didn’t like hearing. “When is this battle?”
She shrugged. The two behind her shrugged as well. Great.
“Am I immortal?” The question had been bugging me ever since I’d come back from the Underworld.
“No. Yes.”
“Which is it?” I wanted to add a damn it, but bit my tongue. Didn’t want to disrespect the Phantom dragon and all.
“All supernaturals are immortal in the sense that there is life after death in the Underworld. You, however, can cross the boundary from the Underworld to Earth, unlike your fellow supernaturals.” She peered around me, her gaze pinned to Roarke. “Except for that one. He shares the same power.”
“Oh shit. He’s not my brother, is he?” I didn’t want some Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia situation to go down. I really liked Roarke.
She shook her head. “No. I do not know how he shares that gift. It is rare for all but demons.”
Ah, bingo. Because he was half demon, which the Phantoms apparently couldn’t sense.
“But to answer your question,” she said. “You are immortal in that sense. Though as you’ve experienced, it’s not easy to escape the Underworld.”
“Sure isn’t.” More questions popped to mind. “What about my parents? Who are—”
A great shattering noise exploded through the cavern, then the thunder of footsteps.
Oh no. My ice wall had broken. The Coblynau were coming.
The Phantom’s startled gaze met mine. “You didn’t kill one, did you?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Stupid! Now they will come for you!”
“I thought they were your protectors! Can’t you call them off?”
“No. Not once you have killed one. You must run.”
I whirled. A horde of Coblynau had spilled into the cavern. Roarke was out of the water, facing them, ready to battle.
“No time,” the Phantom said. Blue light swirled around her as she resumed her dragon form. She leapt into the air, picking me up in one of her massive claws.
Magic surged through me, power like I’d never felt. Almost as if I were hooked up to a magical battery. She replenished all that I had lost, and then some.
She swooped over the lake and plucked up Roarke in her other claw, then clutched us close to her belly.
Roarke’s wide gaze met mine as the dragon flew over the horde of goblins and out through the tunnel. I gripped the sword hilt tight in my hand.
Holy fates, this was wild!
As soon as we burst out into the fading sunlight, the cold hit me. I was in my underwear. In the mountains of North Wales. Shivers wracked me as the dragon flew us toward the edge and dropped us into the old iron mining cart. I was jammed in next to Roarke, the cold metal freezing my butt and the sword hilt gripped in my hand.
Behind us, the Coblynau spilled from the mouth of the cave, a maddened horde.
“Use your gift! Bring it to life!” The Phantom dragon’s voice sounded in my head.
I looked up, frantic. She hovered in the air above us, her gaze intent on mine.
The Coblynau were nearly upon us. There was no way to outrun them. Especially in my underwear and with Roarke’s wings torn up.
“Your gift!”
Shock hit me in the gut when I figured out what she wanted us to do.
She’d fueled up my magic, so it was possible. I gripped the sword hilt tight and called upon my gift over the past, envisioning this place up and running.
In a flash, it burst to life. I didn’t even have to struggle for it. The broken-down track repaired itself, and the rust flaked off of the cart. Real miners—not Coblynau—appeared around us, shocked.
The dragon swooped down and nudged our cart with her nose, sending us flying down the ramp. Icy wind burned my eyes as we hurtled down. The enraged screams of the Coblynau sounded from behind us.