“Understanding the magic has changed the way you interact with it,” Eldric said, watching her. “You welcome it now, whereas before you surely opposed it. The chalice has the power to negatively react.”
That part of things had always been unconscious.
She stood, and Tarian with her, his thumbs stroking the bottom of her chin.
“Okay, Tarianthiel.” Eldric’s finger traced a line across his scroll. “You know what to do. Enact the chalice. Goodbye, human. It has been as pleasurable as I’m sure one of your kind can be.”
“I love you,” Tarian said, and a tear slipped down his cheek as magic gushed into her.
It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. There were no words. No way she could’ve prepared. No way she could see her way out of it. If she’d thought she might survive, she knew now why the scrolls said she wouldn’t.
The magic was like a tidal wave. It swept her up and ripped her along, turning her end over end, spinning her around. The might of it submerged her, stole her breath, and pressed on her lungs. It blistered across her skin and ate down through her, acid on her bones, poison to her blood. If she was screaming, she couldn’t hear it. Standing? She couldn’t feel it. In this bubble, this vacuum of unimaginable pain, all she knew was the mountain of magic she was buried beneath. Its weight grew and grew, tearing her apart. And still her middle throbbed. The diamond chalice was there, always there, feeding more magic into her. Crushing her bones into dust. Giving her an out. All shehad to do was reach for it and she could end this. She could stop this tumult. The agony. Her death.
If she could just reach it…
36
Lexi
Kieran’s airmagic tore down the door within the large archway in one of the castle entrances. Souls surrounded her, but not the one she wanted. Not her kid.
“Hey, you!” She stopped at the first spirit she saw. Lightning crawled the walls around them. Rocks rolled down the hallway, ready for action. Kieran stopped beside her, looking at the slight man with a plethora of jewels adorning a strangely styled jacket. “Have you seen the human they brought here?”
The man looked behind him.
“Yes, I can see you. Have you seen the human they brought here? To the castle. Where might I find the human?”
“Oh. Yes,” the spirit said, still incredibly surprised. “The human. I remember seeing that human. Very little?—”
“Where?” Lexi yelled.
His face closed down into a mask of pompous indifference. Before he could respond, Kieran stepped into his face.
“You will tell me where you saw that human,” he demanded, and the spirit’s face went slack.
In a moment they were running, following the spirit, who was suddenly feeling very helpful. Kieran did have a way with unvoiced threats.
The halls seemed empty for a castle and kingdom of its size. What must’ve been servants up the way stopped in their tracks when they saw the rocks and people running. Their eyes widened at the lightning, and then they scattered out of the way.
Farther in and another ghost joined them, this one higher in status and laden with so many jewels that they would’ve torn off his jacket in life. He kept pace with the first until he learned what was going on, and then he turned and put up his hands as though he were about to do magic.
“Nope.” Lexi grabbed him up and kept hold. If they happened across a body, she’d have a powerful spirit to fill it with.
“Unhand me!” the spirit yelled as the first slowed.
“What is it?” Lexi asked their leader.
“Well…” He pointed at an archway.
The doors stood open, and Boman and Donovan rushed forward to check it out.
“Looks like a hall of some sort—” Boman started.
“It’s the Court Hall—” said the spirit.
“Do you feel that?” Mordecai asked, looking right. He put up his finger as though he were testing the direction of the breeze.
“You do not belong here, you vile humans!” the spirit she held yelled.
