It shook Eva from the spell the Whisperer was weaving. Made her see him for what he really was.
A leech.
If she allowed him to continue, he'd drain this place and the world beyond of everything that made it good.
Yes, the Kyren had played games with Trateri lives, but Eva trusted that there was a reason. And she was pretty sure she was looking at that reason.
Orion had said it when they first reached this place.
The Whisperer had to withdraw all the copies of himself in order to follow her here. He was vulnerable. Perhaps for the first time since the Kyren banned him from this place so long ago.
All of this had been a trap for the Whisperer. The Trateri and Eva were the bait.
Eva's grip around her hidden dagger threatened to loosen as the magnitude of things hit her. The Kyren were taking a monumental risk. If Eva failed to stop the Whisperer here, he would suck this place dry and spread, unchecked.
And here Eva had thought the Kyren considered her untalented. Instead, they'd placed all their expectations on her shoulders.
No pressure.
Only, she was outclassed and outmatched in every way. Even if the Whisperer had been an ordinary man, Eva would have been hard pressed to kill him.
He might not have been a warrior like Caden, but he was still stronger than Eva.
She should have known the Kyren would be the death of her.
A thread of amusement came to Eva from Orion.You are still thinking like a human. I never said you had to go through this trial alone, Caller.
The feel of the sphere ring coalesced in her hand. Eva squeezed it, a glimpse of Caden riding Sebastian flashing before her eyes. A plan grew.
It was risky. To succeed, she’d have to release her barrier. It would leave her vulnerable. Not just to death but to possession.
She could sense the Whisperer's desire. He wanted her body for his own. In her, he'd have everything he needed. Her power. A body that wouldn't break under his darkness.
Everything that was Eva would cease to be. He would be free to use her as he wished. She would be the new Neil. A puppet without a soul.
Eva closed her eyes, concentrating. It was this, or torture until he broke her enough to breech her barrier. Better to take a chance than go quietly.
Her barrier dropped and the Whisperer's darkness rushed toward her.
Eva reached, stretching for that presence just on the other side of the mist.
A spark flared to life. Another right beside it. Both reaching back for her.
Eva relaxed the iron grip she kept around her core. The part of herself she'd learned to fear when she was young. Strong and powerful, it carried the potential to lead her down the same dark paths the Whisperer had traveled.
Eva's power ripped free. Unfettered as it swept from her center in a great wave, arrowing for that spark like a homing pigeon that had finally found its destination.
That was the thing about paths. You didn't have to walk them to their conclusion. There were always opportunities to turn around and find a new way forward.
Yes, her abilities held the possibility of allowing her to become a monster like the one before her. But she didn't have to be a monster.
The Whisperer hadn't started out evil. He'd become that through countless choices.
Mist boiled out of the sky as Eva's lips curved, the Whisperer poised in front of her, ready to take her mind.
"Hello, lover. I missed you."
The Whisperer paused, his head whipping toward the mist as two figures plunged through it.
