CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
Jade
“Blood—move!” Grove shouted a second before my magical senses lit up with more elven magic.
I staggered backwards as Gisila released the bow string.
“What—what’s happening? It’smybow, my heritage.” A wet sob tore at Gisila’s throat as her fingertips started to turn black.
The bow glowed silver, and I felt a presence—something alien andold. Older than Considine, as old as hatred.
Fool.
The sentiment wasn’t whispered in my brain. It wasn’t even said in a language I recognized, but it rolled through the air just the same, emitting from the bow.
Gisila shook the weapon, ignoring the way blackness had devoured her hand. It must have worked its way up and down her body, because black started to streak up her neck and brush at her chin. “No—it’s finally mine! You will listen to me—your real master!”
No.
Again, it was spoken in a language I didn’t recognize, but there was no mistaking the refusal.
The bow glowed brighter and brighter, until only the core remained black.
Gisila, on the other hand, was consumed by black. It was even starting to leak into the whites of her eyes, and her body smoldered.
“No, the prophecy said I would take the Bow of Kaelum—capable of shooting the moon from the sky,” Gisila cried.
You may take me, the alien voice said, the words gross and ominous.But you will pay for such insolence.
A scream tore from Gisila’s mouth—a scream of pain, or a scream of anger that even now she was being denied the thing she had valued most. She, too, began to glow silver like the bow, before she collapsed, tumbling to the ground.
The bow fell from her hands and rolled across the floor.
All elven magic was immediately snuffed out, and Tutu’s was so quiet it made my ears ring.
I was still closest to the viewing room, so I studied Gisila’s blackened form with a gulp. I didn’t see any sign that she was breathing. “Tetiana, Clarence…is her heart beating?”
Tetiana jogged across the loading station, stopping next to me. “No,” she said. “I can’t sense any blood in her anymore either. It’s like she’s been…turned to stone.”
Gisila’s skin did look craggy, but I wasn’t going to risk examining her yet.
The tip tap of nails on the flooring told me Brody was on his way over, so I wasn’t surprised when he pushed his way between Tetiana and me, brushing against my pants.
“Don’t touch her,” I warned him. “It might still be active…whatever it is.”
Brody huffed at me, then more slowly approached Gisila’s body, sniffing so much his black nose twitched. With his wolfsenses he’d be able to tell even more about Gisila’s condition than Tetiana could.
Brody inspected her for a minute—though he was careful not to get anywhere near the bow. He then sneezed and looked up at me.
“She’s dead?” I asked.
He nodded.
“She’s not breathing?” I asked.
Another nod.
