The air around him sizzled as he called on his arcane powers. The kind that only a god could command. Every hair on his body stood to attention.
Goose bumps ran from his neck, down his back, and across his arms. The aether whispered in his ears. The voices of a billion people and those of his parents and those of other pantheons.
He heard the lifeblood of the world. The universe. Even the stars whispered in his ears. Power rose up inside him. Crackling. Snapping. Sizzling.
Without being told, Falcyn knew his eyes had turned a serpentine yellow. Something confirmed as Medea looked at him and gasped.
Falcyn ignored her as he came to the most dangerous part. Should he lose focus now, Maddor would die. It took a lot of care to remove a soul from a body, especially against the will of the owner. Most couldn’t even begin to do this, as all souls had to be given and gently coerced.
But he was older than those laws. Back in the day, his father had commanded the souls of all humanity. He’d bartered and sold them like a child with a set of Pokémon cards.
Lombrey froze.
As did his warriors.
It’s working.…
Any moment now, his son would have a new home. Maddor might hate him for it, but at least it would get him away from Morgen’s clutches.
Falcyn whispered faster.
Louder.
The Black Crom screamed. Lombrey cursed and writhed as he fell to his knees.
Something dark and cold passed through Falcyn. It rose up like a wave and came crashing down. Electricity roiled through his body, making his hair fly up and out. For a full minute, no one moved.
No one breathed.
No one dared.
Falcyn turned toward Lombrey, expecting to see Maddor.
The shadow warriors faded into the walls of the dungeon, where they hung as motionless shadows. “What have you done?” Lombrey asked.
“I freed you from Morgen.”
Lombrey laughed. “I was never enslaved by that bitch.”
Confused, Falcyn turned toward Blaise for an explanation. “I thought Morgen owned all the mandrakes.”
“She does.”
His brow arched in question, he turned back toward Lombrey, who stared at him with a frown of utter bewilderment.
“What do mandrakes have to do with me?”
A bad feeling went through Falcyn. He’d pulled Maddor’s soul out of his body. He’d felt it. There was no mistaking that sensation. Granted, it’d been a while since he’d last done such, but still…
He returned to the “dragon” Maddor’s side.
The dragon who for all intents and purposes appeared to be Maddor could no longer speak. He glanced about the room as if every bit as disoriented and confused as Falcyn felt.
That bad feeling deepened inside him.Please tell me I didn’t.…
With a knot in his stomach, he glanced around at his companions. Yet no one seemed to be different.
Who the hell had his son’s soul?
