Cursed (28 page)

Our attack would work. It had to.

Chapter Twenty-Six

I sat on the Basilica's roof, gritted my teeth, and waited. Beside me, Rowan casually polished a dagger with a leather scrap. It was amazing how many blades the man had hidden on him. I stopped counting after six. For my part, I'd found a skeleton statue that was crouched into a chair-shape, so I'd been sitting on that. There wasn't much else to do but wait, watch the courtyard below, and tamp down the occasional waves of panic.

There was good reason to worry, too. It was well into the afternoon. Time was running out on my curse. Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw the skin melting off my bones. I even smelled phantom whiffs of charcoal.

Don't think about the flames. The Tsar could arrive any second.

I forced myself to scan the courtyard yet again. The place was mobbed with people. I counted Casters in brown leathers, dark-robed Necromancers, and over-dressed Royals. Based on all the gowns and long-coats, you'd think the Royals were visiting a ballroom, not a Cloister. And of course, there were the ever-present guards in dark armor. Hundreds of them. Everyone was waiting for the ceremony to start, just like Rowan and I were.

In the center of the courtyard, Gaspard diligently worked the crowd, approaching every Creation Caster and peppering them with questions. All of Rowan's people gave quick, one-word answers. What a sly bunch.

The new Sisters were in the crowd, along with their elderly counterparts. From time to time, I'd see Nan and Ada in the throng. They were too far away to see much, and I couldn't risk casting a magnifying spell. I'd need every ounce of power for the upcoming battle. Even so, there was no mistaking the sad stoop to Nan's shoulders, or how her long braids were now woven through with gray. I only got little glimpses of Ada as she cowered behind Nan's robes. Every time I saw them, something inside my soul tore a little more. These were the first friends I'd ever had, and they were dying before my eyes, body and soul.

How could Nan and Ada have changed so quickly in only a matter of days? My imagination ran wild, thinking of the foul things Marlene had done to them both. I couldn't wait to bring an end to the Tsar and Marlene.

I drummed my fingers on the skeleton's ribs. “Do you think we should—”

“No,” said Rowan, his voice flat.

“You didn't even hear what I was going to ask.” He could be so prickly sometimes.

“Because you were about to ask if we should seek out the Tsar.” He reset his last dagger, pulled out a new one, and slid his leather scrap along the edge. That may have brought the count up to nine.

“Maybe I wasn't.”

Rowan paused and looked at me sideways. I was still trying to get used to the ghostly version of him. “What
were
you going to ask?”

I huffed out a breath. “Fine. You were right. I was going to ask if we should seek him out.”

“And the answer is still no. From here, we know the terrain, the players, and the plan.” He pointed at the courtyard with his dagger. “So do all the other Casters. If we go off and find the Tsar, then we'll on strange ground without informing our people. I don't see it working. He's a clever man, that Viktor. He's figured out that the Casters want to murder him for what he did to us. He's trying to lure us onto his terrain, which is all the more reason to stay right here.”

I shifted in my skeleton chair. “That's a good speech. You give it often, don't you?”

“All the time. My team spends days watching ominous places. The oasis, the Midnight Cloister… It's enough to try anyone's temper. You're not the only one who likes to attack first and ask questions later.”

I smiled. It was good to know that I wasn't alone in my impatience. “Let me guess. Orion?”

“No, Laurel. She's downright bloodthirsty when—” Rowan froze. “Something's happening.”

I hopped to my feet and scanned the courtyard. The different groups were starting to line up. My body hummed with excitement.
The ceremony was about to begin.

I raised my left arm and began pulling in Necromancer power. When it came to fighting Viktor, I wouldn't repeat what just happened in the small courtyard. Viktor had all his spells loaded onto totem rings. That made him fast. Rowan and I needed to finish as many incantations as possible beforehand. That way, we could strike quickly, too.

Rowan stood up, lifted his right arm, and began drawing in energy as well. My invisibility spell cloaked most of our magick, but even that incantation had its limits. We couldn't discharge too much power into a mist without Viktor detecting it. So, we'd need to keep our energy concentrated in our hands. It would be tough to hold back for long, though. Hopefully, the Tsar would arrive soon.

A torrent of Necromancer magick flowed into my limbs. The bones in my left hand glowed blue. Excitement tightened up my rib cage. In a matter of seconds, I'd be ready.

Rowan and I had outlined out this battle down to the last detail. I'd start off with a bone vault spell that would hold the Tsar in place without killing him. Meanwhile, Rowan would send in some of his creatures to take care of the guards. After the courtyard was safe, we'd team up, transport Viktor into exile, and my curse would be over. Simply picturing it made me want to cheer.

And all that remained was for Viktor to arrive.

So much magick poured inside me, it felt like the power was about to burst through my skin. At last, a courtyard door swung open. I stared at the spot, breathless.
This is the Tsar, I know it.
My left arm ached to release the pent-up magick.

Viktor stepped out onto the sandy ground.
Yes.
I turned to Rowan. Although he still looked ghostly, there was no missing how the veins on his right hand shone with magick. “Now?” I asked.

“Now.” His voice was a deep rumble.

Thank the Sire.

I focused on Viktor and unleashed the energy from my hand. Power sped from my body and congealed into a massive white sphere that hovered above the courtyard. A blue haze shifted lazily around it. If you didn't know Necromancy, the orb looked a lot like a full moon hiding behind a sapphire-colored cloud. In reality, the sphere was made of tiny bones, none of them larger than a thumbnail. They were a Necromancer's most powerful spell for freezing someone while still keeping them alive. Not that I wanted Viktor alive, but I still couldn't argue with a few deities.

A handful of people looked up to see my magick sphere, including Viktor. My heart raced, knowing that the Tsar would act quickly—there wasn't much time. Even so, complex magick always took a while to cast properly. I sped through the rest of my incantation, going as quickly as I dared.

Finally, the spell was complete. With a flick of my wrist, I commanded the bone vault to stream straight at Viktor's head. It exploded onto him, encasing him in a thin sheath of tiny bones. Viktor could breathe, but he couldn't move. My heart swelled with triumph. The Tsar stood still as a statue. He was immobilized. It had worked.

Beside me, Rowan released his power, too. Red mist swirled around his right arm, quickly swelling into a giant crimson cloud that spun around the Basilica's roof. Rowan finished his incantation and the red haze dropped onto the courtyard below. The billowing mist twisted, solidified, and congealed into the shape of six giant tarantulas. Each one could immobilize someone in a silk cocoon within a matter of seconds.

Rowan raised his fist and the spiders took off after the guards, Royals, and Necromancers. The insects made flurry of red on the golden sand.

After our spells hit, everyone in the courtyard had stood around, dumfounded. Once the spiders started to move, people woke up from their shock. Chaos erupted everywhere. A crowd rushed toward the main gate. The spiders picked off their targets, wrapped each one in silk, and then set them onto the sand like cordwood. Some of the Sisters followed the rush to the gate. Most huddled by the wall. The Casters rounded up as many Sisters as possible and guided them to the safety of a nearby courtyard. Rowan's people were a marvel under pressure, moving in a coordinated dance of action.

I looked to Rowan. Pride and excitement warmed my soul. I couldn't help but smile.

“Time for the transport spell,” I said.

“Looking forward to it.”

I raised my hand and released the rest of the magick that I'd just built up. Tendrils of blue mist twisted down my arm like so many ribbons. These sapphire-colored bands fell in a great arc onto the courtyard, where they swirled around Viktor's frozen form. Beside me, Rowan added his power into the mix, too. The red cords of his energy wound through mine and entwined around the Tsar. Viktor's body began to fade from view as the transport grew stronger. I inhaled a shaky breath.

It was working. I could have cheered with excitement. We were sending the Tsar into exile.

A loud crack sounded from inside the red and blue mist. Every cell in my body went on alert. I strained to see beyond the haze of our spells. Small bits came into view and what I saw made me stagger back. Viktor's bone vault was crumbling around him as his counter-spell kicked in. Bits of white cascaded onto the sand. He was starting to escape.

I pumped every last bit of power I could into the spell. More cords of mist flowed out of me than ever before. Rowan did the same. Even so, more of the bone vault collapsed around the Tsar. I crumpled onto my knees as my energy drained to the dregs. I had to send Viktor away before he broke free.

The Tsar disappeared.

A little eternity passed as I watched the empty spot where Viktor once stood. I was vaguely aware of what else happened in the courtyard. The spiders trapping the last of the guards… The younger Sisters running for the gate… The elder ones cowering in the shadow of the Cloister wall… And all the Royals loading themselves into their carriages in preparation to run off, just like Rex predicted they would.

Only one thought held my focus, though. Viktor was gone. Exiled. We had done the impossible with a few hours to spare. I glanced over to Rowan's ghostly face. Relief shone in his bright green eyes.

“We did it,” I said.

“Yes.” He grinned that crooked smile, the one I'd come to treasure.

I leaned back on my haunches and tried to catch my breath. I was free. No more threat of burning. “We'd better—”

A great boom shook the air. With a flash of violet light, Viktor reappeared on the courtyard floor. I almost fell over with shock. He must have cast a counter-spell before the transport was complete. The Tsar raised his left fist and his totem rings glistened in the sun. “Visibility. Harm to creatures. Transport. Disarm. Lock.”

My eyes widened with surprise. Viktor was calling on counter-spells from his totem rings. This couldn't be happening. The bands on Viktor's fingers flared blue as the magick inside them came to life, one after another. Each burst of brightness took me a step closer to my death.

Darkness enveloped me as Viktor's transport spell took ahold of me. Vicious energy tore into my arms and legs as I was dragged through magick and space. I reappeared before Viktor with Rowan at my side. More of his magick had struck us. We were both visible once more. I checked my fingers. All my totem rings were gone. Enchanted manacles now bound my hands in front of me, the same as with Rowan. I couldn't cast now if I wanted to. Sadness pressed around my body, heavy as a shroud.

All my years of work and planning. My curse was almost broken, and now this.

Viktor lifted his fist once more. “Awaken!” Another totem ring flashed on Viktor's hand. This was the brightest one yet, and it sent it a queasy feeling into the pit of my stomach. A mage always saved their best spell for last.

Ear-splitting cracks sounded from the Basilica's roof. A low rumble shook the ground. I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision. What I was seeing couldn't be real.

The skeleton statues were moving.

By the gods.
I had thought that Viktor only placed those statues to frighten the Sisters. They're actually a hidden army. The huge creatures scaled down the face of the Basilica.

White-hot rage took over me. I wasn't going down without a fight. Pressing my wrist manacles together, I swung my irons at Viktor's head. I knew this might break my vow to the Sire and Lady, but so much had gone wrong, I couldn't control myself anymore.

“No, Elea.” Before I could make contact, Rowan slammed Viktor to the ground and launched into a punishing series of jabs. Viktor hadn't been expecting a physical fight and his face quickly became a bloodied mess.

Suddenly, the Tsar's skeleton warriors were everywhere at once. One slammed into my spine, sending me face-first onto the sand. Pain exploded through my stomach. As much as my belly hurt, it was agony to watch the skeletons destroy all my hopes. Three of them restrained Rowan. Others freed the guards, rounded up the Sisters, and killed all the spiders. About a dozen of them went after the Casters. Rowan's people fought back at every step, but soon they were bound up in chains. My soul ached to see their leathers covered in blood.

I struggled against the skeletons that were holding me, but it was no use. It was like fighting a mountainside. One of them hoisted me back onto my feet. Rowan stood by nearby, his face bruised and beaten. Blood seeped through fresh slashes on his chest. He kept struggling against his captors, but had no more luck than I did. His gaze snapped to mine. “Are you all right?”

And his first thought is to check on me
. Rowan really was extraordinary.

“For now.”

Viktor stood before us, with Marlene and Gaspard waiting on either side. Beyond them, the army of black skeletons and guards ushered everyone into the Basilica. A bitter taste crawled up my throat.

I'd failed. The curse was coming, the ceremony was starting, and all my plans had fallen apart.

Viktor paced before Rowan and me, eyeing us carefully. I felt like a slab of meat in a butcher's window. “I don't know either of you.” He held up the mating rings. “But I know who gave you these. Oni and Yuri have expanded into matchmaking.”