Spell Blind (26 page)

CHAPTER 21

Another reason I didn’t like to sleep during the phasings: waking up during the full of the moon was a bit like waking up after a night of heavy drinking. I wasn’t sick to my stomach, but my head felt thick and dull, and my muscles were stiff. I’d left the light on all night, and my face felt weird where it had been pressed into the bedroom carpet. If I was going to sleep, why the hell hadn’t I climbed into bed?

I sat up, rubbed a hand through my tangled hair. Namid sat cross-legged on the floor a few feet away. His face and body like glass, his eyes bright.

“Ohanko. You slept well?”

“What are you—?” Memories of the night before flashed through my mind, vivid and terrifying. “Crap,” I whispered. “It was real, wasn’t it? He was here, in my house.”

“Yes. It was real.”

“And you know him,” I said. It came out as an accusation.

“Yes.”

“Yesterday, when I told you that the guy was French, and I repeated the name I’d heard Shari Bettancourt use, you knew right away, didn’t you? You disappeared pretty quickly to check it out, but you already knew.”

“I did not know for certain, but yes, I had some idea that it was the man you saw here last night.”

I said nothing, but stared back at him, waiting.

“His name is Etienne de Cahors. He was a druid in Gaul during what you would call the early dark ages. At one time he was a member of my council, but over the centuries he grew resistive. Eventually he began to challenge our adherence to the Runeclave’s directives. He was particularly dissatisfied with his inability to use magic directly on your world.”

“You mean he’s a runemyste?” I asked.

“He was.”

“Tell me there’s some good news in this, Namid.”

“There is not. Somehow he has managed to master the magic that first created him. He has assumed corporeal form and is now free to roam your world. But he retains something of what he used to be. That is why I have been able to keep him out of your home. He . . . well, you would say that he changed the rules.”

I remembered Namid saying something similar to Cahors the night before.

“And you guys allowed this to happen?” It was the first thing that came to mind, and I knew as soon as I said it that it wasn’t fair, not when one considered all the stupid things we humans had managed to do to the world on our own. “I’m sorry,” I said.

“You should not apologize. The Council has asked the same question of itself, and the answer is simple: yes, we allowed this to happen. He has made his displeasure known for a long time. We should have been vigilant and we were not.”

“We allowed it, too,” I said. “That’s what he was doing when he was killing those kids. He was gathering power from them somehow, and using it to break free of what he was. If we’d caught him sooner, we might have stopped him.”

“Maybe. Or he might have killed you.”

“Wait a minute,” I said, my mind still struggling to keep up with all he’d told me. “He’s one of you? How come I’m still alive? He should have been able to kill me with a thought. You could, right?”

“As always, Ohanko, you simplify things too much, and you make them too complicated as well. You are most difficult. Yes, my kind are powerful, which is why we place limits on ourselves, limits Cahors has rejected. But you have powers of your own. Your wardings, while still crude and weak, can offer you some protection.”

“Is this supposed to reassure me?”

“It is supposed to inform you. Cahors has become something other than a runemyste. We do not know what exactly. But in winning his freedom from the limitations placed on our powers he has weakened himself. Not a great deal, and not forever, but enough it seems to have saved your life a few nights ago. And perhaps again last night.”

I nodded, considering this. “All right,” I said at last. “Then what do I do?”

“I am not sure that you can do anything,” he said, sounding surprised by the question.

“Then what are you going to do?”

“He is part of your world now—”

“So you’re not allowed to kill him. You weren’t even allowed to ward my house, were you? The rules haven’t really changed. You were just telling him that.”

“Attacking you in the moon-time is . . . not fair,” he said, an admission of sorts. “I could not allow that.”

“Not fair,” I repeated, chuckling to myself. “And Kona called
me
a piece of work.”

We both fell silent. I tried to kick my brain into gear. Despite Namid’s doubts, I knew that we had to stop Cahors, and we had to do it soon. Last night, facing Namid, he’d run up against the limits of his power, and he wouldn’t be happy about that at all. He was going to kill again in two weeks, when the moon reached its first quarter, and he’d be coming after me before then. I knew too much about him now; he couldn’t have me around alerting other weremystes to the danger.

“He’s still more like you than he is like me,” I said, the thought coming to me with unexpected clarity.

“What do you mean?”

“The phasing didn’t bother him at all, just as it doesn’t bother you.”

Namid regarded me with interest. “True.”

“Which means that, comparatively speaking, I’m more of a match for him now than I will be at any other time. That’s why my spell worked last night. The phasings are hard on me, but they also make me stronger.”

“Even with that, you are not ready to face him. In time, yes. But not yet.”

“Then tell me who is. Because we have to do something. I’ve been watching kids die for three years now, and there hasn’t been a damn thing I could do about it. Now I know who’s responsible and I’m not going to let him kill again!”

I got up and walked out into the living room. I faltered at the sight of it, having forgotten about Red’s magical bomb. But I recovered quickly, went to my jacket and shoulder holster, which were draped over a kitchen chair. I halted at the sight of the empty holster; I’d have to get my Glock from Kona. That was going to be a fun conversation.

When I turned, I saw that Namid had followed me.

“Your weapon—” he began.

“. . . Probably won’t kill him,” I said. “I know. But the other day I took a shot at him and he deflected the bullet.”

“And next time you shoot at him he will do the same. It is not difficult magic.”

“Would you do it?” I asked.

He hesitated. I couldn’t help but smile. I could count on one hand the number of times I’d outthought the runemyste. Okay, I could count them on one finger.

“You wouldn’t have to, would you?” I said. “If I shot at you the bullet would pass right through you; we both know it would. But as you said, he’s taken corporeal form. He might not be scared of my weapon, but he can’t ignore it, either. Not anymore.”

“Most interesting, Ohanko. I had not thought of this.”

“If I manage to shoot him, he’ll be able to heal himself, right?”

“I would expect so.”

“But he’ll have to focus his magic on doing that. How many spells can he maintain at once?”

“I do not know,” Namid said. “Several, I would think. Perhaps more.”

I frowned. Several. One to heal himself, one to ward himself from whatever assailing spell I managed to throw at him, and one to kill me. Not the answer I’d been hoping to hear.

“Then how do I beat him?” I asked.

“I am not certain you can. That is what I have been trying to tell you.”

“There’s got to be some way, Namid. The guy isn’t invincible.”

“No, he is not.”

“How would you defeat him?”

“I would take hold of his magic to keep him from assailing me, and then I would reach into his mind and crush his will.”

I shuddered. I’d known for a long time that Namid possessed powers I could barely understand. But in that moment, for the first time, it occurred to me to imagine what it might be like to have the runemyste as an enemy rather than as a teacher and guardian.

“I’m not sure I can do any of that,” I said, my tone dry.

Namid smiled. “I would be surprised if you could.”

“Where can I find him?”

The runemyste shook his head. “You should not try.”

“Where, Namid?”

“I do not believe I should help you in this endeavor.”

I stared at him, thinking it through. “You won’t have to,” I said after a few moments. “He’ll find me. As soon as I’m exposed, he’ll make the attempt. Normally he’d wait until nightfall, for the phasing to start again, but he knows that you’ll protect me then.”

“I can protect you now, as well.”

“So you’re going to follow me around all day?” I demanded.

“I have no interest in spending every moment with you, but I will not allow you to sacrifice yourself to Cahors. It is a senseless act, a waste of your life.”

“How do you know I can’t beat him?” I asked. “How do you know I’m not supposed to?”

“I have touched his magic. And I have trained you. I believe I know the extent of his power and yours.”

“All right, then tell me this: why does he want to kill me?”

“You are a threat to him.”

I opened my hands, as if to say, “See?”

He scowled at me.

“Don’t blame me,” I said. “Your words, not mine. I’m a threat to him. He wants me dead because I know who and what he is, because I have you as my friend, and because I’m a weremyste with a weapon. I can defeat him. But I need you to tell me how to do it.”

“And I am telling you, I do not know.”

We looked at each other for some time, his pale glowing eyes boring into mine. “You have to let me do this, Namid. Unless you intend to do it yourself.”

“You know that I cannot.”

“And you know that I can’t let him kill again. Not now, knowing what I do.”

His waters roughened and for a second I thought he’d grown angry with me. “Yes, all right,” he said, sounding more concerned than mad. “You are right. Once you leave here, and once I stop protecting you, he will find you quickly. Your one hope may be that he will not expect you to fight him. He may be weaker now, more vulnerable, but he still thinks of himself as a runemyste. That could be his undoing.” He faltered once more before adding, “And you are more powerful than you know. Like your father was. With great power comes great risk. I did not know how strong Leander Fearsson was until it was too late. The training I gave him was not sufficient to save his mind. I have been more cautious with you. As a result, your mind remains strong, but you are not as skilled as you could be. I wish now that I had taught you more. It would have made this day easier for you. Still, you are strong, Ohanko. I believe Cahors knows this. It may be that you can defeat him. As I told Cahors, that has not yet been scried.”

“Is that why you saved my life?” I asked. “Because of my dad?”

“I saved you because you can do much good in your world. And yes, because I failed your father. He could have done much good as well. Together, the two of you might have defeated Cahors long ago.”

I gaped at him, struck dumb by what he had said. I tried to imagine being on the force with my dad, both of us whole, both of us wielding magic. But the very notion was so far from reality, so far from the life I had known, that no image came to me.

“I have to call Kona,” I said, my voice low. “Don’t leave yet. I don’t want him coming at me before I’m ready.”

“Of course.” He lowered himself to the floor again and a moment later was as still as an ice sculpture.

I took the phone back into my bedroom and dialed Kona’s number.

Margarite answered and I went through enough of the niceties so that I wouldn’t sound rude when I asked for Kona. I love Margarite, but at that moment I didn’t feel much like chatting.

“You survived,” Kona said when she picked up.

“Barely.”

“That bad, eh?”

“As phasings go it was all right. But Red showed up. If it wasn’t for Namid I’d be dead.”

“Damn, Justis! This guy has it in for you, doesn’t he?”

“So it seems.”

“What are you going to do?”

“What I have to,” I said. “I’m leaving the house, going somewhere I know he’ll find me. And when he does, I’m going to do my best to kill him. Before I do that, though, I need my weapon.”

Kona took a long time to answer, and when she did it was in a tone I knew all too well. “And what does Namid think of this idea?”

“He thinks I’m throwing my life away for nothing.”

“That sounds about right,” she said.

“What should I do instead? He’s coming after me anyway, and Namid can’t protect me forever.”

“I don’t know. Leave town. Get away from here.”

“Is that what you’d do?” I asked.

She didn’t answer.

“This isn’t a guy you run away from,” I said. “He can find me anywhere I go. Distance and time don’t mean much to him. And besides, if I leave, he’ll kill again. Guaranteed.”

“He will if you’re dead, too. And the rest of us won’t stand a chance of stopping him.”

“I’m stronger right now than I’ll be any other time for the next four weeks. This is my best chance.”

“Uh-huh,” she said. It was amazing how much sarcasm she could pack into two syllables.

“I’m coming over now. I need my Glock.”

“What if I don’t give it to you?”

“Then I’ll have less of a chance of killing him, won’t I?”

“It doesn’t sound like you have a much of a chance now!”

“Thanks for the pep talk. Between you and Namid I’m brimming with confidence.”

“This is a mistake, Justis. It’s suicide and I won’t—”

“I’m coming over now,” I said, raising my voice, which I almost never did with Kona. “I’ll expect you to hand over my weapon when I get there!”

I hung up before she could say more. For a minute or two I stood in the middle of my bedroom, staring at the phone, wondering if she would call back, and not certain whether or not I wanted her to. At last, I tossed it onto my bed, changed my clothes, and headed out into the living room.

“Your friend tried to dissuade you,” Namid said from where he still sat on my floor.

“Yeah,” I said. “She didn’t have any more luck than you did.”

“The magic he used on you two nights ago is rudimentary for my kind, though quite effective. A simple shield warding will not work, nor will deflection or reflection. But if you can shield your heart, that might protect you.”