Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(31)

Cassandra didn’t seem to notice, or she just didn’t care. “When I say so, channel a thread of Fire into the jar. I want you to focus on Sam while doing so. When I say stop, you stop. Understood?”

Maria didn’t say anything.

“Maria—”

The girl looked up.

“Yeah. Got it. Go easy on him.” She smiled at Sam, who took a step back.

He didn’t have time to reconsider.

“Go.”

Fire opened in Maria’s chest. The flame within the jar burned brighter and the symbols on the glass flared to life. Sam cried out as his back arched and Tenn could see his Sphere being tapped, could see the tendrils of heat and energy spiraling from Sam’s chest and into the ever-burning jar. That wasn’t what made Tenn’s skin go cold, though—it was the voice, the whisper, the harshest female rasp: drain, devour, be mine. Tenn clenched his fists as the voice hissed in his head, seethed with steam and hatred. He felt himself falling. Falling. Twisting into that burning void.

He felt the Dark Lady’s nails scraping within his head. Calling him. Demanding him.

Listen. Be mine. Be mine.

And then, like a switch, it stopped.

Dreya’s hand was on his shoulder, and Devon looked at him with concern in his eyes. Tenn realized he’d fallen to his knees. His breath burned in his chest and he feared he’d screamed. But the show was still going on center stage. Sam clutched his own chest, his eyes angry and trained on Maria, who was already handing the jar to Cassandra and walking away.

Only the twins seemed to have noticed Tenn’s collapse.

Well, them and Jarrett, whose eyes bore into him.

“What the hell was that?” someone called out as Tenn pushed to his feet.

“That, comrades,” Cassandra said, “is how the necromancers have been creating the Howls. This is how they are able to drain a human’s Sphere past the point of depletion.” She traced the jar’s surface with a finger, the line of symbols seeming to glow under her touch. “They’re using runes. Runes we’ve never seen before. And if we can understand them, there may be a way of combating them. Perhaps disabling them. Perhaps even reversing the process.”

The gym had been silent up until then, but that statement started an uproar of conversation.

Reverse the process?

For years, they’d been trained to believe that the only way to eradicate the Howls was to kill them—even if the host had been human, even if they’d been someone you knew. This wasn’t just a revelation or a way forward: this was a tragedy. How many people had Hunters killed in the name of defying the Dark Lady? How many died when they could have been returned to normal?

The thought made Tenn want to throw up. All that blood. All that blood. And the only way he’d been able to handle it had been the thought that it was the only way...

Jarrett opened to Air, and when he spoke, his voice cut through the general din of the room.

“Silence,” he called. The troop hushed immediately. Even Tenn’s inner monologue snapped off.

“There is much we do not know,” Cassandra said. “But trust me, we are going to find out. Tomorrow, a few of our finest will be sent out into the field. Our sources know of those who might have insight into the runes. We are making it our prerogative to seek them out. Those selected will receive their orders by nightfall.”

She took a deep breath and surveyed them all.

“Remember this moment, comrades. This is the day we cease being the hunted. This is the moment we take back what they have stolen. This is the moment we remake our world.”

The crowd broke into applause.

Tenn couldn’t join in.

If they had found the language of the Dark Lady, what did it mean when She was speaking directly to him?

*

“A word, Dreya?”

He and the twins had waited in the hall to meet with Jarrett. He hadn’t expected Cassandra to pause by their side as she left. Up close, he could smell the spice of her perfume—a rarity, anymore. Her green eyes looked only at him. If Dreya’s gaze felt like being stared down by a hawk, hers felt like being inspected by a goddess.

“I would like to speak with you.” Her eyes flickered from him to Dreya. “All three of you. I’ll meet you in your room in five minutes.”

She didn’t give anyone a chance to respond. She was gone down the hall before anyone could get a word in. Devon and Dreya exchanged another look. Tenn really wished they’d stop doing that and talk like normal people; it just meant he stood there in silence while they shared some secret language. It didn’t help that Jarrett never came through the doors they were haunting. When the gym was cleared, Tenn and the twins returned to their room.

“What do you think this is about?” Tenn asked when the door closed behind him. He didn’t expect Dreya to answer; he just knew if he was silent anymore, Water would take control.

Dreya leaned against the wall, and Devon took a chair. They did another long look exchange, leaving him to his thoughts. The room was exactly like his—sparse and clean, with a wardrobe and flickering hurricane lamps—though there were two small beds, rather than just one.

“I cannot say,” Dreya said. Her voice made him jump. “We are reaching into territories we should know nothing about.”

“What do you mean?”

She didn’t answer the question. Instead, she peered at him with that intense look again.