Runebinder (The Runebinder Chronicles #1)(90)

Tenn’s breath caught in his lungs as he stared at the man he had hoped could be everything—home, safety, salvation. The man who was only minutes away from turning into a kraven.

Earth was dying in Jarrett’s pelvis. It had been drained to the point of exhaustion, well past the point of replenishing itself. If it was pulled just a little bit more, it would implode and start the horrific process of turning Jarrett into a Howl. That hunger... That was more than Tenn’s magic could fill.

He stared at Jarrett and felt a horrible vise clench at his heart.

He was going to have to watch Jarrett die.

Again.

The door opened behind him, but he was too stricken to even turn around. The door closed with a click. Tenn could feel the intruder’s presence but wouldn’t look. He couldn’t tear his eyes off Jarrett. He reached out, touched Jarrett’s shoulder. He didn’t let go. Maybe if I just give him a little. If I try.

“This one, he has been such a charming guest. So polite.” Tenn heard her step closer to them. “He’s been waiting so long for you to arrive. Imagine his delight when we heard the wall crumble! We knew who it was, of course. And so, I had him specially prepared for your arrival.”

“You did this to him,” Tenn said. The vise tightened, but a new emotion tinged his hopelessness: rage.

“In a sense,” Leanna said. “My necromancers have been practicing for ages to perfect it. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to pause the draining process right on the tip of conversion? Even the tiniest amount too much, and he would be nothing but a mindless kraven right now.” The swish of fabric, and he saw her kneeling beside him from the corner of his eye. “You should be honored. I did all of this for you.”

Tenn’s gut churned. He spared her a glance.

“Why?” The word sounded so small. But in the face of this, he didn’t feel strong. He didn’t know why he’d ever thought he could save anyone.

“Because,” she said, “you are special. And I had to make sure you were the one before continuing.”

“What?”

She placed something in his free hand. It was warm and heavy, and it seemed to press against his heart like oil. He glanced down. It was a stone, smooth and black, inscribed with tiny marks that caught the light like quicksilver. Just looking at the marks sent whispers through his thoughts, the Dark Lady echoing in the void: be mine, be mine.

Tenn tried to let go but she clenched his fingers around it. He felt bones grind.

“You know what this is, don’t you?” she asked. “You’ve seen this before.”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t look away from Jarrett as a slow realization dawned. It took everything he had to push the thought away.

“But I would bet there’s something you don’t know,” she said. She turned his face to hers with her free hand.

Before he could ask what the hell she was talking about, she opened to Earth again.

He saw and felt her filter energy into the stone clasped in their hands. But that was it. The runes didn’t glow. The stone didn’t shiver with energy. She closed off to Earth and let go of his hand, settling back on her heels.

“As you see,” she said, her voice tinged with bitterness, “although those are the words of the Dark Lady, one must be fully alive to use them.” She glanced out the window. “The runes won’t activate for the Kin, even though we wield the Spheres like any of our...minions.” She nearly spat the word. “It’s the only reason we put up with those idiots in the first place.”

The implications made Tenn’s head spin: the Kin couldn’t use runes. That’s why they needed living necromancers to turn the Howls. He had thought the Kin were all-powerful. But why the hell is she telling me this?

Leanna looked back to him, and there was something in her eyes that made him wonder if she could read his thoughts.

“That is where you come in.”

“I don’t—”

“You don’t understand. Yes, I’m well aware.” She gestured to the stone. “Why do you think there are only six Kin? Why do you think we’ve settled for creating lesser Howls since the Dark Lady died?”

Tenn shook his head. Jarrett was dying in front of him. He didn’t have time for this. He should be healing Jarrett, not listening to this madwoman rant.

“She used special runes to bestow our abilities to use magic. Runes that let us keep our minds and our powers. But she took those secrets to her grave. We have tried. Oh, we have tried. No one has been able to replicate her runes. The words were never right. We needed someone who could speak the language the Dark Lady had tapped into. Someone who could hear and read the runes.”

That made him look at her. His heart thudded. Did she truly think he’d...

“So this is your dilemma,” she said. She stood. “Jarrett is well beyond healing, as I’m sure you’ve already discovered. He will die very soon unless you do something to change it. The stone in your hand will push your lover over the edge and turn him into a kraven. He will lose his mind and every inch of beauty in that well-defined body. It would be a terrible waste. The runes inscribed on that stone are too weak to do anything else. But if you are truly able to read the Dark Lady’s language, if you can communicate with the gods, then you will be able to change that. You could turn him into one such as I—immortal, powerful, beautiful. And entirely in control of his Sphere’s hunger. You could grant him that gift. You could have your future again.”