Blood Double (God Wars #1)(59)

*

"Any power pointed in her direction will destroy her," Vyris' assistant gloated softly at Vyris' side.

"Where did you find this spell?" Vyris whispered. "This is so much better than I'd hoped for. They kill her and we have a new reason to blackmail them. They can't deny murder charges. The knife is made of wood, you're sure of it? I need your promise that the knife will disintegrate at any sign of power, so a weapon won't be left behind."

"You have that—absolutely. It will appear real at first, until the power from Grey House is released. The knife disappears and the girl dies simultaneously. The Belancour clan provided this small trick at a reasonable price," Vyris' assistant smiled. "See, the Grey House contingent comes. Once they are before us, she will remove the knife from her pocket and all our troubles will cease."

*

We were almost through the door when I saw it. The reason we'd come. His body, seemingly in perfect stasis, still wore the Grey House armor and the Grey House sword still protruded from his chest. Here was Glendes' problem, literally in the flesh. I was grateful that he wore no helmet, allowing me to read his glazed eyes and silent scream.

At that moment, I was also grateful I could read people so swiftly. I turned my gaze toward Prime Minister Vyris, then, and read as much of him as I could. He was obsessed, and the one who'd placed the obsession stood beside him.

I had very little time to react—Vyris displayed a satisfaction—one that surrounded a new reason for blackmailing Grey House. His eyes followed the girl, which meant she was involved.

Keep your shields up and do nothing else, I snapped as quickly as I could. The one placing the obsession was about to get a surprise, and it wasn't a good one.

*

"I keep thinking about the girl Erland brought to us," Griffin took a seat across from his father. "Something troubles me about her. I'm sorry now that I didn't bother to look past the disguise."

"What do you think you might have seen?"

"I don't know, but I feel a twinge of regret."

"You could always travel to Le-Ath Veronis to take a second look."

"I think not. I'm not welcome there," Griffin shook his head. "Perhaps I'll be sorry for it sometime, but I have no desire to do so. I saved Lissa and Gavril the last time, but it was at another's command. Lissa was disappointed that I failed to help of my own volition."

"Any child might be," Wylend Arden sighed.

*

Breanne's Journal

Vyris and his assistant stared—the girl kept striking at Glendes, Raffian and Shadow's shields, but wasn't able to get through. The knife she used was made of wood, but the spell on it made it seem authentic. I was worried, however, because any shield Grey House might produce wouldn't hold an obsession back.

Vyris' assistant could obsess a Grey House Master Wizard and have enormous power at his command. I couldn't let that happen. The time had come, I suppose, and a part of me cringed at what I was about to do. This Sirenali was too dangerous, after all, just as Erithia Cordan was. I certainly didn't want to add him to the list of those I hunted.

"Remove your obsession," I said, turning my eyes in the assistant's direction. "On all of them." I jerked my head toward the girl and Prime Minister Vyris.

He did his best—I'll admit that, but just as compulsion didn't, his obsession had no control over me. He wasn't tall, handsome or charismatic, but for him, that hadn't mattered. Until now. Pale hair was brushed back from his face and black eyes glared in my direction. "Do as I say!" he shouted. "Kneel at my feet!"

"Shut up," I snapped back, "and remove your obsession."

"What do you know of this?" he hissed at me. Behind his angry gaze, though, uncertainty lurked. He'd never met anyone he couldn't obsess. This was a new experience (and an unwelcome one) for him.

"Remove your obsession or you'll be sorry," I said, refusing to answer his question. I felt I had limited time and wanted his focus to remain on me. That would keep him from flinging an obsession toward the Grey House Wizards.

"You're not big enough to harm anyone. I can order Vyris to kill you. Or even one of these," he turned his eyes on my three Grey House companions.

"Fuck you," I retorted. "Come for me; I'll show you how big I am," I added in a hiss. I'd learned my lesson in Ildevar Wyyld's palace, and I was also learning something from this one. I saw it in him—unless he removed the obsession, it would outlive him. If he failed to remove it, only the death of the recipient would eliminate it completely. That terrified me, as Erithia Cordan was on Le-Ath Veronis and there was no way to tell what sort of mischief she was planning.

Fighting a Grey House Wizard who'd been obsessed to kill everybody around him certainly wasn't in my plans, either, and that could happen should the words leave the assistant's mouth. I had to control the situation before it became uncontrollable. Raising my left hand, I watched as the Sirenali's right leg disappeared in winking sparks, making him shout in pain as he fell to the floor.

I'd sealed the wound with the removal, to keep blood from flooding the marble floor beneath my feet. He had to remove the obsessions before he died, and I didn't want him to bleed to death before that happened. "Remove your obsession," I repeated my demand as he continued to whimper at the loss of a limb.