Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)(79)

‘Great plan, Tegs,’ I muttered. ‘You’ve really outdone yourself this time.’ Then my knees buckled and I fell again.

The demon threw back his head and laughed. He started shouting at the watching crowd and they shouted back, delighted. I dropped my gaze; every iota of my strength was seeping away into the blood-soaked ground. I tried to push myself up again but I couldn’t. Then I saw the pixie lying less than three feet away.

I crawled over to her, stretching out my hand. ‘Heal,’ I whispered, ‘heal.’ The magic flowed from my fingertips and almost immediately she stirred.

There was a roar from the demon as he realised I was up to something. He sprinted towards us. I swallowed. His figure blurred as I tried to focus on it but there was no doubt he was getting closer.

Then I blinked and he was gone.

I couldn’t hear anything. There was a ringing in my ears and I didn’t know if I was about to throw up or pass out. The pixie sat up and gaped at something above her head. Trying to clear my vision, I followed her gaze. Directly above us was the demon monster, impaled on one of the spikes.

I shook my head. ‘What?’

The pixie stared. ‘He tripped.’ She started to laugh. ‘He tripped.’

I frowned, my brain clouded by confusion as much as pain. I glanced to my other side. There, half embedded in the sand, was the flail. Apparently I’d had so little Apportation magic left that all I’d managed to do was transport it from his hands to the other side of the arena. The demon’s foot must have caught on it. Now, instead of slamming my soul from here to kingdom come, the monster was skewered in its own playground.

Blood leaked from the wound in its stomach. It groaned, its hands slippery as it tried to slide away from the spike. I stumbled over and lay my hand on his shoulders. Once again, I called on Aifric’s Gift as I pulled the limp body of the demon backwards. While he groaned, his weight shifted; he fell away from the spike and sprawled right on top of me. I gasped, writhing to get free. He clutched at what had been a mortal wound and stood up, looking at the blood on his hands.

‘What the fuck have you done?’ the pixie screamed. ‘We had him. We could have won.’

I ignored her and watched the demon. I didn’t have the energy to stand up again; the pain was too much. The demon scratched his head and looked away, glancing at something above. I rolled over. All six of the Fomori leaders were on their feet. The one on the end gestured to the demon. He nodded once and bent down towards me. I held my breath. Not again; I couldn’t cope with another blow. Rather than slamming into me, however, he dragged me to my feet then half pulled, half dragged me across the arena.

Now what? The demon on the end, who was wearing a cloak round his shoulders, gazed at me. He leaned over to his companion and murmured and I realised it was the English-speaking Fomori from earlier.

There was only one question. ‘Why?’

‘It was right,’ I gasped as another wave of agony rippled through me.

‘He was going to kill you.’

I gave a short, humourless laugh. ‘Who isn’t trying to kill me?’

The demon leaned towards me, his face looming closer. ‘Under our laws, if you won the battle we would have set you free. You had won. He was dying.’

I shrugged, almost immediately regretting it as I felt my knees shudder once more. Only my would-be executioner by my side was keeping me upright. ‘I’m a pacifist.’

The demon frowned, still struggling to understand. ‘A what?’

‘I can’t justify violence.’

His brow furrowed as he absorbed this. He murmured something to the boss man who stared at me, wide-eyed. Then he muttered something and his translator spoke again. ‘That explains why you did not use the knife and why you did not attempt to fight back. It does not explain why you healed him. He was dying as a result of a clumsy accident, not by your hand.’

I licked my lips. I knew this was my one chance; there was no other way I could explain myself and get the chance to turn everything around. ‘Standing by and not helping when I have the power to do so is the same as wielding a blade myself.’ I squeezed my eyes shut. ‘Forgive me. I’m not explaining myself very well. I don’t feel too good.’

He regarded me quietly. ‘Why do you not heal yourself?’

I started. It hadn’t even occurred to me that I could do that. ‘I…’

‘You told us you had one type of magic. We assumed that was the ability to control the air, which we have already seen. You apparently did not lie. And yet we saw evidence of several different sorts of magic that cannot possibly be connected in the way that Levitation and the creation of clouds could be. You do not seem to fully understand some of this magic yourself. What is the truth?’

You could have heard a pin drop. I felt rather than saw every member of audience lean forward as if they were afraid to miss my answer. ‘I steal,’ I said simply. ‘I am a thief and I can steal magic. That is my Gift.’

A twitch in his cheek was the only evidence he’d heard me. ‘You could steal my magic from me?’

I nodded then I focused on the invisible swirl within him. ‘You have the ability to teleport yourself,’ I said. I smiled in understanding. ‘And to learn any tongue should you so desire it.’

The demon rocked back and muttered quickly to the Fomori boss who gestured impatiently. The demon bowed in answer and looked back at me. ‘Show me,’ he demanded. ‘Show me how this works.’