Sea Spell (Waterfire Saga #4)(41)

“Defeated?” Orfeo echoed contemptuously. “Hardly. Abbadon went into the Carceron because I told it to.”

“What?” Astrid said, stunned. “I thought Merrow and the other mages drove the monster into the prison.”

“They believed they did. Which is exactly what I wanted.”

“I—I don’t understand.”

“Abbadon was my greatest creation. I used everything I had—my magic, my learning—to conjure it. I needed it to march on the underworld,” Orfeo explained. “I knew the other mages would try to stop me, even if it meant killing me. I didn’t care about my own survival—I’d learned how to cheat death—but I had to ensure Abbadon’s. I had to protect it.”

Astrid’s pulse quickened. Did the monster have a weakness? She had to find out what it was. But she’d have to proceed carefully.

“How?” she asked lightly.

“By creating a refuge for it,” he replied. “A place where it could sleep, but not die, in case my plans failed. When I was nearly ready to unleash it, I changed the Carceron’s lock. It had been created to accommodate my old talisman—Eveksion’s emerald. One night, I altered it to accept my new talisman—the black pearl. But the other mages soon discovered what I’d done, and—”

“They weren’t happy about it,” Astrid cut in.

Orfeo smiled. “You could say that. They’d learned of my other activities as well.”

“You mean your…” Dare she say it? “…sacrifices. The people you offered to the death goddess, Morsa.”

Orfeo raised an eyebrow. “My, my. Someone’s done her homework.”

Astrid worried that she’d gone too far and he would stop talking. But he continued relating his tale with relish, as though he’d been waiting centuries to tell it.

“Yes, my sacrifices. The mages tracked me down to Morsa’s temple. They tried to get me to come out. When I refused, they battered the doors down. They had seen Abbadon and vowed to kill it, so I ordered Abbadon to kill them, and anyone else who opposed me. The mages fought hard. They used all their magic. During an unguarded moment, when I was trying to catch my breath, Merrow attacked me with her sword, rather than a spell, and dealt me a mortal blow. Or so she thought.”

Astrid believed she knew how Orfeo had survived. Could she get him to admit it?

“It was Morsa’s talisman, wasn’t it? That’s what saved you. You used a pearl to hold your soul. Just like Horok does.”

“The student will soon overtake her teacher,” Orfeo said, admiration in his voice. “Yes, Astrid, I did. And then Merrow ripped Morsa’s pearl from my neck and used it, and the other talismans, to open the Carceron. She thought she was so powerful….” He shook his head at the memory. “But she and the others could never have forced the monster into the prison by themselves. I was the one who told it to go in. I spoke to it from the pearl, telling it to sleep, to be safe. Promising I would come for it one day.”

“The mages believed they’d put an end to Abbadon,” Astrid said, amazed. “Instead, they preserved it for you until you could gather the talismans.”

Orfeo nodded, smiling with pride. “It has taken time. Merrow threw the black pearl into the Qanikkaaq. Had it not been for a greedy fish, and an even greedier Viking, I might still be inside the maelstrom.”

“How did you create Abbadon?” Astrid pressed.

“Now, my dear, that must stay a secret. If no one knows what the monster is made of, no one can kill it.”

“I would never tell anyone. Not after what you’ve done for me,” Astrid lied.

Orfeo’s mood changed abruptly; Astrid felt the eyes behind his glasses boring through her. “Do you think I’m a fool, child? I wouldn’t have survived for four thousand years if I was. I know that you’ve come to take my pearl—or at least try to—and carry it back to your friends.”

Astrid’s cheeks burned. He’d seen right through her clumsy attempt to glean information. What had ever made her think she could trick him?

“You’re loyal, and I admire that,” Orfeo said. “But soon those loyalties will be tested. You’ll have to make a choice between your friends and me. That’s your answer, Astrid. That’s why I summoned you. You’re here to choose. Choose your friends, and you choose defeat. Choose me, and you choose victory, power, and immortality. Alma and I, together with you, our descendant, our daughter, will begin the world anew. You’ll become a great mage, too, second only to myself. No one, and nothing, will equal our might.”

“That’s not going to happen, Orfeo. I’ve made my choice.”

“Have you?” Orfeo said enigmatically. He ran a hand over a row of giant conch shells on one of his shelves.

“Yes, I have. I—”

“Sing, Astrid.”

“What?” Astrid said, caught off-balance.

“Sing.”

She shook her head. “I see where you’re going, but it won’t work. So just kill me and get it over with.” Astrid sounded a lot braver than she felt.

“Kill you?” Orfeo echoed, recoiling. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re free to leave here anytime you like.”

“I am?” Astrid was so surprised, she didn’t know whether to believe him or not.