Crowned (Beholder #4)(16)

“We’ve only spoken about the Sword,” I countered. “What about the secret of how to heal the gateways with hybrid magick? You promised that as well.”

“Gateways are evil,” growled Mlinzi. “No healing.”

“Evil or not, I need information about both the gateways and the Sword.”

Walinzi pursed her long lips. “And you may have both.”

I frowned. This negotiation was going far too easily. These two tricksters were up to something. “And you’ll give me all of that—both the Sword and the way to heal the gateways—in exchange for one memory.”

“Not exactly.” Walinzi raised a pair of fingers. “It would be two memories then.”

I suppressed a smile. We were negotiating terms now, and that was far more comfortable ground for me. “And for those two memories, I would get both the Sword and the way to heal the gateways with hybrid magick…without my dying in the process.” It was always very important to be clear in a negotiation.

“Yes, yes.” Walinzi rolled her eyes as if my clarifying were the silliest thing she’d ever encountered. I didn’t believe her act for a second.

“I want those memories back after I get the Sword.”

“Ungrateful little witch,” growled Mlinzi.

“Both memories.”

“Fine, fine,” said Walinzi. The satisfied gleam shone in her eyes. I didn’t like that look at all. It was as if I was about to make a huge error, and Walinzi couldn’t believe her good fortune.

An image popped into my mind—something from my talk with Amelia back at the lab. The Sword was in two pieces. “I want one memory for all parts of the Sword.” Perhaps there were more than two pieces.

Walinzi huffed. “That’s rather unreasonable. The Sword is in two pieces now. It could break down even more. We need one memory for each part of the Sword. Our services aren’t free, you know.”

So this was their game. Who knew how many memories they planned to take? If I weren’t careful, I might end up leaving here without knowing my own name. “Two memories for all parts of the Sword of Theodora and the secret of how to heal the gateways.” With this statement, Mlinzi and Walinzi began to hop around, so I raised my hand, palm forward. “And please, don’t bother to jump about in another display. A simple yes or no will do.”

The monkey gods ceased their jumping. It was a good thing, too, since all the movement was making me seasick. Mlinzi looked at his sister expectantly. For her part, Walinzi drummed her long fingers on her kneecaps for a few long moments. At last, she spoke again. “This is a horrid bargain, but yes, we agree to taking four memories for the Sword and truth.”

“Two memories.”

Walinzi tapped her chin. “Did I say four?”

“You did. It’s two.”

“My sister and I agree,” said Mlinzi. “Do you?”

I couldn’t believe the pair of them weren’t still trying to pull some kind of verbal trick on me. I narrowed my eyes. “And those memories will return after I find the Sword?”

“Yes,” said Walinzi smoothly. “And no one will be injured by the memories’ disappearance.”

My mind spun through every angle and loophole. I couldn’t find one. I’d made it clear that I wouldn’t be killing any gods for Mlinzi and Walinzi…And I did still need the Sword. “In that case, I agree.”

Mlinzi whooped, making more “oo-oo-ooo” noises. A low boom of thunder rolled over the jungle. The atmosphere became thick with the charged sense of magick. Black clouds appeared, covering up the pale orange sky. Mlinzi and Walinzi were about to cast their spell, and whatever it was, it would be huge.

Every instinct I had told me to cower. I couldn’t, though. I’d gotten this far without being seen as weak; I simply had to keep my features calm.

Suddenly, orange lighting bolts jutted down from the clouds. One by one, they formed a circle around me. Instead of a quick flash, each bolt remained in an arc that dug into the ground, churning up stones and earth as it let off shower of tiny sparks. More and more of these little points of light filled the air, until I couldn’t see anything else. The sparks then settled on my skin, but they didn’t burn me. It took everything I had not to scream.

At this point, I considered that fact an accomplishment. Soon the sparks covered me in a glowing sheen of orange-hued brightness.

A pair of lightning bolts flashed right into my eyes. I could almost feel the sparkling fingers rooting around my head, finding the two memories, and ripping them out. My head turned woozy. White spots filled my vision. A sheen of sweat broke out over my skin. What memories were taken from me?

“Enough,” cried Mlinzi and Walinzi together.

The sparks faded. The lightning bolts fully burrowed into the earth, disappearing from view. The dark clouds rolled away. Once again, two suns burned in a pale orange sky. Mlinzi and Walinzi had cast a spell without using incantations. Interesting. Magick must work differently in this world.

I looked down to find myself wearing my Necromancer robes. These were ones that marked me as a Grand Mistress. I frowned. What were they up to? They wouldn’t change my clothing without a purpose.

“What memories did you take from me?” I gestured across my robes. “And why am I dressed this way?”