Crowned (Beholder #4)(49)

I hadn’t heard Nan, Jicho, and Mrefu enter the temple, but then again, I hadn’t been paying much attention to anything but Spirit-Rowan. Now, I could sense them steal up to stand beside me. My gaze skipped between each of their faces. “You knew this was coming, didn’t you?”

“You are being tested,” said Jicho. “I’ve seen it from the beginning.”

“Everyone who steps into the temple is given a choice,” added Nan. “You must do what’s right.”

I stared at the blade in the wall, my mind whirling through options and plans. Back on the MAJE, Nan had said she came here before to be tested. And Jicho had said that Rowan would want what was best for me. Was Rowan’s own brother asking me to kill him?

“I can’t kill my mate,” I said simply.

“But I’ve seen you take up the blade,” said Jicho. “You kill Rowan’s spirit here in this temple. I hate it, but it’s what has to happen.”

“Don’t forget, that’s what Rowan’s soul wants too,” added Nan.

Mrefu added his thoughts into the mix. “Kila Kitu trusted you to do what is right. Promise your life or Rowan’s. Set the hilt onto the blade and the magick will release it. It’s the only way to recharge the gateway and prevent Viktor’s invasion.”

When I spoke again, my voice was a hoarse whisper. “No.”

“But I want you to do this,” pleaded Spirit-Rowan. “My conscious self knows nothing, yet my soul realized what must be done. That’s what the Sword has always been purposed for. Look around you.”

For the first time, I really scanned my surroundings. The dolly-mechs stood in clusters of three. In each case, it was the same two figures who knelt on the ground. My eyes widened with recognition.

There were many Eleas who were not me.

And many Viktors who were not Viktor.

In all, there were hundreds of variations of our face and body. Kila Kitu said this had happened for thousands of years. How many of us had died for the Sire and Lady?

Behind each kneeling pair stood another figure in a long bronze cloak, the hood drown low to hide their face.

“I see you still do not believe,” said Spirit-Rowan. “Show her.”

With those words, the dolly-mechs came to life. With a series of clicks, all the versions of me and Viktor bowed their heads. The figure behind them raised a bronze version of the Sword of Theodora high.

That person was the executioner.

And in this moment, Spirit-Rowan wanted that executioner to be me.

My heart railed against the idea. I gripped the hilt more tightly in my palm. “I told you. I will make this Sword whole again.” I stalked up to the wall and set the hilt against the base of the blade. It slipped into place with a soft click. After that, I tried to pull the Sword from its holding place in the wall. For the trickster’s spell to be broken, I needed to filly grasp the sword

And so I tried.

And tried.

My fingertips became bloody with the effort. I wouldn’t give up, though. Closing my eyes, I summoned fresh magick into my body. I couldn’t cast a spell, but enhancing my strength never needed an incantation. Back on the farm, I’d used magick to help chop wood and scare off suitors. Now, I’d use the same power again, only to end this insane cycle. Within seconds, the bones in my arms glowed with indigo-colored light.

Perfect.

Raising my fists high, I slammed them against the stone, bronze, and wood of the gateway. Blue sparks exploded everywhere. For a time, there was nothing but my fury, the Sword, and the gateway.

CRASH!

Great cracks formed in the arch. The Sword was still intact, but the gateway was splintered. Gears that had lain flat against the wall now sat at odd angles. Spirit-Rowan’s body glowed more brightly than ever before.

Then he disappeared.

Panic streamed through my limbs. “Rowan!”

As if in response, white spirals of magick came to life under the gateway. I gasped. Viktor. Had he been waiting here this entire time, looking for his chance to strike?

Beams of pearlescent light poured out from the gateway, twisting across the floor like so many snakes. The sense of magick became so thick, the air sparkled with its power. Quick as a whip, the cords of bright light wound Nan, Mrefu, and Jicho. The three froze in place for a moment. After that, they all collapsed to the ground. I rushed over and checked them.

All of them were in an enchanted sleep.

Another flare of white light pulsed from the gateway. Sure enough, a tall man appeared on the other side. Like always, he had lean features and dark robes. My insides twisted with fear and hate.

Viktor was here.

I wanted to tell him a thousand things. How he’d made so many mages suffer with his experiments. What he’d done to my life with his insane curse. That he had no right to touch Rowan’s soul. The only thing I got out was a single word. “You.”

“Yes, me.” Viktor’s lean features twitched with rage. “That was a rather entertaining scene. I enjoy watching you fret over nonsense. You want to know a secret?”

“No.”

“Ah, but you’re lying. Do you know how I can tell?”

I shook my head. Still, a burst of white mist poured out from the gateway, settling against my skin to encase me in a thin sheen of magick. My body froze. I could no longer leave the spot or look away. It was another form of possession spell, just like what had been cast on Echo, only this one controlled only my body but not my mind.