The Shadowglass (The Bone Witch, #3)(106)

I threw myself forward, my mind colliding with hers, but as before, she evaded me with practiced agility, as elusive as fog.

The magic took hold, swirling around the bezoar. Rays of light burst forth, and we all stumbled back. Only Kalen remained unmoved, his eyes locked on Althy’s regretful gaze, even as she continued to attack, and he continued to shield us. “This isn’t happening,” I heard Likh whimper behind me.

Druj’s spell had prematurely willed the akvan to life, and it was angry. The stone vanished abruptly, and the newly formed daeva clawed its way out from the retreating waves. It was a terror, and the heaviest of all the daeva; an elephant-like abomination with a mouth made entirely of tusks and teeth. It lumbered toward us, but the azi was quick to wing its way between us, its three heads primed for violence. It hit the ground between its daeva kin and me, tail lifted and swinging. The akvan ducked, agile despite its bulk and, oddly enough, shied away.

“We have no need to fight, Tea,” Druj said. “We share the same goals.”

“I cannot condone what you’ve done!” The idea that she would deliberately put innocent people to the blight—the idea that Altaecia could have put Likh to the blight!—made reconciliation impossible. “Get out of here!” I rasped at Likh, who was already dragging the unconscious Khalad away.



Altaecia was as skilled as Kalen; she had decades of experience on her side. While Kalen deflected her attacks, she gave him little time to muster up his own offenses. The older asha never let up, peppering him with fire, lightning, ice. “Don’t make us do this, Althy,” he said, as close to begging as I had ever seen him.

“Our lives are inconsequential in the grand scheme of the Creator’s plans, Kalen. The Dark ashas’ short life spans have always been their punishment. We will save Mykaela. We will complete the shadowglass with your help or without.”

“But all the people you murdered!”

“What of it? I cried many nights over Polaire, Kalen, but her death will not change my mind. If you will not yield, then you will meet her very soon.”

The azi showed none of the hesitation the akvan displayed. With its three heads lunging and snapping, it advanced. But the other daeva avoided its blows. The akvan willingly relinquished ground.

My mind continued to struggle toward Druj, only for her to counter and dodge in much the same way. The akvan concentrated mainly on defense, Mykaela told me once. But at the hands of someone as powerful as the oracle, it was difficult to best the beast, even with the azi, the strongest of all the daeva.

“We could be very powerful together,” Druj said. “I can show you how to become the most powerful woman in the Willows—in all the kingdoms.”

“Do the elder asha know your secret?” I demanded.

“No. The oath of the oracle is a much different path from an asha. For as long as I continue to provide counsel, the elders take little interest in my affairs. They are not a group to question custom or tradition. They believe I have no power beyond the walls of my temple, yet many of my steadfast followers—like Altaecia—are eager to carry out my orders without question. The elders have no inkling of how much we have accomplished under their noses.”

“You personally inflicted people with the Blight rune.”

“An unfortunate necessity. A secret passed down from the first oracle, should another Dark asha prove too intractable. In the past, such insubordinations were taken care of quietly, without drawing attention. But with the time for shadowglass close at hand, I no longer see the need to hide.”

They killed asha, I thought. They used Blight to kill Dark asha who knew the truth but spurned their offers. I redoubled my efforts, the azi lurching forward. It paid off, and two of the three heads found daeva flesh, biting into the akvan’s neck.

The akvan wailed, but one of its tusks pierced the azi’s hide, preventing it from retreating. The azi struggled, but it was too strong. I pushed back, frantically searching for another way to disentangle it from the akvan. Without thinking, I drew my knife.



And then, to my shock, I threw it in Kalen’s direction. He whirled, deflecting the unexpected attack with another Shield, but his distraction was costly. One of Altaecia’s cutting winds sliced at him, and he stumbled backward, gasping for breath as blood pooled from his stomach.

“No!” I was immobile, compelled without my knowing it. I couldn’t move my hands, my feet. Druj spoke again, but this time she was the only voice inside my head.

I have been doing this for a very long time, Tea, she murmured. I have been given instruction by teachers greater than Aenah or Usij. Did you think you could overcome me so easily?

The azi slipped from my grasp and collapsed. The akvan continued to wrap itself around its brother, rumbling.

Kalen was down on one knee, his hand pressed against his midsection. “Tea,” he rasped. Altaecia stood over him with one hand raised over his head, her face sorrowing. “Don’t listen to them.”

There is still time. Pledge yourself to me, and I will promise to heal Kalen. I will promise to keep him safe from what follows.

“Listen to her, Tea,” Altaecia said. “We can do more as allies than enemies, and I do not wish to kill any more friends today.”

“Did you kill Sakmeet?” I demanded.

“Does it matter?”

“You killed her.” Althy’d betrayed us from the very start. “You were never a friend,” I spat.