Luna was standing next to my body, now. She was trying to pull the fateweaver out of my hands, struggling with her one good arm. Starbreeze had joined her, heedless of the pain, and Luna was shouting silently, her face frantic. ‘Interesting,’ Abithriax said. ‘She’s worked it out. I think I’ll keep her, if she doesn’t make too much trouble … Where was I? Oh yes. First I took revenge on my betrayers in the Light Council. It took them quite some time to realise what was happening. They’d kill my wielder, but then they’d take the fateweaver for themselves, and of course I’d just start all over again.’ Abithriax shook his head. ‘And yet even when the last few figured it out, they couldn’t bear to destroy me. All that power, you see. So they built me this tomb and sealed me away, hoping to find a way to take my power for themselves. And eventually they stopped coming and I was left to wait out the years, alone in the dark.’
I was struggling to move, but couldn’t. I wasn’t panicking yet, but things were looking bad. Abithriax was talking to me the way you do to someone who’s not going to be around long enough for it to matter.
‘And then you came,’ Abithriax said. ‘I hadn’t expected it to be this easy. But perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. It may have been two thousand years, but mages haven’t changed. Power, power, power.’ Abithriax took a final glance back at Luna and Starbreeze, and nodded to himself. ‘Well, we’d better get on with it.’
Abithriax placed his hand flat against my chest. For a moment nothing happened, then I felt a draining sensation, as if the strength was flowing out of me and into the man — the ghost — in front of me. I fought against it, trying to pull it back. ‘There’s no point resisting,’ Abithriax said calmly. ‘Each time you used my powers you granted me more of a hold. If you’d fought me from the instant you picked me up you might have had a chance, but it’s far too late now.’
Starbreeze was still trying to pull the fateweaver away, with no success. Luna was standing in front of me, and I could see she was crying. I could make out the silver mist of her curse clearly, its tendrils soaking into Starbreeze, but curling away from my body. ‘There’s no need to be afraid, Verus.’ Abithriax’s voice was reassuring. ‘I looked into your memories, and isn’t this what you always wanted? To be powerful enough that you needn’t be afraid any more? Soon you’ll be the most powerful mage in the world. Well, it won’t exactly be you. But you’ll still be in there, watching everything that happens.’ Abithriax paused. ‘At least, I think so.’
Abithriax’s voice was getting stronger, and I realised it was starting to sound like mine. He was taking over my mind, and soon he’d have the rest of me as well. My strength had been drained so far now that if I hadn’t been paralysed, I wouldn’t even have been able to stand. All I could do was look at Luna and taste despair. Oh Luna, I’m sorry. All this way, and this is how it ends. I don’t want to think about what this man’s going to do with you once I’m gone, but I can’t stop him. He’s going to win, and there’s nothing I can do …
The light seemed to be fading, but I knew it wasn’t the light that was going, it was my vision. Because of that, it took me a moment to notice what was different about Luna and, when I did, I would have blinked if I could. The silvery mist around her was changing to gold. She was standing close to me, head down as if praying.
‘Goodbye, Verus,’ Abithriax said, and he was smiling. ‘I’ve never known exactly what this feels like, but I don’t think it’ll hurt.’ But I don’t very much care if it does, his eyes added.
Behind Abithriax’s back, Luna placed her good hand on my body’s shoulder, pulled herself up on tiptoes, and kissed me.
The golden light around Luna seemed to flash, then jumped into my body. To me, it felt like being struck with a bolt of energy. I felt Abithriax’s hold on me slip, and all of a sudden I was free, my strength rushing back. I staggered, and Abithriax jerked in surprise, staring at me. For a moment he hesitated.
I didn’t. Before Abithriax could react I’d caught his wrist, twisted, and come in behind him, my arm locked around his throat. Abithriax choked. ‘Surprise,’ I snarled into his ear.
‘What-?’ Abithriax gasped. ‘How did-?’
‘That was an interesting talk, Abithriax,’ I said, my voice shaking with anger. ‘I was paying very close attention. You said I might have a chance if I’d fought you from the beginning? Let’s find out.’
Abithriax was struggling desperately, but I was stronger and better trained. I brought up my other arm, changing my grip to a hammerlock, and I felt Abithriax struggle wildly as I cut off his air and blood supply. ‘You’ll kill us,’ Abithriax managed to gasp. ‘If I die — you-’
I tightened my grip and Abithriax’s voice trailed off in a gurgle. ‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘I learn fast, you notice that? I think you’re lying again, and this time you’re not getting any more chances.’
Abithriax couldn’t speak any more. The side of his face that I could see was red, turning purple. He clawed at my arms, but I only tightened my grip further. Around me, the world was starting to blur, the corridor and Luna and Starbreeze going in and out of focus. ‘Goodbye, Abithriax,’ I snarled into his ear. ‘I don’t know if this’ll hurt, but I really hope it does.’
Abithriax made a last desperate attempt to get free, then went limp. All around me, reality seemed to unravel and fade to black.
When I woke up, I felt as though I’d just taken a long, relaxing nap. I would have liked to stay sleeping, but someone was calling my name and I had the feeling I ought to answer. I shifted slightly and let myself come awake.
‘Alex? Alex!’
I opened my eyes to see Luna’s face. ‘Oh,’ I said agreeably. ‘Hey.’
‘Alex!’ Luna looked like she’d been crying, and her face was drawn and pale, but she was desperately hopeful now. ‘It’s you?’
I yawned and looked up. ‘Hey, Starbreeze. You stuck around too?’
Starbreeze was floating a little way off, her face anxious. Luna looked back at her happily, then froze. She looked back at me, suddenly watchful. ‘Wait. How do we know it’s you?’
I smiled. ‘Good girl.’
Luna let out a breath and slumped back against the corridor wall. ‘It’s him.’
I looked to my right. The fateweaver was lying on the floor, an inert wand of ivory. Experimentally I tried to manipulate the futures ahead of me, and found I couldn’t. The power had gone with Abithriax. ‘By the way, what happened?’
‘What happened?’ Luna demanded. ‘I couldn’t move you, and Starbreeze couldn’t either, and she kept saying that it wasn’t you, and I didn’t know what was going to happen, and- You tell us what happened!’
I closed my eyes and couldn’t help but smile. ‘Let’s just say it’s good to have friends.’
We rested a little longer before I pulled myself to my feet. I reached down and picked up the fateweaver between thumb and forefinger. ‘Wait!’ Luna said in alarm.
‘Don’t worry,’ I said. The fateweaver was a wand of ivory again … for now. ‘I just think we should put things back where we found them.’
Starbreeze looked at me closely, then nodded in satisfaction. ‘Sleeping.’ She looked through the portal at the piece of night sky, hopefully. ‘Go?’
‘Soon,’ I said. I took a look up at the stars, then turned back. ‘Well, then.’ I gave Luna a grin. ‘I think we’ve got someone we need to go back for.’
Luna scrambled to her feet. It must have hurt her, but she was smiling. ‘You wait here,’ I said.
Luna shook her head, still smiling. ‘I think I’ll go back with you.’
‘Find someone?’ Starbreeze asked in interest.
I looked between the two of them, then laughed. I turned and started walking back down the corridor, and both Luna and Starbreeze followed. The power from the fateweaver had gone, but my magic hadn’t, and I could still tell where to find Sonder. I didn’t think it would take long.