Truth Seer Book Three, page 31
“Fine. Some treasure vault—” I was going in the wrong direction. “No. A ballroom.” I assessed this place again, turning on my foot. I shook my head. “I thought this place was a ballroom. It isn’t, is it? It’s some large function hall. But Raven’s ballroom would be bigger, badder, and way more imposing. Take me there. That’s where Raven would’ve given all of his speeches and shown people his power. I guarantee you Lord Omega’s there now.”
Remarkably, Beth didn’t question that assumption.
“I think I can orient. This way,” she snapped.
I followed, quick on her heels – or orb.
We ran out of one room into a wide, opulent corridor, then into the next.
Dusk settled rapidly.
I didn’t hear anyone in the mansion, nor were any lights on. I navigated from Beth’s glow alone. There were no voices outside. Maybe the staff went home for the night? More likely Lord Omega had spun in, kicked them out, or given them bonuses and sent them on their merry ways. It really depended on what relationship he had with the vampire trust.
“Beth, just how many people do you think we’ll fight? What if Lord Omega has every staff member here working for him? What if it’s an army—”
“Why have an army when you can just have Evan?”
I considered her question. I squeezed my eyes shut, breathed hard, and followed.
We struck a much wider corridor. It was so much fancier. Full-length portraits of vampires covered the walls. I stopped in front of one, guessing they were Vince’s distant relatives. The nose was perfect. The jawline and eyes were better. It was like staring at an older version of Vince. One with arrogance in his eyes.
“Don’t waste time,” Beth chastised me.
“It’s just that Vince must be close to this, after all—” I began.
“If there’s one thing you’ve learned, Harper, it should be to trust for a little longer.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Vince isn’t here to defend himself. He doesn’t even know we’re here. And by the sounds of it, Evan is likely presently attacking him. Vince saved you multiple times,” she counseled in a deep voice that made me flinch. “Don’t you think it’s time to cut him some slack and offer him the same grace he gives you?”
Chastised, I yanked my hair from my face, ran down the corridor, and stopped in front of an imposing door. Gilded, massive, painted a white-blue, and large enough to fit a troll driving a tank, I knew the ballroom waited beyond.
Every other time I’d fought Lord Omega, we’d done it outside. He fought with lightning. Something told me he could still command the weather inside this building.
He could probably command the building itself.
I might’ve spent the last hour pumping myself up, believing in my magic, and making oaths to it. Now I was here, I froze, fingers half outstretched to the handle.
It took Beth to thaw me. She nudged me. “Harper,” she whispered, “this is no time to doubt yourself.”
“This isn’t just Lord Omega. He’ll have Evan too. If he really has practiced sufficiently and can now attack random targets, he’ll take remote hostages—” My voice tightened.
“But you’ll fight him anyway.”
“What if that truth seer comes?”
Beth paused, but it wasn’t with indecision. “You will fight her too,” she said in a stronger but still quiet tone. “Because, Harper White, you will fight anyone. From me to Vince, to Lux, to banshees, to Lord Omega. If anyone dares get in the truth’s path, you’ll attack them until they stop. That is a universal constant, dear. Don’t question it. Open the door and see what you’ll face. And know this. No matter what, I will remain by your side.”
I stared at Beth. Questions hammered me. What if I was drained? What if she disappeared? What if the truth seer found some way to snap her connection to me? She promised to stick by my side, no matter what. But very few promises survive long.
I stared at her one last time. Then I did it anyway. No one could tell me I’d win. I wouldn’t believe them even if they tried.
I could only fight.
Chapter 30
I strode into the ballroom. Massive didn’t do it justice. It was enormous. Echoing too. The ceiling had to be five meters above. Everything was ornate, the walls carved, gilt mirrors covering them, making the space even bigger.
Massive French doors sat at the front of the room, half open to the dark moonlit grass beyond.
I ignored them. I stared across at the far end, facing a podium.
A man in a rough green woolen cloak stood there. Another man knelt by him, shoulders caved, head bowed.
Evan shook as magic surrounded him, a mandala spinning brightly. Lord Omega held Evan by the shoulder. Magic crackled continuously down through his fingers into Evan’s shaking body.
Lord Omega knew I was in the room. He didn’t turn until I got three steps closer. He lifted a hand like he couldn’t be bothered being distracted. “Wait your turn.”
“No. It’s your turn. I’ve had enough, Lord Omega. Stop attacking my friends.”
He slowly turned his head toward me. “And you’re friends with most of the Council, are you?”
Evan suddenly swore. Pain must’ve stabbed through his temples. He lurched forward, shaking. Blood splattered from his nostrils.
“Concentrate,” Lord Omega snapped. “Don’t let them get away. I’d help you. But you’re better at bulk life draining.” Lord Omega had no intention of helping Evan. It was easier to force his hand.
When Evan bucked against the spell, Lord Omega roared. He chanted some controlling word, and magic zipped from his fingers into Evan’s shoulder. The poor man fell closer to the spinning mandala. Burn marks covered his cheeks. His body shook.
This terrible sense filled the room – life-draining energy. It didn’t remain in the massive ballroom for long. It sank into the floor, along the plaster, and out through the open doors into the lawn. Every dark, shadow-encased blade of grass swung under the force.
“Don’t ignore me, Lord Omega. I’m here to fight you—” I began.
He clicked his fingers and pointed to the ceiling. “You haven’t reached me yet.”
“Want to bet?”
I pushed into a run but struck a wall of clean magic so strong and thick, it forced me to my knees. It winded me until sparks blasted through my eyes.
Lord Omega chuckled, inclining his head toward me briefly. “You’re strong, Harper. I’ll give you that. You relentlessly pursue the truth. But you’re not as strong as her. Few are.” His voice dipped low on the word her.
That wall of clean magic approached me. I’d never felt one of those truth-seer spells moving. Now this one swept toward me like a tidal wave. Maybe Beth felt it – more likely she read the situation. She tried to ram me. The spell struck her, and it froze her to the spot. She shivered in the air then lay still.
“Beth? Beth?” I shrieked. Nothing.
Lord Omega laughed. That single cowlick of sandy blond fringe darted out from underneath his hood as he grabbed Evan harder. “Not long now. Deplete the rest of the Councilmembers. Evan, you can do it. Evan, you will do it.” His voice squeezed the life out of will.
Evan crumpled but didn’t stop practicing his magic. And neither did the truth seer. She might not be in the room. She had full control of her spell.
It’d struck me only once. I became dizzy like someone shoved me on a fair ride and sent me spinning into outer space. A little blood splattered down my nose. I hadn’t even fought yet. She’d only freaking attacked once—
Twice.
The clean spell almost swept me off my feet as it struck me again. It forced my arms out wide. My head clicked to the side at an uncomfortable angle, and pain snaked down my back. I thumped onto my hip. Agony owned me.
I tried to move. The spell flattened me. It folded close from my feet up to my head, feeling like a steamroller.
I writhed and screamed. I think Evan muttered something. Lord Omega just laughed.
“I told you, Harper – you’re tenacious. You’re powerful. Yet you’re not as strong as her. No one is. She’s the greatest truth seer ever. You would’ve had a lot to learn from her. Now… I’m not entirely sure what to do with you. You will remain as my sacrifice. But you will not have quite the active role I once thought you would.”
“Screw you, Lord Omega,” I struggled to spit.
“You will learn your manners. Flatten her. Squeeze the blood out of her. Leave her as nothing more than a husk. As long as her heart beats faintly, I will be able to revive her,” Omega said dismissively, flopping his hand toward me.
No. Just in front of me.
The truth seer wasn’t in the room. Close but out of reach—
“A mirror spell,” I croaked. Bethany couldn’t confirm or deny my assertion. She remained frozen.
I longed to reach her – just had to. I couldn’t move.
The clean spell flattened me harder. I didn’t know how that worked. It wasn’t interacting with the floor, just me.
I was a truth seer; it was interacting with my magic. The single drop of my blood spinning over my hand confirmed that. It flattened like some great force struck it from above and below.
I already knew that certain practitioners could drain blood and magic from others. They could reach in and control folks’ hearts.
I couldn’t. This truth seer could.
But she was controlling my magic without my permission.
I stopped writhing. A mistake. The spell pinned me even harder than before. Alarm spiked through my body, begging me to buck, to hold on, to do something. I could do nothing but think as fast as possible.
The truth seer was manipulating my magic.
She shouldn’t be able to do that. My connection with my power should be strong enough to force her back. I’d made an oath to it, dammit, promising it everything – at least everything I thought it wanted.
But what kind of complex creature only wants one thing ? Usually you get it then search for the next thing. I wasn’t claiming my magic was alive – didn’t think it was as unique and multifaceted as a human being.
It was still something. And it wanted to achieve multiple things, just like I did.
It didn’t just want to be used. It didn’t just want to protect.
It was like it wanted to fill a void. Maybe within me – maybe within other things. A void only the truth could fill.
You can live a better life if you lie to yourself. Sometimes you can live a longer life. You can ignore your faults while smiling at the sun and ignoring the shadows. But it’s not a full life.
There’s freedom to be found in facts.
Maybe that’s what I really wanted. It wasn’t to be filled up but to be expanded. I wanted my walls to break, my boundaries to shatter. I wanted to know everything. Not because I needed all knowledge – because I needed to know it was there. I longed to pull back the veil of lies and face the real world.
That’s what my magic wanted.
The mere concept of pulling back a veil lessened the attack. The truth seer redoubled her efforts, and that rolling, crushing force pinned me harder—
Until I focused on the freedom within my blood.
This wasn’t calling to it, wasn’t using it, and certainly wasn’t manipulating it. I felt like I was finally aligned with it, vibrating on its frequency just as the truth seer tripled her attack. Blindingly painful force sank into my feet—
Before it could reach my head, I fought back.
It wasn’t an active fight. I didn’t leap to my feet and punch anything. I reclaimed my magic in a snap.
And trust me, something snapped. An echoing crack blasted through the room. I heard someone exhale like I punched them with a plane. The clean spell shattered.
Lord Omega roared and spun from Evan.
Omega must be pumping energy into Evan. The life drainer was using everything he freaking had. Without Lord Omega’s controlling touch, Evan crumpled onto his face. The spell immediately burnt him. The smell of singed flesh met the air.
“Dammit,” Lord Omega roared. “Truth Seer, you failed—”
“If you’re talking to me,” I rose to my feet menacingly, reached out to Bethany, and grabbed her before she could fall, “I haven’t failed. I haven’t even started.”
Evan was out. Lord Omega’s truth seer was down.
And the final fight was here.
Chapter 31
Lord Omega leapt off the podium. He flung his hands wide, spreading his fingers. They peeked out from his robe’s uneven hems. As soon as his fingers spread to their full width, the knuckles straining, lightning darted through the French doors, lurching toward him. It branched around him in a dangerous dance. The thundering cracks filled the room, my ears almost bleeding.
I stood my ground, Bethany held close, my other arm pressed hard against my side, my blood magic spinning within.
I only had one drop out. I needed two.
I pressed my fingers wide and called to another drop. It rose even freer than before with no hint of pain, with no resistance at all.
It rose, because it was free to do what it wanted.
That’s what the truth gave you. Lies might be fun and aggrandizing. Fantasy might distract you. The truth is the only force capable of setting you free.
“Lord Omega, you can’t freaking win. Not this time.” I lurched toward him.
He spun and faced me then swiped a hand forward. Eight branches of lightning shot from his fingers, coalesced into a single point, and powered toward me.
I couldn’t dodge. I fell to a knee, rammed my arm forward, believed in my truth blood, and squeezed. I created a shield. Back in the tunnels, my paltry shield hadn’t even survived one dog attack. Lord Omega was on a different level. My eyes widened, the lightning’s force illuminating my skin and dark pupils as it reached me. It slammed into my shield—
In a moment I’d never forget, it almost breached my barrier. I fought back.
I rose to my feet and shoved forward.
Lord Omega couldn’t speak. Then he roared. “You’ve got nothing, Harper. You’re a weak truth seer. You’re good as a sacrifice and nothing more.”
“Why don’t you use that other truth seer as a sacrifice. She’s close to you, isn’t she, Lord Omega? Who is she? I already know. She was Vince’s fiancée, wasn’t she?”
My assertion either fell on deaf ears, or was wrong. Lord Omega didn’t react. Why did I think I could hear the echo of a gasp though?
I was certain the truth seer was in the mirror spell version of this room. I didn’t have time to find it – let alone attack it. The truth seer was down anyway. Maybe she was conscious enough to still track the fight and gasp.
Lord Omega might not care. She did. And that confirmed everything.
“You can’t win,” Lord Omega roared.
“Try me. I’m a truth seer. I track facts. And pretending I can’t win is a lie.” I roared and shoved forward ten steps. I closed the distance between us by a quarter.
He simply called more lightning into the room. It now danced around him in the wildest display. It kept branching, forming small lightning strikes then joining back up again. The more it did, the more powerful it became. It spun and spun around him until it became blindingly bright. The floor beneath him cracked. The ceiling above started to melt. Drops of plaster rained down onto him. They didn’t even strike his cowl. I wasn’t as lucky.
A few splashed onto my feet and burnt through my shoes. I shrieked.
“Still so weak,” he said with echoing disappointment.
He lifted his hand, intending to attack the ceiling.
Bethany rose above me. “I’ve got this, Harper. I’ll be your shield. You be the sword.”
“He’ll hurt you—”
“Then you kick him in the teeth. Do it, Harper.”
I didn’t want to use her. Bethany was so much more to me than a tool.
But Bethany wanted to help.
We were in this together. Two partners. Two soldiers fighting the same war.
I couldn’t watch my head and my back at the same time as fighting Omega. He attacked the ceiling, melting it further. Molten drops rained down, but a pinging Bethany didn’t let a single one reach me. She spun, blasting into them. She couldn’t be burnt. With her assistance, neither could I.
I closed the distance between Lord Omega and me by half.
Then Omega attacked me with more branching lightning. I was close enough that my power started to lift the corners of his cowl. I saw a strong, almost memorable jaw. And I glimpsed its expression. His lips were pulled hard over his teeth, not in menace – but fear.
The mighty Lord Omega knew I had a chance to win.
“Even if you reach me, I’ll wrap my hands around you and use my life-draining force on you. You have no chance, Harper.”
“Evan is stronger than you. He couldn’t life drain me. What makes you think you can? You’re gathering other forbidden practitioners’ power. But you’re not as good as them, are you? You’re a measly copy, aren’t you? Someone who likes strength and grasps at it, but rather than get the true thing, you just get the appearance of it. It’s like this castle. It’s not actually that imposing. It’s using spells to fake it.”
He roared again. I got to him more.
He attacked me with lightning. I squeezed my true blood until I created an even brighter shield.
“Now,” Beth roared.
Now.
A panicked Lord Omega threw both hands toward the door and called down a massive strike of lightning, ten times larger than the one that darted around his body. If that struck me – or Beth – it’d be lights out for both of us.
I felt seconds raining through my fingers, trembling and turning to dust.
I squeezed my blood one last time, one last try.
I let my hand go.
Then I released the blood.
I wasn’t conscious of what I was doing. I was simply tapping into that free sense, using truth how it fundamentally wanted to be used.
I didn’t know what would happen if I let go of my blood for good. This wasn’t like with Lux. I wasn’t voluntarily giving it to someone else.
This… this was trust.
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