The Lost Rainbow Mage: Complete Trilogy Edition, page 50
Even without Lucian’s mark, my power was throttled.
Knowing why was half the battle, really.
“Lie down hand in hand.” The voice answering me didn’t come from Twain but from Warren. The air around him seemed to shimmer as he strode forward, as if he gave off electricity or energy simply by being.
“Lie down. Craven and I will stand, one at each of your feet, and Lexi will stand between your heads. She will be the bridge, and Craven and I will be your anchors.” He looked at Craven. “You stand at Meira’s feet, okay? You two have built up somewhat of a rapport.”
Craven looked at me and nodded, but she swallowed, and although the movement was slight, I spotted it. And the glance she sent at Twain. Something about Twain made Craven nervous.
“Twain.” Warren spoke again. “In the event that any of your dark magic should leak, I’ll absorb it. I’m your anchor. That means I’ll have hold of you, and you should take hold of me in return. Reach out with your mind and connect.”
Craven swallowed again. This wasn’t just dangerous for Twain and me, then. It was dangerous for all of us standing in this room, although particularly those of us directly involved in the ritual.
I had some experience with shadow, and it had been lethal. If my small amount could kill a man, what could Twain’s do? Level a country?
“I’ll guide you to your connection, then I’ll speak the ritualistic words,” Lexi said as we lay on the floor and she stepped into the space between our heads.
Craven and Warren both took their places at our feet.
“How do you know the words?” Twain asked. “The book is at my house. I told you that.”
“Yours isn’t the only book in existence.” There was something harsh and almost cruel about Warren’s smile, and in another situation, I wouldn’t have been sure I liked or trusted him, but he had Coop’s faith, and this was definitely not the moment to start asking questions. “This is very old magic, child,” he continued, and I became less certain about his age, although he looked no more than ten years older than Coop.
Twain closed her eyes, pressing her lips together as well at his scathing tone, and some degree of frustration seemed to seep between us. Our hands were joined, and Lexi stood tall next to our heads.
“Close your eyes,” Lexi started, and I allowed mine to flutter close. “Imagine yourselves standing somewhere peaceful, enjoying the sound of a babbling brook. You have each other, your hands are joined, you are one. You share everything. You share your sight and your hearing, your talents and abilities. You share your magic. Feel it passing between you now.”
At her words the hand in Twain’s grew warm, and electricity flared up my arm.
Twain yelped and tried to reclaim her hand from mine, fighting to loosen the hold, but Lexi rested her hand over our clasped ones.
“Semper eadem,” she whispered, and Twain stopped fighting, instead becoming so relaxed that she could have almost been asleep.
Her breathing regulated, and I cracked open an eye, watching as Warren swayed.
He brought a hand to his head. “Her magic. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. And this is just a trickle, a tiny part of her power. A torrent would kill men dead before they could even think about it.”
I shivered at his words. If the smallest portion of Twain’s power affected Warren like this, how would I handle it when it was allowed to flow freely between us?
I opened my mouth to ask the question, but I never got the chance. Before I could speak any words at all, a huge booming sound rocked the building and plaster dust rained onto us from the ceiling.
Lexi’s hand tightened around ours and her sudden fear crackled in the air.
“They’re here,” she said.
eighteen
Coop acted immediately, pressing an emergency button on the wall, and a stream of people filed through the doors, each of them heading to a different section of the room and grabbing a different weapon.
“What about Greta?” I could barely hear myself in the chaos, but Coop appeared by my side.
“Aaron’s got her.”
“Aaron? Dog guy?”
Coop lifted an eyebrow. Then he seemed to read the expression on my face, and he nodded. “Dog guy,” he confirmed. “He’s taken her down the tunnels, which come out far enough away that anyone focused on the fort won’t want to be in two places.”
In the back of my mind, I dimly registered that he referred to his base, his place where he had amassed his army, as the fort.
Coop’s fort. It had a nice ring to it.
“Where are they?” Coop looked around for Edwin.
“I’ll check.” Edwin disappeared and Lexi shifted into a hummingbird, becoming little more than a dart of color as she flew away, twisting between busy people before soaring above their heads and out of the door.
I looked around for Twain, suddenly adrift as Coop moved away, shouting orders and giving instructions to the people who kept flooding into the room. Some of the people exited again, apparently enacting a well-rehearsed maneuver, only this time it wasn’t a drill.
Another boom sounded, and more plaster flakes drifted from the ceiling.
“They’re trying to get in, now.”
The room fell silent at the panic in the woman’s cry, and Coop made his way through the crowd before turning to face everyone.
There was something attractive in the confidence and competence he was exhibiting now, like he’d been born to lead in a situation like this.
Twain moved beside me, slipping her hand into mine. “They’re just light mages, remember?”
I nodded, but I’d seen what they could do the night they’d abducted me from the government facility where I’d first been held. They’d killed guards and trained government operatives as though they were no more than fragile wooden dolls they were stepping on.
“Places, everyone,” Coop yelled, his words like some sort of battle cry as his people roared in response. “Let’s finish this today.”
I squeezed Twain’s hand. “What do we do?”
She glanced at me, her face grim. “I think we wait. We’re end game.”
Anxiety beat a graceful pair of wings inside me. We hadn’t been told what to do and didn’t have a plan.
But it seemed that Twain was right as the room emptied of nearly everyone.
Coop turned to us. “Maybe you should just wait here.”
I nodded to agree with him, but Twain squeezed my hand. Apparently, there would be no waiting. I wasn’t even sure how I knew that because I hadn’t thought it exactly. Not in the usual way I planned things out in my head.
He narrowed his eyes, and I got that mind-reading feeling again, like he knew the direction of my thoughts without me saying a single word.
“Stay put.” He glanced between us. “I have to go.” There was apology in his voice, and I started toward him but he stepped away. “I’ll see you soon.” Now the apology had been replaced by promise.
He left the room without looking back, and Twain turned to me. “Where’s the highest point of this place?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea. It’s always been cloaked and I’ve only ever been down here, inside.” I shrugged. “Maybe there is no high point?”
She scoffed. “The lookouts see trouble approaching from somewhere. We need to be wherever they are.”
We headed for the steps that led outside, and I drew shadow around us. “Why did you let me do this the other day when your command of shadow is so much better?” I asked.
It was true. The shadows formed around me almost effortlessly now that we were connected again, now that I could draw on Twain’s power.
I barely had to think about it.
She shrugged. “I wasn’t sure I wanted you to know what I could do.”
That was fair. I wouldn’t have been ready to learn everything I’d been told earlier while we were hiding in an alley outside Twain’s house.
I wouldn’t have believed any of it, anyway. I might even have run.
This world was far scarier than even the hand-to-mouth existence I’d led before I’d moved to Sweetwater. That had just been hard. This was dangerous.
An image of Greta flickered into my head. Hopefully, she was safely away from here now and baking cookies with Mrs. Avery. When this was all over, I’d bake cookies with her any time she wanted.
“Come on.” Twain tugged my hand.
Mist swirled around us, colored hues shimmering through it as though it was pearlescent.
“Well, this isn’t exactly a natural phenomenon.” She grimaced.
“But maybe we can use it.” I reached out with my thoughts, searching for the strands of light, and when I found them, joy spread through me.
I opened myself to the mist, drawing some of it into me, and I swirled the rest as though I was creating a cotton candy swirl.
“Shall we just make our own watchtower?” I murmured.
Twain grinned. “I like the way you think.”
It was a bittersweet reply, and my throat tightened.
The light-filled mist gathered underneath us, lifting us higher, and Twain called forth shadow to try to obscure what we were doing, but from somewhere in front of us, a shout went up.
“It’s the split!” There was silence for a moment, then, “Both of them! It’s both of them! Get Lucian!”
My entire body chilled. Lucian was here and he wanted Twain. Or me. Or both of us.
Of course he was here. This was as much his war as it was Coop’s.
His laugh filled the air around us, and it was dark and menacing and hollow.
Twain tensed. “Is that the guy?”
I nodded. “He’s really dangerous. Don’t let him touch you.”
She laughed. “He won’t get close enough to touch me. Not now that I have all of this lovely new power we share.”
She flexed a little and the power inside me responded, tugging through our joined hands.
I grinned, but her confidence made me nervous. I’d seen what Lucian could do. I knew what he’d already done to me, what he’d done to Alice and what he’d also done to Greta.
The mist in front of us cleared, and Lucian stood in the space he’d created.
“Aww, look,” he said. “Meira’s all back together again. Your mother always was a pathetic bitch. She couldn’t cope with your power and didn’t know what to do with it. Well, now I have two of you instead.”
“Yep, we’re a regular BOGO,” Twain called, and I glanced at her, almost grinning as she taunted him.
Instead of replying or even reacting to what she’d said, he threw his hand out in a lazy gesture.
The structure made of light that we were standing on rocked.
“Oh, Meira.” He sounded almost sad. Clearly no one has taught you your craft. So much power and not a clue what to do with it. You could be deadly if you could control your gift.”
I shuddered. I didn’t want to be deadly. “I don’t want to be like you,” I shot back, then I pressed my lips together. I didn’t want to engage with him, either.
“What’s the plan?” Twain asked.
I shrugged, unsure for a moment.
Then I knew. We both knew.
“Stop him getting inside,” we muttered together.
I didn’t want Lucian anywhere near Coop or the other innocent people Coop had rallied to fight for his cause.
This wasn’t even really Coop’s responsibility. It should never have been his war.
Lucian was a light mage. A light mage needed to defeat him.
It was down to Twain and me.
Or just me, depending on how I saw the situation.
“It’s definitely my fight too,” Twain said, and her jaw set in that familiar way.
I nodded as Lucian rocked our structure again.
“I’ve got this.” Twain threaded shadow through the shimmering mist, and we stabilized again.
“It won’t be enough. We can’t just stay up here.” I couldn’t let Lucian lose interest in us and go after Coop.
Even if he didn’t lose interest, he’d probably go after Coop just to draw us out.
“Come down here and fight me,” he jeered. “Or do you just intend to watch as I kill all of your friends?” He smiled. “You’ve seen that before, haven’t you, Meira? Perhaps you liked it…”
Memories of what he’d done to Kiran filled my mind, and I almost leapt down from where Twain and I stood.
“Come down,” Lucian ordered again.
I glanced at Twain. “While I’m not usually one to do something just because a man told me to, I think it might be time to face him.”
Instead of her usual grim expression, she looked serene, her face free of worry. The same feeling flowed through our bond. What would be would be.
But I’d protect Coop and Greta at all costs.
Lucian was too dangerous not to fight while I had the chance.
While I had his invitation, in fact.
And I was whole here now, with Twain.
Around us, shouts and cries tore through the air, but I couldn’t tell which side was winning and which was losing people.
I stepped from the last swirl of mist, and stood in front of Lucian, the difference in our heights now obvious. Twain stood beside me, and together we faced him.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I’d seen one too many movies where the villain was allowed to monologue, and I wasn’t about to stand around and listen while Lucian laid out his masterplan to end the world.
Instead, I concentrated and drew as much shadow into me as I could hold, until I felt dizzy from the darkness now inside me.
I’d killed someone the first time I’d been overtaken by fear and darkness, but now I had a measure of control I hadn’t back then. Perhaps Twain had brought me that.
I shrieked and released the darkness as a double-ended spinning blade toward Lucian, my rage carrying it toward him.
He put out a hand to deflect it, but not before it sliced cleanly through his neck.
His head rolled across the floor even as the redirected blade hurtled toward Twain and embedded itself into her chest.
At the impact, it dissolved into dark gray smoke, swirling over her like a shroud.
Her red blood welled from the wound, spilling over her and mingling with Lucian’s blood, where his bubbled and frothed on the ground.
“Twain!” I fell to my knees at the side of her, frantically calling for light. I could heal. I could fix this and make her better.
I pressed my hands against her, desperately pushing the light into her, trying to do for her what I’d done for Lexi, but nothing happened until a thin trickle of power seeped back toward me.
“No.” The word was hoarse as it escaped me. “Twain, your power.” It was faster now, pouring into me like a torrent, leaving Twain still and quiet.
As I shuddered with the last pulses of her power, she began to desiccate into dust that floated on the gentle breeze that whipped up around us.
“Meira?”
I didn’t turn at my name or at Coop’s voice.
“Twain,” I said instead.
“It’s all you now,” he replied. “Twain was impossible. She didn’t really exist. She never was but she always will be.”
I swallowed against a sob, determined not to lose my control out here.
“Lucian.” My voice cracked on his name.
“You got him. He won’t be back. Warren is going to come out here and neutralize his body. Just to be sure.”
“Could Twain have done this all along? Killed Lucian with her shadow?” I sifted my fingers through the shimmering dust that was all that was left of my split, and my heart grieved for the half of myself that had been granted its own existence.
I turned in time to see Coop shake his head. “I don’t know,” he answered. “We’ll never know because she hid. I’m not sure she was programmed to do anything else. I don’t know enough about splits and how they work. Warren told me it’s an ancient magic not commonly used anymore.” Coop chuckled, but it was dry. “I think he’d almost like to meet the mage responsible, have a dick measuring contest.”
I nodded and tried to return his amusement, but there was too much else in my head to fully appreciate humor right now.
Coop’s tone changed immediately, like he knew. “Meira?” He was gentle now. “Some of the light mages were captured and held during the battle.”
“They’re not all dead?” I didn’t know why I’d expected Coop’s army to kill without conscience the way that Lucian had intended to, but that was what the idea of war suggested.
“One of them’s asking for you,” Coop continued without directly acknowledging my question.
“A light mage? One of Lucian’s followers?” That was a surprise. There had surely been no love lost between me and any of them, especially after I’d run away with Greta after releasing their supernatural prisoners.
And that was before I considered the kinds of things Lucian might have been saying about me. After all, I’d been running from the members of the commune like I was a fox and they were the hounds on my tail.
I’d been little more than prey to them.
“If you don’t want to see him, that’s okay. If you do, I’ll come with you.”
I stroked my fingers through the dust that had once been Twain one last time and stood. “I’ll see him.” Maybe we could learn something useful about Lucian or the commune.
No information would be too late, especially if any of the commune members had escaped to regroup. We’d just created a void.
I didn’t look in the direction of Lucian’s body, but Coop saw me do that.
“I’ll have someone take care of it.”
I nodded as I fell into step beside him, a strange mix of power and emptiness inside me. I was more than I’d been before, but I’d suffered unexpected loss to achieve it.
Twain hadn’t even been separate, though. She’d been me. And now I was whole again, but the idea was so abstract that the person I’d been talking to hadn’t really existed in her own right.
