Chapter 445: What's The Plan?
Pacing, it turned out, might be great for letting out extra energy, but it did nothing to quiet my mind. It did do wonders for distracting me from what was important, though. Like the fact we were about to have visitors. If it wasn't for Charlotte's sudden rise in anxiety, I would have been caught completely flat footed. As it was, I barely had time to spin and lunge for the door before it opened and closed again, a large tray of food slid inside in record time before the way out was resealed against us.
Though my stomach ached with hunger, I refused to eat, not trusting what the sorcerers might have done to the food. That didn't stop Owen and Trill from helping themselves. To avoid temptation, I crossed to Charlotte and sat next to her, one hand on her shoulder. She seemed to calm under my touch as I fingered the crystal in my pocket.
And shook myself. "Owen," I held up the rock, glowing blue in the light, "can you free Charlotte with this?"
He stood, half a sandwich in one hand, mouth working around the other, frowning as he chewed. A long swallow later and he shrugged, reaching for the crystal. "I can try," he said as he knelt next to the weregirl, a sheepish smile on his face. "I should have thought of it before."
Whether she would hold a grudge or not remained to be seen. And anyway, if she'd be pissed at someone, it would be me.
His face scrunched up as he focused, the crystal pulsing in his hand, but after a moment he shook his head and handed it back. "I can feel the rock in tune with me," he said, "but something is keeping me from using it. There's a block on it, you know? Like whoever made it didn't want it used until they decided it was the right time."
Demetrius. I was going to kill him when I caught up with him. And I'd enjoy every second of his death.
From the glare in Charlotte's wolf eyes, I'd be fighting her for the honor.
"So can you just use your sorcery and get rid of it?" I waited and hoped, but knew before I asked he'd already tried.
"Whoever created this," he said, "I'm cut off from it. The metal is feeding on itself, in some kind of power loop. The crystal would give me enough boost to cut through, but I'm not strong enough without it and it's blocked." He gently patted Charlotte's shoulder. "I'm sorry."
I sagged to the floor, back against the bed, staring into space as I pondered. "Tell me more about creation magic," I said as Trill chased a mouthful with a gulp of water.
"You're lack of ability is what's wrong with modern magic," she said. "There's no balance. Magic can't be in proper harmony when one branch of it is avoided, ignored, reviled."
I found myself nodding slowly. "Makes sense." Now if only she could tell me how to convince my mother, the Council and every other witch on the planet. Especially when I knew the moment I cleared the shields and had access to my magic again, the old revulsion would come rushing back.
How had Ameline and Batsheva managed to break the geas? I'd just have to track them down and ask them.
They could join Demetrius in line once I was done asking questions.
"How am I going to convince every witch blood magic isn't worthy of a death sentence, but is a part of their power they need to bring balance to the world?" I shook my head, the weight of the task pushing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe. "And that sorcerers are the reason for our problems, magic users witches can't even feel?"
"There's more," Trill said, though I could tell she was trying to stay calm, a certain level of gloom hovered around her. "The sorcerers have their own version of creation magic. But theirs is aimed at total destruction."
Naturally. Things were just getting better and better, weren't they?
"Sorcery taps into the innate power inside objects," Owen said over his own bottle of water. "Where witches and others draw their magic from the elements, sorcerers pull power from inside objects, destroying them as that power is used up. Each sorcerer has different gifts, depending on what items they can access. Like stone, wood, metals, etc. Only a rare few can use all of them."
"Are you one?" His nod made me sigh. Of course. "And Belaisle?"
Owen shrugged. "I don't know," he said. "But I will assume, since he's the leader here, that's the case. Usually those with the most power rule."
He was right about that. "And this sucking of energy?" I thought about the defense I'd finally come up with, dropping our shields so the sorcerers would have nothing to feed their magic. "That's part of it?"
Owen set his bottle down, looking a little ill. "Nice way of putting it," he said. "But yes. We siphon power from objects, but also from others. The power you have to offer is much greater than some inanimate object."
"Vampires," I said.
"More like thieves," he said. And didn't look happy about admitting it.
Okay then.
"If witches had access to all aspects of their power," Trill said, "their creation magic could bring them in balance and help deflect that aspect of sorcery. But when you are out of balance, there are holes in your magic, places where a sorcerer can worm his way in, open cracks power can be leeched from."
Shudder.
"Nona's been warning us our whole lives," Owen said. "About the fight that's coming. But even she couldn't tell us what we were supposed to do, outside the fact Trill is meant to lead the army of maji."
"And the Brotherhood?" I eyed the last bottle of water with some longing though I refused to give in to my thirst. "From what Sassy said, I take it they aren't a new organization?"
"This incarnation of them might be," Owen said. "But they've been around for a long time."
"Are there good sorcerers?" I wasn't sure why the thought struck me, but there had to be, right? Not everyone could agree with Belaisle and his aim to take over everything.
Owen crossed his legs, peeling the label from his bottle as he thought about it. "I guess there must be," he said at last. "But we've never met any." He looked up, held out one hand. "Can I see the crystal again? I might be able to shatter the hold on it if I try hard enough."
I held back. "This is the only one we have," I said. "What if you break it?"
He laughed, a bright and delighted sound, more like the Owen I'd first met, sweet and almost carefree despite his circumstances. "I promise," he said. "I won't."
Good enough for me.
"Besides," I said as I tossed it to him, "that's what trust is all about. Sharing information." I stared hard at Trill whose ears turned red. Was I laying it on thick? Hell yeah. Served her right. "Trusting each other is the only way we're going to get out of here."
Point taken. She even nodded.
If only her acknowledgment made me feel better.
Man, I was slow on the uptake. Just as Owen opened his mouth to comment, Charlotte started her writhing dance as the door unsealed and swung inward. I leaped to my feet, not ready, as the big sorcerer with the crew cut and the CIA look gestured toward me.
"Mr. Belaisle wants to see you," he said.
I cast a flickering glance at Owen, catching him easing the stone into his pocket. Probably for the best he kept it while I spoke to the big boss. No way did I want Belaisle to know I had it. That was, if Demetrius hadn't already told him.
I could only assume that wasn't the case. Belaisle would have taken it from me long ago if he knew I had anything of power in my possession. Feeling slightly in control with that single upper hand, locked up as it was in Owen's pocket, I followed Big and Grumpy out of the room to the sound of Charlotte howling behind her gag, the echoing pain of it only cutting off when the door sealed shut behind me.
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