“Really? I never believed the stories. I thought Siavrax was using the threat of such an unlikely creation as a ruse, as a way of forcing us to respond with a larger troop presence to draw men from other, more important positions.
“Tell me, Isabel, where is this Goiri bone now?”
“Gone,” she said, opening her eyes and meeting his. “I crushed it into powder and blew it out the window of my cell the moment I woke up.”
“Ah, what a pity,” Phane said, shaking his head. “I have a very important use for such an unusual item.”
“So did I,” Isabel said, holding his eyes.
Phane started chuckling to himself almost good-naturedly.
“I wouldn’t laugh too hard, Phane. I almost got you.”
“You did indeed, which is exactly why I’m laughing. You are every bit the treasure I was hoping you’d be. Do you have any idea how resourceful you are to have recovered such an item? If I’d been told of your plan before you arrived, I wouldn’t have believed it. Yet, you came closer to killing me than anyone before you, and I assure you that I’ve had my share of very powerful enemies.”
“I don’t doubt that,” she said. “Tell me, why didn’t the poison kill you? You managed to stop my blade before I got it into your heart, but there was enough blackwort on that dagger to kill a horse.”
Phane laughed again, shaking his head. “You see, this is why you have no hope against me. I’m always prepared. I started taking the antidote for blackwort, as well as a number of other poisons common to this wretched isle, the day I arrived.”
“Huh. Well, at least I can take solace in the thought that you know everybody around you wants to see you die.”
He smiled his boyish smile again. “Don’t you see? That is exactly what makes it so delicious.”
“You’re damaged, Phane.”
“Enough distractions. I would like to hear more about this Goiri bone that so effectively nullified my magical defenses. For instance, tell me about the size of the bone you used.”
Isabel hesitated, but Phane cocked his head, looking up at the staircase.
“It was a finger bone, maybe an inch long,” Isabel said after a moment’s more hesitation.
“If I recall correctly, my magic became available to me again once I reached a distance of eight or ten feet from you. Such things usually have power proportional to the size of the item, so it stands to reason that a larger bone might affect a larger area. Does that sound like a reasonable assumption, given your experiences?”
Isabel shrugged. “I suppose.”
“Excellent! I find my mind is afire with all of the possibilities this legend-come-true represents, which brings me to my next question. Where did you find the remains of the Goiri?”
Isabel shook her head slowly.
“Let’s not forget what’s at stake here,” Phane said.
“I understand perfectly well what’s at stake.”
Phane nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose you do, and I can see that I’ve reached a limit of sorts on your willingness to be persuaded by threats against your friend. Honestly, if I were dealing with almost anyone else, I would have Wren dragged down here and skinned alive on this very table while you watched. Unfortunately, I don’t believe doing such a thing would serve my purposes.” He regarded Isabel for several moments before nodding to himself. “Well, no matter. I can guess at the likely location of the Goiri’s remains. From there, it won’t take long to find them. After that, it’s just a matter of sending someone to retrieve them for me.”
This time it was Isabel’s turn to laugh. “Good luck with that. I wouldn’t send anyone you can’t afford to lose.”
Phane smiled his boyish smile. “My Dear Isabel, I am the only person that I can’t afford to lose.”
“And that is why you’ll never win this war.”
He shook his head, feigning sadness. “Don’t you see? I’ve already won. Everything is proceeding according to my designs. Thanks to your rather ambitious attempt on my life, the final keystone is within my grasp. Once I have it, we will travel to the Nether Gate and I will call forth a demonic horde sufficient to scour the Seven Isles of my enemies. This war is nearly over, Isabel, but before it is, everyone you care about will be devoured.”
“You keep telling yourself that, Phane. Alexander will defeat you, of that I have no doubt.”
“Your confidence in him is touching. One day, I hope you’ll hold me in such high regard.”
“Now I know you’re delusional.”
“Don’t be so certain, Isabel. Over the course of my life, I’ve turned many people away from the empty promises of the light. Once people get a taste for the raw power offered by the netherworld, they tend to embrace it with a kind of commitment bordering on fanaticism. I expect you will be no different.”
“I’ll die before I’ll serve the darkness.”
“I know you believe that now, but that’s exactly why you’ll become not just a servant of the darkness, but its champion. At present, your commitment to the light is nearly perfect, so when you fall, your own faith in the light and in yourself will be so shattered that you’ll embrace the darkness completely and without reservation because you’ll believe that you deserve it, you’ll believe that the only punishment sufficient for your crimes is the forfeiture of your soul to the netherworld. And there you will find solace, acceptance, and understanding.”
“You have some grand plans, I’ll give you that,” Isabel said. “The trouble is, I don’t see how you plan to get from here to there.”
“I’m so glad you asked,” Phane said with an unabashed smile. “Issa, go see if the child is finished with her bath. If so, bring her here.”
Issa bowed and then vanished, wisps of black smoke dissipating quickly.
“What are you doing, Phane?”
“You didn’t think I went to all the trouble of bringing her here just to use as leverage against you in an interrogation, did you? No, I have much bigger plans for her … and there she is,” Phane said, extending his open hand to Wren as she descended the stairs.
“Come here, child.”
Wren walked to the corner of the table and stood between Isabel and Phane. “Yes sir?”
“So vulnerable, so young,” Phane said softly, motioning to one of the guards. The big, armored man stopped precisely, coming to attention a few steps away.
“What are you doing, Phane?” Isabel said, fear and rage flashing in her eyes.
He ignored her, looking up at the soldier. “Strike the girl across the face with an open hand, hard.”
The soldier didn’t hesitate, didn’t question the order. He hit Wren so hard that she fell sprawling across the floor.
Isabel bolted to her side, rolling her gently over and cradling her head in her lap. “Oh Wren, are you all right?”
She didn’t answer, her eyes unfocused, her face red and bleeding from a cut along her cheekbone. Isabel started muttering under her breath, letting Wren’s pain fuel her rage. A moment later, she unleashed a light-lance at the soldier, burning a hole through his chest and through the walls of the house until daylight streamed in. The man fell dead without a word.
Phane started clapping slowly, smiling triumphantly. “Well done, Isabel. You’ve just taken your first step toward the darkness. How did it feel? Did it make you feel powerful?” He leaned forward intently, scrutinizing her while she deliberately let the rage drain away.
“He was just following orders-he was innocent,” Phane said. “And you killed him in cold blood.”
“No! He wasn’t innocent,” Isabel shouted. “Any full-grown man who would brutalize a child just because someone told him to isn’t innocent. And maybe his violation of the Old Law in this instance didn’t warrant death, but his service to you absolutely does. In fact, I’d have no problem killing any of your soldiers-you are the enemy of the Old Law and by extension, so are they. Alexander has already sentenced all of you to death … you just haven’t died yet.”
Phane tipped his head back and laughed. “Fair enough, I suppose that one can rationalize almost anything-almost.” He locked eyes with her, triumph dancing in his golden irises. “You see, the real reason I brought the child here was because I expect you to kill her.”