Fated

No, it had always been there, I just hadn’t been looking for it. ‘I’ll open my mind to you, my knowledge and skill will be yours …’ Stupid, stupid, stupid. If I could look into his mind, he could look into mine. Why hadn’t I asked how someone who’d been sealed away two thousand years could speak perfect English?

‘Why do you want to get out of here so badly, Abithriax?’ I kept my voice friendly, but inwardly I was tensing. When I’d merged with Abithriax last time, I’d touched him. He might be a ghost to everyone else, but if I could get close …

Abithriax stood still for a long moment, then straightened. ‘All right.’

I tried to move, but Abithriax was faster. All of a sudden I was paralysed, frozen. There was no spell or gesture: one moment I was talking, the next rooted to the spot. All I could move was my eyes.

Abithriax walked forward. As he did he seemed to grow in presence, become larger, more there, as if until now he’d been holding himself back. The red streaks in his hair and beard stood out brightly, and all of a sudden they made me think of blood. ‘You just had to make this difficult, didn’t you?’

I couldn’t answer. Behind Abithriax, I could see Luna and Starbreeze. They were talking, speaking to my frozen body, but I couldn’t hear what they were saying. ‘Still, I suppose I should be impressed,’ Abithriax said. ‘Normally my wielders never even notice. The name was careless of me … lack of practice, I suppose, it’s been such a long time …’ He glanced at me. ‘You asked how I did it. I suppose it’s only fair. I was a mind mage. That was how I was able to imbue myself into my fateweaver. But I always hesitated to make that final jump … until the alternative was death. But once I’d adjusted to my new form, learning to control a bearer was quite straightforward …’

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.’