the third arm twisted through the cut in the air, wrenching the other sword in Josef’s ribs. A fresh wave of pain blackened his vision, and Josef coughed, spitting his blood out on the ground before he choked on it.
Somewhere above him, the Lord of Storms made a tsking sound. “It’s your greatest weakness, you know,” he said. “You’d be a real challenge if you didn’t have to rely on these blind idiots to swing you.”
Lost as he was in the pain, it took Josef several seconds to realize the Lord of Storms was talking to his sword, not to him. That was just as well, though, for it was the Heart who answered.
“It is you who are weak, Lord of Storms.” The Heart’s voice vibrated through him, the words clear as bells, though Josef wasn’t sure if that was thanks to his connection with his sword or the fact that he was racing toward death. Whatever the reason, Josef was glad. The conversation gave him time to process the injury.
The Lord of Storms bared his teeth. “I’m not the one whose champion is leaking into the snow.”
“Your anger is your weakness,” the Heart said. “You were cobbled together by the Shepherdess from other spirits same as the humans you scorn, and yet they are blessed with a measure of her power, while you are nothing but an amalgam, a storm held long past when it should have blown out. You rage on only with the White Lady’s fickle favor, but even the smallest of these ‘blind idiots’ bears more of the Shepherdess’s power than you ever could. You are bound by her will, but my swordsman lives through his own. That is why I chose him, why I’ve always chosen humans, blind though they are. You do not need eyes to cut, only the will to swing.”
“And look where that’s gotten you,” the Lord of Storms scoffed, his voice thick with scorn. “You’re about to lose your wielder again, old mountain. How long will you rust up here, waiting for another?”
“I need no other hand,” the Heart said, its voice as deep as the roots of the world. “We will not fall.”
“Say that when your boy is back on his feet,” the Lord of Storms sneered. He shifted his stance as he spoke, and the third hand reaching through the white slit withdrew, taking the sword with it.
As the blade slid out of Josef’s chest, it also removed the only thing still supporting him. Josef flopped forward, gasping like a landed fish in the dirty slush of sundered snow and his own blood. The Lord of Storms turned away in disgust, walking across the frozen ground toward the cliff where Nico was slumped.
“Don’t you… touch her…”
The Lord of Storms stopped a foot from Nico’s crumpled body and looked over his shoulder. “How do you mean to stop me?”
Baring his bloody teeth in a snarl, Josef forced himself back to his knees, then his feet. His body was numb with cold and blood loss, but the Heart burned like a brand against his palm, flooding him with a strength so large he could barely contain it. There was a strange pressure on his chest, and Josef knew without looking that the Heart was binding the wound, staunching the blood flow. After that, he paid little attention. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing mattered except the Lord of Storms’ hand hovering over Nico.
If you want to stop him, the Heart spoke in his mind, you’ll have to cut him.
“How?” Josef wasn’t sure if he spoke the question aloud or silently, but the Heart answered all the same.
He is a spirit, same as I am. Same as the mountain beneath us, same as the wind blowing through your hair. The Shepherdess’s will holds him together, but humans are her creatures, and your will is an echo of hers.
Josef looked down at the black blade. It was trembling in his hand. No, that wasn’t right. The blade was still; it was his hand that was shaking. “I don’t know if I have the strength for another cut.”
Muscular strength is meaningless. Your muscles could never have pierced the hull of a palace ship. It was your will to cut that sliced the boards. I will strike the blow, but it is your will that must cut the Shepherdess’s binding.
“I’m not a wizard,” Josef growled.
You don’t have to be, the Heart said, its voice steady and measured. You’re spirit deaf, not spiritless. Will is the birthright of all humans, not just wizards. Just as you learned to listen to me, so you can learn to focus your will. The Lord of Storms’ power is enormous, but he is still nothing more than a storm. He is limited by his nature, but you are freed by yours. Human souls are not determined by size or density, but by will alone. So open your spirit to me, Josef Liechten. If you would save your precious demonseed, then you must throw away the knowledge that the Lord of Storms cannot be cut. Forget what you are not and embrace what you are.
Josef shook his head. “And what is that?”
The Heart’s answer vibrated through his bones. My swordsman.
Josef stared at the Lord of Storms, his breath thundering in his head. Wisps of cloud were curling at the ends of the man’s long black hair, and his eyes flashed like lightning. But as Josef gripped the Heart, he could already see the black blade stabbing through the Lord of Storms’ chest, hitting nothing but air, just like before.
“What if I can’t?” he whispered.
If you could not cut the Lord of Storms, you would not have the strength to lift me, the Heart of War said. Look down, Josef Liechten, and know the truth.
Josef obeyed without thinking, his eyes falling to the black sword in his hand, and the world fell away. It was just like what had happened in Gaol during his first fight with Sted. Josef was floating in the blackness again, and now as then, the image appeared. A mountain taller than any mountain has ever been, its peak cutting the clouds.
Are we one, swordsman?
Josef breathed deep. “Aye.”
Then let’s finish this.
“Aye,” Josef said again, bracing for the lunge. “Together.”
In the next heartbeat, they moved as one.
CHAPTER
16
Eli drifted back to consciousness slowly, waking up one bit at a time. His first thoughts were little more than groggy impressions: soft stroking on his hair, musical humming in his ears, warm, still air, and brightness. White brightness that bled through his skin.
His eyes snapped open. Benehime’s snow-white beauty filled his vision. Her face hovered over his, her white hair falling in a curtain around them, blocking out the rest of the world. Her white eyes were soft as goose down, full of love, and her cheeks were streaked with sparkling trails. Tears, Eli realized belatedly. The White Lady was crying.
Oh, my darling. Her voice trembled as she fell on him, pressing his body tight against hers. My love, my only love, I was so worried.
Eli could only blink. He felt like he’d been hit with the Heart of War. His chest ached, his limbs were useless, and he was so tired it was actually difficult to stay conscious. Even so, the need to get away overpowered him, and he began to struggle weakly against her grasp.
There, there, she cooed, pushing him down. Be still. The healing isn’t done yet. You gave far too much of yourself, but that’s over now. I’ve got you. You’re never going to do that again.
Eli blinked, trying to remember. The haze in his mind made everything fuzzy, but he dimly recalled something being wrong with Slorn’s Awakened Wood. The trees, he’d stopped the trees…
He jerked as the memory of their screams came back in a rush. He’d been restraining the mad forest, and then that Spiritualist had surprised him and he’d lost control. After that, things got a bit jumbled. He remembered Nico grabbing him after he fell, but not why he’d fallen. Whatever it was, it must have been bad for Benehime to look this worried. She was hovering over him now, stroking his hair and making little soothing noises, calling him “love” and “darling.” Eli closed his eyes as a cold, sinking feeling of dread began to curl in his stomach.
That’s right, love, lie still, Benehime whispered, petting him. You mustn’t scare me like this. Oh, it’s all my fault. I never should have removed my mark. I meant to teach you a lesson, but I forget how weak you are without me. If I’d lost you, I’d… Her hand froze as her voice trailed off, and then the petting resumed faster than before. Don’t worry, I’m never letting you go again. Soon as you’re healed, I’ll replace my mark and then we’ll be together
