As the light from our waiting carriage spilled over the open field, a chill crept down my spine. We were traveling to Lauressa, to the heart of the queen’s territory. I didn’t want to contemplate what the queen would do to us if she found us, but we had to stop the summoning and find the egg. The consequences were too dire if we failed.
Maveryck spoke a few words to his wolf, and she turned and trotted back into the woods. He and Heidel entered the carriage, but Kull and I hesitated. With a quick glance behind us, I found the towers of the Wult keep stretching above the treetops and toward the moonlit sky. I had a nagging feeling that I would never see them again, that maybe the keep would never be my home, and that maybe the life I wanted—the one where Kull and I lived happily ever after—would never exist.
The story of Kull’s prophecy surfaced. In my mind, I saw him stab me and kill me so Theht would die with me. The image scared me so badly that I had to force it away.
I felt Kull’s hand on my shoulder. As I turned to look at him, I found the same fear I felt mirrored in his eyes.
“We’ll get through this,” he said.
I nodded. “Yes, I’m sure we will.” But as I entered the carriage, the fear stayed with me.
Kull climbed inside behind me. After he sat next to me, the door slid shut with a mechanical hiss, then locked us inside.
The carriage sped forward. Inside, soft hues of blue and yellow lit the plush, ivory-colored cushions. The air smelled faintly of sweet flowers and perfume, and the cushions felt velvety-soft beneath my fingertips. The carriage interior was the epitome of calmness, yet it did nothing to soothe my unease. The closer we sped toward the capitol, the more my mind rehashed my worries.
My thoughts turned to my stepfather. Guilt gnawed at me. If I’d played by the witch’s rules and used the box to free Kull, I would have not only released Kull, but kept my stepfather from being captured as well. But as far I knew, the only way to open that box was with black magic.
I glanced at my hands resting in my lap. My fidgeting fingers were evidence of my unease. Opening and closing my hands, I wondered at the magic inside me. I’d only ever known of my Earth and Faythander magics, but was there more? The idea baffled me, but if I didn’t possess black magic, why had the witch been so sure that I did? Was it because a piece of Theht now resided within me? Was Silvestra trying to get me to harness the power of the dark goddess? Or was there something else she’d wanted me to learn?
Kull took one of my hands in his, bringing me out of my thoughts, and I met his eyes. He didn’t say anything, but I knew he worried about me. He was the one person who kept me going through all this. Without him, I was sure I would have succumbed to insanity by now.
Outside the carriage, we saw only darkness. It would be several hours before we reached Lauressa, and going all night without sleep wasn’t the way I wanted to start the journey, so I laid my head on Kull’s shoulder, and despite my worries, sleep took me.
I woke as morning approached, though it was still too dark to see much outside the carriage. Thick clouds stirred overhead, highlighted by occasional bursts of lightning. Fog snaked along the tracks, and as the carriage zipped through it, the mist swirled in eddies.
Maveryck cleared his throat. I turned and found him staring at me. His eyes turned silver in the glow from the carriage windows, and I perceived a faint hum of magic, making me think that perhaps there was more to him than what he’d already told us. Did the man ever sleep?
“You’re awake early,” he said.
“I’ve never slept well in these carriages. Plus, it’s hard to rest with the balance of the world in danger.”
“I agree, but perhaps no one knows that more than you.”
I eyed him. He was right. I’d battled the forces of evil for so long and had saved the world so many times, I should have at least earned a medal by now. But I didn’t need it. Knowing that my loved ones were safe was enough. I’d religiously kept in touch with my godson Jeremiah since the Dreamthief had nearly killed him. He was living in Kansas now, having the sort of childhood most kids dreamed of. He was happy, but most importantly, he was alive. Knowing that he was safe was better than any reward.
Jeremiah wasn’t the only one I’d saved. I’d restored magic in Faythander, too; I’d saved the fairies’ stone. The list kept growing. But even after all my accomplishments, I couldn’t help but feel that all I had to do was slip up once, and the balance would crumble. There were forces out there far greater than me, and with Theht’s powers festering inside me, I knew my time was short. If I didn’t find some way to remove that part of the goddess’s consciousness soon, the vision Kull had seen would come true.
I refused to let it happen.
“When we reach the city,” Maveryck said, “I shall take you through an entrance no longer in use and linked through the city sewers. The
