She turned to Gavin. “I should keep you alive long enough to watch what I do to those you care about. Because if there’s anything that I know about Gavin Lorren, it’s that you do care. You’ve made that clear time and again, not only here, but where you and I first met.”
The vines started to squeeze even tighter.
“Only, that would take away my enjoyment of removing you. It would disappoint me, letting you live—at least letting you live that long. Perhaps killing you like this is only fitting.”
As the vines constricted even more, Gavin couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. The sword glowed with the power she held. He stared at it, praying that the powder—the poison he believed it to be—would work.
Then the light within the blade began to flicker.
The vines holding him started to loosen.
“What is this?” she roared.
Her power started to fade even more. The vines collapsed. Gavin jerked on his arm, pulling it free, and he swung the sword around, driving it into her belly.
Her eyes widened, and he leaned close. “This is you losing.”
She stared at him. Another pair of vines tried to streak toward him, but then they shifted course and darted toward her, wrapping around her.
She wasn’t strong enough to heal herself this time. She had done so once before, and Gavin hadn’t known how to prevent it from happening. This time, he left the sword in her belly. The combination of the sword and the poison was too much.
The Mistress of Vines held his gaze as she died. Finally, he withdrew the blade. She fell to the ground, blood pooling out from her. Gavin watched, waiting for her to wrap power around her, but she didn’t.
“Gavin?” Wrenlow’s voice sounded in his ears.
“I’m still here.”
“What’s going on?”
“She’s gone. I finally finished the Kevlin job. The Tanran is dead.”
Wrenlow breathed out slowly. “Do you think they’ll still pay?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Gavin slowly got up, and he looked around the Captain’s home. Now that the Mistress of Vines was gone, he could see the inside of the room where he stood. It was enormous, and another staircase at one end opened toward the top of the fortress. No doubt a way for the Captain to look over the city.
Gavin knelt down next to the Mistress of Vines and quickly searched her. He found several enchantments that she wore. Two of them were bracelets, similar to the one Olivia had given him. She had a necklace that he suspected was an enchantment as well. He peeled all of them off. He removed the rings from her fingers and then began to search through her pockets.
He found the jade egg.
It was warm, glowing with a pale green light, and perfectly smooth. It was about the same size as what Davel had described, not that Gavin was altogether surprised by that. He stuffed it into his pocket.
A cough from the side of the room caught his attention and he turned to see Alex sitting there, her eyes wide.
“I’ll help her,” Gaspar said to him. “You check on the Captain.”
Gavin looked to Alex. She didn’t seem injured, just shocked. Maybe she hadn’t known what the Mistress of Vines intended from her. “We need to get her out of this place as quickly as we can,” he said to Gaspar.
“That’s my plan,” he said.
The Captain lay motionless, though he was still breathing, each breath coming with a steady gasping sound. Gavin made his way over to him and crouched next to him.
“Thank you for saving me,” the Captain said.
“Remember what I did,” Gavin said. “If I find you’ve harmed any other enchanters, buying them into your form of slavery, I will return.” He pulled out the El’aras dagger and held it up to the Captain’s face. “You owe me, and do not think I will take any pity on you the next time.”
The Captain held his gaze and nodded.
Gavin pulled the dagger away and glanced down at the body of the Mistress of Vines. The poison was eating away at her, and she was fading, with little remaining of her.
“Come on,” he said to Gaspar.
He lifted Alex, carrying her. “You haven’t finished your job,” Gaspar said.
Gavin nodded. “No, but I think I know what I need to do now.”
“What about him?” Gaspar stared at the Captain. There was a hint of darkness in his eyes, and Gavin watched him for a moment. “You’ll just leave him?”
“There’s nothing I need to do to him.” Gavin said. “Killing him creates a power void within the city, and who knows who’s going to get involved at that point?”
“Even with everything you know that he’s been doing?”
“What has he been doing all that differently than what anyone else would do? Holding those who have the ability to place enchantments. That’s about it. I think he’s going to be less inclined to do that moving forward.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Gaspar asked.
“I’ve made it clear that I’ll return.”
Gavin headed down the stairs slowly, watching for any movement out of the shadows. He wasn’t convinced that the Captain had decided to leave them alone. He worried that there would still be a time when he would try to come at them, which was reason enough for Gavin to keep his eyes open. Gaspar watched quietly as well.
They reached the main level of the fortress and headed out. Mekal followed them, his hands still bound, and Gavin no longer feared he might work magic against them. He didn’t know what Mekal might try, but now that he had heard the truth about the Mistress of Vines, Gavin didn’t think that Mekal would attempt anything. Mekal looked at Alex with a question in his eyes, but she hadn’t spoken.
“What about them?” Gaspar asked.
“Why don’t you let Olivia and Desarra deal with them. Or Zella when you bring her daughter back to her.”
Gaspar stopped, and Mekal hurried over toward where Kegan lay.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about with Desarra,” Gaspar said.
“Probably not, but I have a
