Chapter 24

Brace Yourselves

Cam may not have understood magic as well as he liked, but knowing Elena had taught him one important thing about sorcerers and sorceresses—there was nothing they liked less than going into a situation blind.

He wasn’t surprised, then, when they didn’t take Elena’s explanation of her new plan very well.

They all sat around a table in the queen’s workroom, giving each other weighted looks that Cam couldn’t decipher. Finally, Dr. Flyte was the one to break the silence. “I see your logic, Elena, but what you’re proposing has never been tested. Braeth’s plan was dangerous, but at least the mechanics of the spell were understood well enough that we knew what would happen in theory. Here, the way you’re planning on utilizing the blood-emotion connection is wildly different than the way Ariadne did. We have no idea what the effects will be.”

“We had no real idea what the effects of the mirroring spell would have been,” Elena said, iron determination radiating out of every line of her body. He was sure she had the situation in hand, but she wasn’t about to sugarcoat anything. Cam couldn’t help but be grateful his parents had left with Bishop to deal with Nigel. “If it registered my blackout as a physical condition or a defense mechanism rather than an attack, then it would have failed to redirect it and we’d be left with nothing. This way, at least, I can be absolutely certain neither Cam or I will face the curse alone.”

Ariadne shook her head. “It won’t work. The blood and emotion work together as a conduit for magic. Your guard is powerless, which means he’ll give you nothing.”

The dismissal sparked Cam’s anger like a match, but he wrestled it back down. He didn’t have much to argue with, and he knew it—Elena herself didn’t seem entirely sure how his presence in the spell would help her. But if there was a chance she might need him, he’d follow her through each and every one of the thousand hells.

Especially when she stared people down with that fire in her eyes. “You guess.” Elena told her aunt, voice cooled just enough to carry a warning. “But you’ve guessed wrong before. Personally, I’m far more willing to trust my instincts than I am yours.”

Ariadne’s eyes flashed, but then she gave her niece a small, tight nod. Elena, accepting it, let her expression ease slightly. “We all know how experimental this is,” she continued, now addressing everyone. “But all of our options at this point are experimental. And this is the only one that doesn’t leave me absolutely terrified.”

Her voice didn’t change, but her fingers pressed against Cam’s in a silent request. He closed his hand around hers, holding on for all he was worth, and she shifted imperceptibly closer.

“Indeed,” Braeth said, his attention flickering between Elena and Cam as if he’d watched their wordless exchange. “Unfortunately, the only other blood-bond ritual I am familiar with is used to bind a servant to a master. Those of us in the darker arts tend to see such a tie between equals as little more than an impediment to world domination.”

“I know one.” The queen spoke for the first time, her voice brimming with about a dozen different emotions she refused to let all the way out onto the surface. When she looked at her daughter, however, Cam could see the shimmer of tears in her eyes.

Next to him, he felt Elena lean forward ever so slightly as if she was resisting the urge to stand up and go to her mother. “Mom.” Her voice caught on the word. “I have—”

The queen smiled, lifting a hand to stop whatever her daughter was about to say. “I’m not about to argue,” she said, voice thick. “I’m just happy to see you want something this badly.”

Elena tried to answer, but the words seemed to catch in her throat. Abandoning the attempt, she took a deep breath and dashed a hand across her eyes. “Well.” She let out a long breath, hand still tight in Cam’s. “We should get everything set up.”

~

The bonding spell, it turned out, was simple enough that even Cam could understand it. All they needed was a ritual knife, the circle Elena had already drawn, a candle, a glass of water, and a bit of dirt from the castle gardens.

He and Elena were standing together in the middle of the circle, facing each other in preparation for the binding spell. She held the ritual knife against her chest, her other hand firmly wrapped around Cam’s own. Braeth, Dr. Flyte, the queen, and Ariadne were standing opposite each other on all four sides of the circle, the glyph that represented their chosen element on the ground in front of them. They were discussing the finer points of the spell, wanting to make sure they got it right the first time.

Elena was busying herself explaining it all to Cam. “The mechanics will be similar to what we’ve been doing with the curse—a physical manipulation of our magical energies—but it will be less tiring because the ritual helps us direct it. We also won’t be casting a projection spell, because there are certain projection elements written into the binding. I’m not sure if it’s for the sake of theatricality or simply that the casters wanted proof of what was happening.”

He’d figured most of this out already, but there was just enough nervousness in the words to suggest all this focus on detail wasn’t really for him. Still, distraction was probably in order. “You know, you’re cute when you go into lecture mode,” he said. When she blushed, then scowled at him, he reached over and pulled the hand holding the knife into his grip as well. “Hey, I’m not complaining. I probably would have liked school a lot better if I’d had you in one of my classes.”

She squeezed his hand. “I just want you to be absolutely sure you know what you’re doing.”

“I’m sure.” Cam bent forward enough to kiss her hand, a little surprised at how calm he felt. He’d been wrestling with frustrated adrenaline often enough the last few weeks that he’d expected to be chomping at the bit right now. If nothing else, it would have made sense to feel some of the charge that always hit when he knew he was about to catch the bad guy.

Instead, he felt like he was in a life-or-death battle with someone just a little better than he was. When you were in those kind of fights, all that mattered was what you did next. If you didn’t make the right choice then nothing else really mattered.

Dr. Flyte, lighting the candle in front of him with a murmured word, smiled slightly. “I did some quick research while we were setting up, and it turns out that the dragons still use a variation of this spell.” He paused a beat, for effect. “They often pair it with poetry and incorporate it into their marriage rituals.”

Delighted, Cam winked at Elena. “I’m sure I can remember a poem or two,” he murmured, grinning when she blushed again.

The doctor, for once, seemed to be entirely oblivious. “Oh, I doubt you have the vocal chords for draconic poetry. Some of the most moving passages mostly consist of snarling.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Elena said, shooting the mirror a quelling look. “I’m sure we’re all fascinated.”

The queen cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention, but there was an amused look on her face as she activated the illumination spell. “Positions, everyone.”

Once the circle lit, the queen spread her hands wide and murmured a phrase in what Cam had always privately thought of as “secret magic language.” Then she blew gently into the circle, the air turning into a silvery cloud of light as soon as it crossed the barrier.

It was Dr. Flyte’s turn to speak, making the candle flare at an unnatural angle and cross the circle. Droplets of water rose from the cup at Braeth’s portion of the spell, and when Ariadne spoke a thin stream of dirt rise into the air. After each element crossed the circle, it transformed into a silvery light that slowly filled the circle.

The entire time, Elena was whispering the translation to him. He’d asked before they’d started if it would cause problems with the spell, but apparently magic didn’t recognize Common. “alone, fragments of a true whole. Only entwined can they become themselves.”

At Ariadne’s final word, the circle flared with green light. That was his and Elena’s cue to begin their portion of the spell. Reluctantly letting go of each other, they both took a step back. Then Cam held out his hand, and she used the tip of the knife to sketch what looked like a compass rose against the skin of his palm. A silent apology in her eyes, she pressed the knife into the center of his palm just deep enough to draw blood. When the first red drop welled up, the entire pattern flashed green.

Cam was fascinated enough that it took him a second to remember his line. Elena had taught it to him phonetically, and so far it was the only line he knew in “secret magic language.” “Inimeserjetaure da vaka.” My heart is bound to yours.

Then Elena sketched the same design in her palm before drawing a drop of her own blood. Her pattern flared blue, the same color as her magic in the earlier spell. “Kenmu a tauledusjeaedno.” Our souls are tied as one.

The queen then drew a symbol in the air, ending in a wide circle that she closed by joining her hands together. As she spoke a final word, he and Elena pressed their palms together. The flash of light was bright enough that he shut his eyes, blue-green spots still dancing behind his eyelids.

A second later, he opened one eye and risked a peek at Elena. “Are we done?”

She hesitated, as if considering the question. “The spell’s over. I don’t feel any different, but there’s no reason I necessarily would.”

“Not unless your bond was put to the test,” Braeth said. Before Cam could react, the wraith flicked a small jolt of electricity straight into Cam’s right ear. He flinched, grabbing the now-sore appendage, and next to him Elena did the same thing to her own right ear. A second later, he realized that the electricity hadn’t hurt quite as much as he’d thought it would.

Two seconds later, he realized a potential problem. He grabbed Elena’s hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. “So if I get stabbed in the chest at some point saving your life, this means you’re going to feel it anyway?”

Elena stared at him, completely incredulous. “I think you have more important things to be concerned about right now.”

Annoyance was not helping him be any less worried. “No, I really don’t.”

She stared at him another moment, then kissed his hand. “Only you,” she murmured, the wealth of affection in her voice doing dangerous things to his heart. When she met his eyes again, though, there was a serious warning in them. “Now you know you’d better not let yourself get stabbed.”

“Given his profession, that’s not exactly a feasible restric—” Dr. Flyte began, only to be cut off by a rattling noise that sounded like someone giving his stand a firm kick. Cam sent a silent but heartfelt thank you to whoever had done the kicking.

When he looked up, he saw the queen moving away from the mirror and back to her original position. She was as solemn as someone about to go into battle. “I see no reason not to move on to the next step immediately,” she said, gaze sweeping over everyone. “Are we agreed?”

Cam watched Elena go pale, his eyes never leaving hers. When she nodded at him, he squared his shoulders. “We’re agreed.”

As everyone else cleared the remains of the binding spell, Cam pulled Elena down onto the floor next to him. “Now, if all of this goes like it’s supposed to, I’m the only one who should be blacking out in the—”

She shook her head, cutting him off. “No. If this works out, neither of us should lose consciousness.”

“Okay, I’d prefer that,” Cam continued, pulling her closer. “But either way, it’s probably safer if we start this a little closer to the ground.” He scanned the circle, measuring out his height and relative angles in his head, then scooted them both closer to one edge. “If I do end up collapsing like I’m not supposed to, I’ll try to make sure I don’t fall over onto the runes and screw everything up.”

Elena brushed an imaginary bit of hair off his forehead. “Oh, your head will explode long before that happens,” she said.

He smiled at her, knowing she was trying to play. “I have no idea why no one else can see this evil side of you.”

Before she could respond, everything was ready. As everyone moved into position, the universe displayed a truly horrible sense of timing by letting the door open. Silently, his parents and Bishop walked into the room.

Cam had no idea what the expression on his face might have been, but Elena read it well enough to squeeze his hand. “They belong here, too.”

He glanced back over at his parents’ seemingly emotionless faces, far too aware of how much pain they were hiding. “While I’m not admitting that you were right at all,” he whispered. “I’m starting to understand your side of our earlier argument.”

As the illumination and projection spells activated, the corners of Elena’s mouth curved upward just a little. “Eventually, you’ll learn that I’m always right.”

She’d said “eventually.” Cam grinned despite himself.

When the image of the curse flared to life above their heads, however, all he could do was stare. The knot that had tangled Elena up so painfully tightly the last time he’d seen it had started to move again, the strands straining and twitching as if they were trying to get away from whatever was at the center. The strands of Elena’s magic seemed to push in the opposite direction, trying to draw back in to the core, and every time the two threads strained against each other Elena winced. It took Cam a second to come to the quite horrible realization that, unlike Braeth’s little trick with his ear, he wasn’t feeling a thing.

“Why isn’t the bond working?” He took Elena’s face in his hands, trying hard not to sound desperate. “We’re supposed to be sharing the pain, remember? Tell me what I need to do.”

Ariadne said something over his head, the words sharp, but Cam didn’t bother paying attention. Elena looked like she trying to figure out the answer to his question, and he was going to listen to her opinion before anyone else’s. “I don’t know. I think—” The words were cut off by another wince. “Maybe the effects of the binding are only automatic if it has a parallel to work with.”

And he didn’t have any magic. Fantastic. “Then how do we make it work?” His own brain raced, trying to come up with its own answer. “I don’t have magic, but I have energy. Use that.”

“Cam.” Elena winced again, then let out a long breath. “This isn’t that significant a problem. I’m not going to steal your energy just to make myself more comfortable.”

More talk happened above their heads, but none of that mattered. “Elena, this is why I’m here.” Determination rose up inside him, as if his energy could reach for Elena all on its own. “If it’s this bad now, you’re going to need it later.”

“Then I’ll use it later—”

The conversation above them coalesced into the sound of his mother’s voice saying his name. “Cam. Look up.”

He obeyed, but it took him a while to understand what had happened. The strands of Elena’s magic, originally bright blue, were shimmering with a faint green light that made it look the same color as her mother’s. The curse strands were moving even more violently now, not pleased by the new development. Cam wasn’t sure he was pleased, either, since just looking at it seemed to be giving him a headache.

Then Elena, who was also staring up at the knot, squeezed his arm. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.” There was something close to wonder in her voice. “Cam, what did you do?”

“I have no idea.” But now that he concentrated, he could tell that the headache was really a series of faint aches piled on top of each other.

“Fascinating,” Dr. Flyte said. “It seems that Cam somehow forced the binding spell to recognize his energy as an appropriate comparative for Elena’s magic.”

Testing the theory—at least, that was what he was going to tell Elena if she started yelling at him—Cam focused on trying to push more energy at her. The knot flared again, the pain in his head sharpening into more distinct individual jabs, and Elena’s eyes narrowed at him. “That’s enough.” She lifted her hands to touch his face. “You have less energy to work with than I do.”

“That’s true, Cameron,” the queen confirmed. “Elena’s father and I attempted a few things when she was a child. When you use life force for both physical and magical energy, you’re drained twice as quickly.” She paused, sounding oddly wistful. “His energy was green, too.”

“I need you with me through all of this,” Elena said firmly, the warning clear on her face. Since she was also obviously in far less pain than she had been before, Cam decided silently that he’d been proven right and left it at that.

Deciding he wasn’t going to try anything stupidly heroic for the next few minutes, Elena looked back up at the knot. “So, you said that it was the destruction of the inner shield that made me black out last time. Since that doesn’t seem to have renewed itself, do we have any guesses as to what might trigger it now?”

Every head turned to Ariadne. “I never experimented beneath the inner shield,” she said, a careful rephrasing of what Cam guessed had originally been “I have no idea.” “The simplest answer would be an attack of equal strength, but it’s likely that the core will be even more sensitive to attack than the rest of the curse. Anything might set off a defense mechanism.”

Cam saw Elena’s mouth move, muttering what he was pretty sure was “Well, that’s helpful,” too low for anyone to hear. Then she took a deep breath and reached up toward one of the blue strands. “There’s one way of finding out.”

Lightly touching it with the tips of her fingers, Elena closed her eyes. She curled her fingers to the right just a little, as if she was attempting to carefully nudge something into place. Cam felt a faint ache inside himself, like an old bruise being poked at, but he ignored it.

“She’s following the line of her magic,” he heard the queen say, though he was pretty sure neither he nor his parents had asked a question. Maybe she explained things when she was nervous, too. “She’s tangled too deeply into the curse for us to do a great deal, but the more she can free herself the more easily we can work on removing it.”

A moment later her hand nudged again, this time in the opposite direction, and as she tensed Cam felt a stronger twinge of pain in his chest. Then she stopped, her body tensing as she opened her eyes. “Cam,” she said quietly. “Get ready.”

When he squeezed her arm in response, she looped her finger around the visible strand. Then, with a quick jerk, she yanked it free.

Pain blossomed in Cam, sharp and hot, but that wasn’t nearly as bad as the wave of dizziness that crashed into him. He swayed, feeling Elena do the same, and braced them both. It took some effort, but they both kept their eyes open.

Elena held onto him tightly. “I won’t do it that abruptly again, I promise.” He could hear the leftover strain in her voice. “But now we know.”

Cam steeled himself for what was coming. “Now we know.”