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Tom had found a shelf filled with very old books – and that was saying something, considering everything here looked ancient. They were high, out of reach, and tucked to the back of the shelf, so it was quite by chance that he saw them. Were they hidden for a reason? He pulled a stool over and stepped onto it, clutching the shelves for support.
One of the books drew his gaze immediately. It had a deep green leather cover and was unembellished, except for an image of bound hands. He reached for the book, and as soon as he touched it he felt a tingle in his fingers, so much so that he nearly dropped it. Did he just imagine that? It had felt like an electric shock.
He reached forward again, preparing himself for another jolt, but this time felt only a residual hum, as if it was vibrating in his hands. Breathing deeply to steady himself, he opened the book. Most of the pages were blank, but the half a dozen or so spells it did contain were spells of imprisonment. There were spells to lock the tongue, to bind the mind to a single moment, to bind within the form of an animal, to imprison within rocks or trees, to imprison within a nightmare, and ... to imprison a person. Tom’s heart raced and his mouth became dry as he realised he’d found it. But he still needed to know how to reverse it.
He put the book down and looked at the others it was shelved with. There was a book of poisons, one of blood rites and sacrifices which looked particularly gruesome, and then a thin ragged-edged book with a white cover, which had no markings on at all. Opening it, he found it contained one long spell: The spell of reversal for all spells worked under the sun and moon, by fire or blood, and in which the will is bound by insidious means. There was a warning next to it: Only to be used in times of direst need as reversal of a spell cast by another involves the release of potent energies which can be fatal.
Great. The spell that might release him could kill him. And Merlin. And maybe the others.
The spell of reversal stressed that specific ingredients from the original spell must be used. Scanning through both spells, he found a list of the things he needed, but both specified that it was important to cast the spell in a place of power, such as in a grove of sacred trees. Now that did sound familiar. Nimue had said there was one here. Looking out of the tower windows, he saw a small circle of trees, in the centre of which was a flat rock and blackened fire pit. That would do. Now he needed to find everything else.
Almost an hour later, Tom sat within the circle of trees, a small fire burning in front of him. There were bowls of herbs within easy reach, and in one there was also a cutting of Merlin’s hair and a clipping of his nails. Tom reached into his pocket and took out his silver branch, resting it in his lap. His heart pounding, he double- and triple-checked everything, then started the spell. Whether he messed this up or got it right, he could easily die.
