Chapter 36 #3
He knew now what he must do.
Holding the trowel behind his back, he turned to face the contorting vision in the center of the sigil-circle. “Jastira!” he cried out in a loud voice.
Her face turned sharply, her black eyes piercing him with terrifying intensity. “Nigel,” she said, her voice reverberating and harsh, not yet fully settled into her new frame. “Somehow I knew you’d be here to greet me.”
“Jastira, let me come to you,” Nigel said.
She smiled then, and gods! But she was beautiful. Like a poisonous snake. “And why would I do that?” she asked. “You’ve made your choice clear, have you not?”
“Let me come to you,” Nigel said, “and I will give you my sorcery.”
“You what?”
He swung his arm, indicating the circle of Brotherhood figures.
Their energy-lines were visible, pouring into Jastira.
She drank from them, drained their magic as she strove to oust the Green Magic burning in this new body of hers, as she strove to subdue the other spirit present.
But it was not enough. Nigel could see it.
Even as three members of the Brotherhood groaned and collapsed.
Even as Calista Anguish herself uttered a despairing cry and crumpled in on herself, drained to the dregs.
“None of these have what you need,” Nigel said. “But I do. I’ll give you my sorcery. You’ll have enough to take over that body.”
“No one gives something like that for nothing,” Jastira replied, laughing bitterly, and her eyes flashed green-then-black. “What do you want in exchange?”
“Luna’s life,” Nigel answered at once. “Let her live on inside you. Don’t kill her, don’t oust her soul.
Let her live in peace, deep in her memories.
Let her never know what has truly become of her.
If you will grant me this, I will give you everything.
It will be enough for you to gain ascendancy. ”
Her wicked eyes narrowed. Then her mouth curved in a cruel smile.
“Love always did make you a fool, Nigel Grimm.” She waved her hand, and the two sorcerers closest to Nigel both screamed and fell, their powers drained.
But when they fell, the barrier in front of him thinned out, and Nigel found he could push through it into the space on the other side.
He stepped into a storm of absolute noise.
He wasn’t really prepared for it. He’d sensed some of the noise outside the barrier, but it was so much worse inside.
All the howling of the Dire, all the cacophony of chaos pounding at his senses.
And Jastira, floating above him, her red hair streaming, her eyes shooting out black sparks of anti-glitter.
But with every three blinks, those eyes flashed green again. Luna was still there, still inside.
Silently, in the depths of his mind, Nigel reached into Garden’s core. Whatever you have left, he said. Give it to me now.
Garden responded at once. There wasn’t much remaining, but it poured its magic into him, and he began subtly to form the energy exchange. He could only hope Jastira wouldn’t notice with all the catastrophic energies already surging within this circle.
He drew closer, his head tilted back to look at her. She gazed down at him narrowly, distrust limning every feature. Then she blinked, and her eyes flashed with green light again, and he saw Luna’s face, staring down at him with abject terror. The instant vanished. Jastira returned.
Slowly, she drifted down to him. Drawing nearer, nearer, until her face was mere inches from him, and the Dire storm surged around them.
“I really loved you, you know,” she said.
Nigel shook his head. “You always were a beautiful liar, Janet.”
She sneered. “This was destiny. You, your power. Everything you are. It was forever fated to be mine.”
Then she reached out and grabbed him, even as he reached for her. They caught hold of each other, savage and desperate, their mouths locking in a ravenous kiss. He felt Jastira’s plump, glamoured lips on his, but when he closed his eyes and sought deeper, he found her there.
His wife.
His love, his Luna.
And he kissed her deeply, pouring out everything he had to let her know that he was there, that he loved her.
That what he was about to do was for her sake and hers alone.
He kissed her with all the heartbreak for the life they would have shared, the family, the children, the laughter, the tears, and so many teas.
He kissed her for the Happily For Now that could never be Ever After.
He kissed her like it was the end.
Then he took the gardening trowel and drove its point up under her ribs, directly into her heart.
Jastira gasped.
Luna gasped.
Blood poured hot over his hand as Nigel drew his head back, gazing into eyes that flashed from black to green to black again.
They landed finally on black and remained that way, as Jastira stared out at him in absolute shock.
Her mouth opened and closed, a trickle of red oozing over her kiss-bruised lips.
And Nigel, driving the trowel deeper, snarled, “Fate’s my bitch.”