The perfect storm.
This is going to be less troublesome than I thought.
Through a good deal of grumbling and bickering, the three inspect the massive pile of rock and rubble blocking their entrance into the cave, all of them sweaty and panting.
“We’re fucked,” the Devil says.
You have no idea…
Ignoring him, the woman turns to the Tower, her eyes filling with tears. “Please, Kirin,” she begs, and it’s just like I said. Desperate, weak, and stupid. “You said you’d help me.”
“Yep. And then we’redone,” he snaps. “That was the deal. We help you, then we go our separate ways.”
The coldness in his voice shocks me, simultaneously filling me with a surge of new power.
Me. They’re breaking because of me. What I did to their little Gingersnap, to their professor… I don’t know what happened in the moments after I left them in that house last night, but it’s clear now that whatever went down, it was enough to shatter their trust in love and brotherhood.
It was enough to destroy their hope.
“Iwillhonor the deal,” she says, her voice turning just as cold. “Just get me in there.”
The Tower nods and lifts his hands, his brow knitting in concentration. At first, I don’t think his plan is going to work, but then it begins—a low rumble in the ground beneath me, a skittering of rocks and debris.
The man unleashes a primal roar, his body trembling as deeply as the earth itself. A bolt of white lightning sizzles down from the sky and smashes into the rocks, pulverizing them.
My wide eyes match the Star’s and the Devil’s both, all of us doubtlessly awed by the show of force.
It takes me a moment to recognize the new feeling coursing through my body.
Jealousy.
No matter. That little show will look like a mere party trick compared to the power I’ll soon claim.
When the Tower has finally used up his reserves, the Devil takes over, calling on his earth magick to clear away the remaining debris.
After what feels like an age, a dark entrance and path appear before them, granting them access to the deeper caves where the Fool’s Grave lies.
In silence they make their way in. Grabbing a sharp, discarded rock, I make a few non-lethal cuts on my face and arms for effect, then trail them at a safe distance behind.
When they finally reach the ruined inner chamber, they wait for the Tower to clear away the large slabs of rock that crashed there the night Chariot decided to test her powers.
I swear the effort nearly kills him.
The Star seems completely unaffected by his weakened condition.
“Do you think we need to do the Keepers of the Grave ritual?” she asks when they finally have enough room to maneuver.
The Devil shakes his dark head. “Let’s skip the damn ritual and get this over with. The sooner you realize we’ve got no power here, the sooner we can leave.”
“You aresuchan asshole,” she mutters.
The man doesn’t even flinch.
It’s nearly impossible for me to reconcile the sight of this broken trio of enemies with the once-loyal Brotherhood, but it doesn’t surprise me. Love? Honor? Loyalty? In the face oftruepower, those things are as insubstantial as the dust beneath my feet.
Again, my palms burn with the need to hold the Wand, to feel its limitless magick connecting with my own.
But I must time this perfectly.
