“I see.” I approach her slowly, my steps unhurried as my boots squelch through the blood-drenched patch of earth that separates us. “Is this little speech intended to move me? Because the way I see it, you’re not really in a position to make demands.”
“And yet, here I am. Demanding.”
“Look around you, Star. Not even the fabled Arcana Princesses could help you win this battle. It’s over.”
Her face softens, her eyes alight with some new tenderness that crawls across my skin like scorpions.
“Oh, Ani.” Tightening her grip on the Sword, she says, “We’ve tried everything we could think of to bring you back. Doc’s magick couldn’t help you. Taking the Wand couldn’t help. Knocking you out, poisoning you… Nothing worked.”
“Because I’mnotAni, and I don’t need to be helped. So unless you’re here to surrender yourself and that weapon, I suggest—”
“Excuse me,asshole.” The softness in her face hardens into bitter hatred. She points the sword at my chest, the tip of it just a few inches from my heart. “I’m talking to Ani, not you.”
Laughter and annoyance war for dominance inside me.
Petulant little bitch.
In the end, laughter wins out, and I let it loose.
“By all means, witch-girl.” I give her an exaggerated bow. “Continue boring us all with your long and desperate goodbye. I assure you, it will be your last.”
She looks at me as if I’m not here. As if she truly believes she’s talking tohim.
“Ani, I know you’re still here with us. I may not be able to see you, but I canfeelyou.” She presses a hand to her heart, the raw, unguarded emotion in her voice churning my stomach in a way that the mutilated corpses around us do not.
If the Light Arcana spent less time sharing their feelings and more time tending to their magick, they might not find themselves on the losing end of this war.
“Honestly, witch.” I take a step back and gesture to the carnage that surrounds us. “You’re wasting your breath. Ani was as broken and corruptible—just like the rest of you. He—”
“Ani was andispure of heart and soul. He is an Arcana mage, a devoted friend, and one hell of a man.”
Again my humor battles with my irritation. Again the laughter wins out.
“Then what, I wonder, am I?” I ask. “Serious question. I’m desperate to know.”
“You are nothing but a cheap and soulless imitation. A husk who’s so weak, he has to hijack another man’s body just to do his master’s bidding. As far as I’m concerned, you can fuckingburn.”
That’s it. No more games. No more laughter. Now she’s just pissing me off.
“I’m not the one who’ll burn today, Starla Milan.” I lift my hands, the Wand raised toward the heavens. The fires jump at my command, drawing closer, hemming us in.
Black smoke continues to rise, choking out the light.
And still, the bitch will not surrender.
“I’m sorry. Ani, I’m so sorry. I love you.” She lowers her blade—fatal mistake. “Do you hear me? With everything I am—magickal, mundane, and everything in between—Iloveyou.”
“No. I can say with certainty Anican’thear you. That man is gone.” I swing the Wand in a wide arc, smashing it into the side of her exposed ribcage. The force of it cracks bone, and she drops to her knees, all the breath rushing from her lungs. “Accept it or die in denial. I’m good either way.”
Blood trickles from her mouth, her pathetic tears tears leaving twin tracks down her filthy cheeks.
“I love you, Ani,” she chokes out again. “I love you.”
“You love a dead man.” I jab the Wand into her chest, right above her heart. The fabric of her shirt burns away where the Wand touches it, her flesh blackening beneath it. “Stop babbling, and perhaps you’ll die with a shred of dignity.”
“Ani…” The woman barely has strength to draw breath, yet she refuses to listen to reason. She speaks to her Arcana brother as if he’s with her. As ifIdon’t even exist. “I willnevergive up on you. Never.”
“No matter,” I grind out, frustration simmering with the magick inside me. “He’s given up onyou.”
