“Yes,” I confirm as I hold my hand out to her and feel that familiar spike of magic rushing up my arm.
Raya says, “I brought my divination bowl. I don’t know if it’ll work as well for you, but it often works best for me.”
“I thought if you couldn’t do it alone, maybe you could join magic to amplify the spell,” Imani suggests. “Or maybe it’s better to start off working together with it so it’ll be stronger right from the beginning.”
“That’s a good idea,” I say. “We don’t want to waste time or the god could realize that we’re tinkering.”
Torin retrieves water while I drag a coffee table over as well as another chair so we can sit across from each other. I try to familiarize myself with her magic as I lean over the filled bowl, never having done this kind of magic before.
Raya asks, “You brought something of his?”
“Yes, his bow,” I say as Torin slings it off his shoulder. We lay it on the table so we can both touch it. Then she reaches across and takes my hand, interlocking our fingers.
“My sister is a different kind of seer and can amplify things, so I’ve worked with others before,” she explains while she holds our hands over the water. “When our hands touch the edge of the bowl, keep it there and don’t pull away or you’ll lose contact. And then just… think of who you want to speak to.”
“Understood,” I say, and our hands touch the very middle of the water before she guides them over to the edge of the bowl where they settle. My left hand squeezes the bowl when I feel the magic from it connecting with mine. It’s like a rush of magic is amplified inside of me as the water in the bowl begins to tremble. Ripples start from the middle and move out while I feel her magic and mine mesh together. The bowl begins to vibrate, and I try my best to focus as things gradually escalate.
“I’m… not sure it’s going to work. I’ve never had it do this before,” she warns.
“I can feel something,” I say as the hourglass heats up until it’s almost burning my skin. There’s such a strong temptation to reach for it, but I keep my hands firmly where she asked me to.
And then the rippling water stills. I look up at her, uncertain if the whole thing failed before I hear Conquest’s voice.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Brother.”
I look into the water and see his face slowly flicker into existence. Whatever we’re reflecting from must be facing him since I can see him sitting on the floor, leaning against a wall. He looks exhausted and dirty and anytime he moves, the shackles on his arms and legs clang against their chains.
“It looks like you need more help than I do,” I say.
He laughs as he shakes his head. “You think you can help me? If you could, we wouldn’t be in this hell.”
“We don’t have much time. Will you talk to me? Will you tell me what’s going on or spin me riddles like the rest of them?”
“Do you ever think we’re trying to protect you from him? The less you know, the better.”
I have seen no sign of any of them trying to protect me, but I don’t want to fight with him when he could give me answers. “You think I have a choice? Being without my horse is killing me.”
“No, using your magic without your horse is killing you. Forsake your magic, just live your life, grow old, be happy?—”
“For how long? Because once the god has acquired this power, who knows what he’s going to do.” What I don’t say is that we’re already aware that wouldn’t work anyway.
Conquest just stares at me before closing his eyes. “He can’t complete it until I play my role. If he kills me, he will have to wait for me to be reborn, wait for me to be strong enough to complete it. So just kill me again and again before I reach power. It might be the only way to accomplish this.”
“So you want me to just wander the realms and find ten-year-old you and kill you again and again?” I ask in disbelief.
“I never said this life was an easy one.”
“No, we’re going to stop him,” I say.
Conquest laughs. “How? You knew more than me before you died. You knew what he was planning on accomplishing and ran off on your own. All I know is that he suckered War over without hesitation. Ever since they drove him to the brink, War has despised the people who roam these worlds. And Famine… she will do anything to bring back the person she loves. Aemon, the god, promises things that lure them in. He shows them the disgusting parts of the world and convinces them to be selfish—to take what they want—all while taking it for himself.”
“Is Shaarune the only world that has been destroyed?” I ask.
“So far.”
“And he needs a total of four to complete the cycle?”
“Yes.”
