I understand that. More than I want to admit.
“Fine,” I mutter. “Tell me what to do.”
“Come closer,” Dis says.
I move to the edge of the circle. The invisible barrier hums with energy. I can feel it against my skin.
Dis extends his hand toward me. Palm up. Waiting.
“Give me your hand,” he says.
“Why?”
“Because I have the skill and power to wipe his memory, but I am bound. You are free. You can channel it.”
I don’t like this. I don’t like any of this.
But the footsteps are right outside my door now. Someone is knocking.
I reach through the barrier.
The sensation is strange. Like pushing through cold water. The barrier resists for a moment, then lets my hand pass through.
Dis’s fingers close around mine.
His touch is cold. Not ice cold. Shadow cold. The kind of cold that seeps into your bones and settles there.
But his grip is solid. Real. Certain.
“Focus,” he says quietly. “Feel my magic. Let it flow through you.”
I close my eyes. Try to feel what he’s talking about.
There’s power in him. Enormous, ancient power that presses against the bindings like an ocean held back by a dam. It’s dark and vast and utterly terrifying.
And it’s right there. Waiting.
The connection between us opens like a floodgate.
His magic pours into me. Through our joined hands. Up my arm. Into my chest. Cold and dark and so much bigger than anything I’ve ever touched.
I gasp. My free hand comes up to grip the barrier for balance.
“Breathe,” Dis says. His voice is closer than it should be. “Control it. You can control it.”
“Channel it toward the human,” he continues. “Shape it into what you need. Remove the past ten minutes from his memory. Replace them with something innocuous.”
“I don’t know how,” I whisper.
“Yes, you do. You are a witch. You understand magic. This is simply magic of a different kind.”
His hand tightens on mine. Not painful. Just firm. Grounding.
I force myself to breathe. To focus. To shape the wild, ancient magic pouring through me into something resembling an intention.
Remove the memory. Replace it with something safe.
The power responds. Flowing from Dis through me toward the himbo. I can feel it wrapping around his mind. Gentle but inexorable.
