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“Because he inherited the blessing of Chaos. Just as you did, Honor, from Lysander. Your fathers made a deal with Ebba for his power, and they gave it to you.” He smiled at me triumphantly. “But now you are the queen of this land… the one tied to its power. Just as Ebba can control it, so can you.”
“Wait,” I said. “Why did you come here at all?”
“Ebba has always lain in wait, and after that idiot Pend let him loose in the world—”
“I banished him,” I broke in.
“You did not,” he said. “You temporarily weakened him, and you kept him from assuming a human form, though, at least. Because then he can concentrate his power and rule the kingdoms again. That moment when he assumes human form is his one moment of weakness—and then is followed by centuries of nightmares.”
I shook my head, trying to make sense of his words. “Why does he need a royal infant?”
“Like the one you’ll bear?” Kallus asked me. “The body is only strong enough to bear his presence if it already carries more of his magic. And it has to be an infant, because he can only assume a blank slate, so to speak. Someone who has no memories.”
The thought of allowing Ebba into an innocent baby sickened me.
Then I blinked at him. “Like the one I’ll bear? You know I’m not going to ever have a child.”
“Of course. But I hoped… Anyway, I tried to trick him into a body so I could finally defeat him,” Kallus said. “Since he is loose in the world… he must be stopped. But he wouldn’t take the child.”
I stared at him, stricken. “You’d sacrifice a baby to Ebba?”
“I would, to take advantage of his one moment of weakness. To kill him in the seconds when he enters the body and is lost, trying to take the rudders of a new mind. Before he can summon any of his power.”
“Why?” I demanded.
“Because he is stealing my power, now that he’s back in the world. Slowly draining it from me.” He raised his hand over his heart, his fingers trembling, as if he could feel it leaving. “And he is doing the same to you. Soon we’ll both be too weak to fight him, and he will find a form—no matter how long it takes—and then the world will again be dark and dreadful.”
“It seems pretty bad to me at the moment,” Talisyn said drily. Everyone feels that way at the point of a knife.
“You have no idea how terrible it was and will be,” Kallus said. “I’ve read every piece of literature, built a massive library of magic, poured over the legends to understand how to bring about his defeat.”
His gaze locked on mine. “And now, Honor, you need to help send Chaos reeling back to the underworld.”
“If you want me to help you, you should’ve asked instead of threatening.”
“I’m not a threat to you, Honor. Ebba is.”
“How can you say that when you hold that dagger?” My gaze dropped to the point so near Tal’s exposed side.
“I need you motivated,” he said. “Ebba will become stronger than you as he drains your magic back. He already began to empty Zehr.”
“Is that why the Scourge was killing Zehr?” I demanded.
“You’ve already learned to share magic,” he said. “Ebba will find me, and he’ll drag me to the underworld if I don’t fight him. But you can channel the power of the land to be as powerful as Ebba. You can funnel that power to me, and I’ll destroy Ebba. Forever.”
“Forever. Until another fool finds a shard of his power,” Talisyn muttered.
Kallus ignored him.
“You draw the magic from the land, and let it pass through you to me,” he said. “And I’ll fix every foolish, tender-hearted mistake you made with Ebba. You can rule beside me like a daughter, my beloved niece. With all your men, alive and well, and your babies your own one day. You’ll be free.”
Zehr had warned me I had to be the one to destroy Ebba or Kallus would claim all his power. I didn’t trust Kallus with that power, no matter how much he might believe he loved me. “I’ll make myself free.”
He clucked disappointedly. “I would never hurt you, niece, but to get you to surrender your power and save your world… I would hurtthem.”
He shifted his weight, obviously about to shadow travel with Talisyn. “Catch me if you can.”
“Take my magic,”Talisyn said urgently, the words washing over me through the bond. The power between us pulsed, and then it lit inside me.
