Chapter 13

N ariel teleports directly into Casimir's keep where the weapons are stored, and I follow.

Here we go.

To my surprise, the first thing I have to do is cast a spell to see, because even within the stealth bubble of Nariel's shadows, it's so bright I'm squinting.

Only then can I rapidly take in my surroundings.

The room is a small, circular, and, typically, black obsidian chamber. There are no doors, no windows; the light is artificial.

"Is the brightness an attempt to keep you out?" I ask.

"Or to weaken me. I will have to use my own power here, lacking shadows to pull from."

Interesting; like it takes me more power to create water rather than using moisture in the air.

"The chamber's where you thought it was, so this probably isn't a new defense since I got the last weapon," I say. "Has he been paranoid about you for so long?"

Nariel smiles, and this one isn' t nice. "So it seems."

My heart pounds with adrenaline. If this doesn't work, I've sacrificed a second secret Nariel kept successfully for centuries.

Because now, Casimir will know Nariel can do this at any time.

Nariel went along with my plan, but I could tell he wasn't happy about it. He'd expected me to use my magic to come up with a way to get us here.

And this was the easy part.

Now, it's time to get Casimir's attention.

Three angelic weapons are mounted on the walls equally spaced apart. They're not active like the sword was, but even drained, I can feel them, like endless voids in my magical senses, a promise of how much power each can hold.

A spear.

A double-sided axe.

And bolas, a throwing weapon with weighted balls on the ends of cords.

This last one surprises me—I wouldn't have expected a weapon that doesn't look obviously majestic from an angel—but then again, it's possible it was an angel who was exiled for being insufficiently conformist. Or maybe that's my own bias.

It can't matter which one I touch, but just to cover my bases, with my wand I shoot a small electrical zing at each weapon.

Each of them absorbs it, eating my magic. I've dropped a tiny morsel into a bottomless hole .

In the next instant, my senses are overrun as we're surrounded.

Like, really surrounded. The chamber was small already, and now it's crawling with spirits, so crowded I can't move without hitting one.

Which means they can't help but hit me.

I have a shield up, of course, always, but a constant onslaught this close from all sides will wear it down really fast.

If I stay still, which I'm obviously not going to do.

I flex my magic, and a sphere of electricity explodes around me, and the spirits go flying away from me. Several land on the ground, knocked out, and their companions lose no time racing over them to get back to me.

This is the world Casimir has built for them.

In the opening I've made for myself, I see that Casimir and Nariel have engaged in the air above me, and my frustration grows.

I was the one to take up the sword Casimir couldn't get to, and still he ignores me in favor of Nariel.

Time for Stage Two.

"Nariel," I say in a normal voice while crackling inside a sphere of electricity, zapping any spirits that get too close, "Switch."

His fathomless gazes meets mine.

Then he vanishes.

I shoot an arc of lightning straight at Casimir, who dodges. He looks down at me for a moment .

Nariel is nowhere to be seen.

But shadows now surround us like dark currents of dry ice.

One blip in my senses—a spirit—disappears. Not dead: elsewhere.

Good. Nariel is handling them, to free me up.

And Casimir is descending on me with speed.

It's the same maneuver he tried to use to break my grip on the sword before, and this time, I'm ready for him.

In an instant, I manifest my hammer.

And I swing it into him.

He dodges again, rolling in the air. For a huge dude, he's fucking fast.

But he's never fought a combat wizard like me head-on, which means he's about to get an education.

I heft my wand in one hand, but instead of closing again Casimir flies backward into the wall. What's this?

Then the obsidian chamber starts melting.

And Casimir is gone.

The walls bend, and the ceiling collapses in the center, with one hole in the middle leading to the red sky—

Goddammit, he's making a kill funnel to catch me.

My thoughts fly. I can't stay here or I'll be crushed, and I can't fly out the hole. No visibility; he'll catch me unaware knowing exactly where I'll be. Only thing for it—

I portal to Nariel .

It gives away his location, and Casimir wastes no time directing a blast our way that feels like getting smacked by a giant boulder, even with the shield I threw up.

I did not have time to also cast a flight spell, so no sooner does the blast drive me backward than I'm falling out of the sky.

New priority, spell to not fall out of the sky first , then a new shield—

Nariel swoops down to catch me.

He flings shadows out at Casimir, and I take a moment to get my spells together.

The walls of the chamber are still standing—apparently we were actually underground—but they're now covered with an extra layer of obsidian, effectively burying the weapons.

A neat trick. Not a way I realized this bedrock could be manipulated, either, and I wonder if it's a special ability of Casimir's.

He's making use of this time, too.

"Trespassing without invitation, stealing relics belonging to spirits," Casimir says in a voice that carries. Probably broadcasting to his people. "This is what we can expect from Low Earth."

In a way, it's easier that Casimir is clearly not stupid. Shitty, but not stupid.

Stupid people are unpredictable, but this is the game I came prepared to play.

"Sorry to interrupt," I tell Nariel .

"No trouble at all," he says smoothly. "Ready for more?"

No concerns, not taking over.

I love this man.

I grin. "Toss me at him, would you? Head-first please, like an arrow."

Nariel smirks. "With pleasure."

He whirls, and flings me back into the sky.

I spell with one hand and then use my hammer to shoot lightning straight at Casimir, which he predictably dodges.

But into the crackling sphere I cast around him, zapping him in full view of his people.

I cast again, blowing a powerful wind at him that drives me backward and down to what remains of the weapons chamber, and another spell to break my fall.

Casimir shakes out his powerful arms, making a show for his people of how undamaged he is.

But I did hit him.

"You wanted to get to know me last time, but I was so busy I regrettably had to defer," I call up to Casimir. "Allow me to make it up to you and introduce myself now."

And then I slam my hammer into the obsidian sheet at my feet.

The bedrock cracks.

And giant shards of obsidian separate from the layer.

Casimir's eyes widen.

Well well well, would you look at that. I can break it after all .

I grin. How many impossible feats can I manage in one day, anyway?

At least one more.

Switching my attention to my wand, I fling the giant obsidian shards at Casimir.

He uses a powerful arm to knock them aside, but I'm not finished.

I surround him.

And then, like he tried to do to me, I crush him. All the sharp chunks of obsidian gather around him and then fly inward, like they will fuse together and squeeze him to a Casimir pulp.

"I am Sierra Walker," I declare in a ringing voice, "Wizard Master of Earth. And now that I have your attention, Prince Casimir of Keratha, I come to parley."

The obsidian melts away from Casimir, and he glares at me.

"You would expect me to treat with an invader who tries to kill me and my people?"

"If I'd wanted you dead," I tell him, "I'd have arranged for those shards to face you with their pointy ends. And I think you'll find that neither I nor the prince of Makora have killed any of your people today."

Nariel had the more difficult part of this battle, if not the more dangerous, which is I think why he agreed to what I told him of my plan. Defeating enemies coming at you with lethal force without killing them in turn but also not allowing them to kill you is much, much harder.

But all those spirits now rest in individual shadow spheres arrayed around the ground like ornaments on a tree.

Casimir finally has the chance to notice this, and his visage darkens noticeably as he reassesses the situation.

It's not just that Nariel has captured almost a hundred powerful spirits on Casimir's home turf.

It's that we're undermining the narrative he justifies his power with. Unlike Casimir, Nariel doesn't kill any spirit who looks at him sideways.

And the spirits will recognize that.

As well as the fact that I, a human from Low Earth, could match their prince in battle.

A battle I did not actually win , more's the pity, but actually beating him isn't going to help my case. That would be more than he could tolerate, politically if not egotistically.

"With your leave, Prince Casimir," I say, "I would like to make an offer to you and your spirits that I think you'll like."

Casimir misses the trick, exactly as I expected. "Spirits know enough of mage contracts, human."

"But I'm a wizard, and this would be a contract obligating me to you ."

Nariel's shadows flicker at that, and Casimir catches it.

This was the first reason I couldn't tell Nariel everything I planned .

Mercifully, though, he stays silent, though whatever is on his expression—I can't turn to look—makes Casimir smile cruelly.

"I am intrigued, wizard ," Casimir says. "Perhaps you are worth my time to hear after all."

He descends slowly to the ground, cloak flapping around his massive shoulders, and he stalks toward me like he has all the time in the world.

My hands tingle as I breathe through the adrenaline, not attacking.

Getting here and convincing Casimir I'm worth negotiating with were the easy parts. Stage Three is where it gets complicated.

Nariel appears beside me in a swirl of shadows, not saying a word, and my heart twists.

I can't look at him yet. Not without giving something away.

"Release my spirits," Casimir immediately demands of Nariel when he's ten feet away from us. "You have my word they will not interfere."

"We do not accept," I answer promptly.

He raises his eyebrows. "Oh? You wish me to believe you will engage in good faith when you will not respect me enough to accept my word?"

I grin as if this is a joke we're both in on, and in a way, it is: we're playing the same game here .

Or at least, that's what I want him and his spirits—and Nariel, for now—to think.

"On the contrary, how could you respect me if you knew I could be so easily taken advantage of?" I ask. "But if you will join us in a shadow bubble in their place, I would be delighted for Nariel to free them to listen from the outside. They will hear the full terms of this proposal and can judge its merits for themselves."

Casimir smirks at me, recognizing what I'm doing but clever enough to believe he can still work this to his own ends.

1. Even if the spirits hear the words from my own mouth, Casimir can create his own narrative for what I really meant.

2. Allowing himself to join us inside a shadow bubble—which he could easily break out of—shows his spirits that he's not afraid of us.

3. And since he demanded their release first, they will look at him as a protector throughout this exchange.

I have actually set things up very well for him.

In theory.

Casimir prepared the ground, but this time I'm the one pulling the strings.

"But of course," Casimir says, stepping forward and gesturing mockingly at Nariel to do his—or my—bidding. "Angel-spawn, I await your move."

Nariel's jaw clenches, but in the same moment he drops the spheres around each spirit and encloses us in one .

I rapidly recalculate. I thought it would be enough to show Nariel in a good light that he could capture all those spirits, but since he's in a support position here in order to help me look like Casimir's equal he's going to come off appearing weaker than either of us. Shit, didn't fully think through how Casimir could manipulate their relationship. I'm too used to thinking for myself.

But we are a team, even if I'm keeping things from Nariel, so I think fast and say, "I would not be here without the Prince of Makora, so in gratitude I will make an offer from the wizards of Low Earth on behalf of the spirits of Dark Earth as well."

Nariel looks down at me.

I've just reemphasized the fact that he can come here whenever he wants, and I've made this offer on behalf of spirits at large, not Casimir's spirits specifically, which both of them will note.

"I am deigning to hear you," Casimir says, "but don't waste my time, mage."

He's going to keep calling me that rather than wizard, equating me in the eyes of his spirits with the mages who've forced them into shitty contracts for centuries.

It's on me to demonstrate that we're not the same. I'm not the same, and I won't stand for recreating the same exploitative dynamic.

Augmenting my voice magically so it will carry to the surrounding spirits, I say, "In exchange for the three weapons once of Bright Earth that you hold, I will give you three gifts that only a wizard can.

"For the first: I will anchor a spell in objects in Keratha that will prevent High Earth from summoning any spirit here, no matter how low or high, to do their bidding."

Look, I've been DEEP into magic anchor theory for the last few weeks. This spell won't be simple , but compared to the other things I've been doing with anchors recently, it'll be practically easy.

If Casimir goes for it, that is, which means obviously I can't tell him it's easy.

Casimir sneers. "You think I will allow you to leave foreign objects that you've brought into my territory spelled?"

Okay, I had meant to, but that's valid. I bow my head in acknowledgement of the point—so his spirits will see him pushing back on me and winning, which will hopefully keep him from pushing more than I want. "I will spell whichever objects you choose," I say. "You can then place them as you see fit. Test a smaller area first as you like."

I expect he won't want to reveal how much territory he's claimed, so the spell won't cover all his spirits, keeping a threat he can use against the rest but also hurting his image, leaving not all of his territory protected by being unwilling to disclose his full power.

It's also possible he'll try to use them to claim more territory to lure outside spirits into his domain.

If he's that smart, my other gifts will help .

"You could explain how the spell works," Casimir points out shrewdly.

I smile, as if in appreciation of a good move in our game. "I could, but you wouldn't believe me. And I'd also be rendering my gift no longer valuable. Now, if we become better friends," I nod my head toward Nariel, "I will consider giving you gifts for free."

"Oh?" Casimir sneers. "And what gifts does Makora get for free?"

He thinks I'm lying. I arch my eyebrows. "I bring power stores from Low Earth that any spirit may use."

The Kerathai spirits are listening.

Casimir's eyes narrow.

"Distributed," Nariel puts in smoothly, "by the Seneschal of Makora, according to where he judges they will do the most good."

Oh, good note. That may hurt what I'm trying to achieve with the Kerathai spirits, but it's Casimir who needs to agree to this deal and that will appeal to him—that he can still control the gifts.

"Then you will not make this new offer to the angel-spawn of Makora," Casimir says. "Not without taking something greater in return."

Damn. I'd been planning to offer that to Nariel for free, too .

I glance at Nariel, whose expression has darkened with anger as he glares at Casimir. When he meets my gaze, I can practically feel him gritting his teeth.

Fuck. This is my show. He doesn't get to decide this, and he's still following my lead.

My pulse accelerates. This still isn't the part I expected to make him angry, and I'm not sure it bodes well that he's still with me at this point. By the time we get to the actual dealbreaker he may snap very abruptly.

I breathe, lift my chin.

Nariel and I will figure something else out. It will be fine.

I turn back to Casimir. "Agreed."

Nariel's jaw clenches as he continues staring at me.

Casimir smirks in pleasure, which is to my tactical benefit but makes me want to punch him in the face and then fall all over myself apologizing to Nariel.

I do not do either of these things.

Before Casimir can add further stipulations, I continue, "Which brings me to my next offer. This is something I have not gifted Nariel: in exchange for a weapon, until Dark Earth's magic is restored, I will provide you from Low Earth with the equivalent of the power that weapon could hold, which you can absorb directly."

Casimir and Nariel both stare at me incredulously.

Nariel's reaction makes me crumble a little internally— he knows I always have a plan—but I did just bargain away potential power from him for my own gain knowing he's not in a position to gainsay me, so I probably should have expected that.

I mean, I did expect it; it's why I didn't tell him my full plan, explaining that I needed his honest reactions to make this work with Casimir, which is true.

But apparently my head and heart aren't in agreement on what's reasonable, because I'm feeling betrayed by his doubt anyway.

He said he trusted me and would do whatever he could to help me.

But when push comes to shove, will he mean it?

I keep my gaze fixed on Casimir. "Furthermore, as my gift to all spirits of Dark Earth from the wizards of Low Earth, I will give you power for each weapon you give me, provided your spirits are free to leave Keratha unmolested if they choose."

I'd been planning to offer for three anyway, so fingers crossed my earlier recalculation works without my having to actually give him something extra.

I'm dancing a delicate line, not pissing either Nariel or Casimir off too badly, giving each something while taking something from the other. Nariel wants spirits to have freedom. Casimir will believe that the more power he has, the more the spirits will want to stay with him.

But he still can't accept the offer outright, so I'm not surprised when he asks, "If you can do this, then why bargain for weapons at all? "

Oh thank god, an easy question. "Because I don't know how to make weapons for anyone else, and I have a mage problem now."

I don't say ‘yet'. I'm not going to give him that idea.

Let him instead think that I make this incredible offer out of desperation, not because I have a trick up my sleeve.

"And so I am to simply take your word," Casimir mocks, "that this is within your power?"

Yes! Walked right into it.

Take that, Evram, I am good for more than simple destructive power.

Never let it be said that I didn't learn everything I could from him. I don't like how he manipulates, but I know how he does it.

And to free two worlds, I'll do it too.

"If I may?" I ask Casimir, gesturing at my pack.

He holds his hand out for it. "I will see."

I purse my lips. Hmm. That's... not optimal.

"Or in your apparent quest for ‘friendly relations'," Casimir mocks, "do you carry magical objects into my territory that I would not approve of?"

Damn it. Fine. I can spin this.

"I came here expecting a fight," I tell him tightly, one more token protest for our audience.

Casimir smiles. "Then I will see what you have prepared for me."

I grit my teeth and pass my pack over .

Nariel steps closer to me, practically vibrating with tension.

I don't think that's solidarity. He's not taking over for me, yet, but he's getting ready to.

Casimir opens my pack and takes out some clothes first, holding up a pair of my underwear with outright disdain as some spirits snicker.

Wow he has boundary issues.

When he gets to my frozen food, his expression turns pitying.

He doesn't see this as being prepared, but being desperate.

When he gets to the kimono bag, I tell him, "Careful with that."

Not because there's anything that could hurt him.

But because damaging it will hurt me—and Nariel.

Casimir pauses, then slowly smirks, as if he's just found my weakness. And he sort of has, but not in the way he thinks.

I swallow. "You can open it. Take out any bead inside, but carefully. Some of them are spelled."

"To do what?"

"Hand me one and I'll show you."

He rolls his eyes.

But he does pluck one bead out.

And then tosses the bag on the ground, discarding it as nothing and then studying the tiny bead, his power flaring.

I stare at the kimono bag.

If I'm not careful, that will be us .

To my surprise, Casimir does toss me the bead, and I just manage to react quickly enough to catch it one-handed.

It burns a hole in my shield, and I hiss, patching it quickly.

Damn it. Should have expected that.

And a reminder that that's what I'm inviting with Casimir: always needing to be on my guard, knowing any oversight he will exploit.

Even if we come to an agreement today, this demon is not an ally.

I will build in spite of him.

"Impress me," Casimir drawls.

I connect the bead to an anchor in Bryce Canyon. It's empty, so it won't affect any nearby wizards' access to magic—at least none we've set up with wands so far—and it's enough of a tourist attraction that spirits don't hang out there either.

But I don't drain the whole power spot for a show, let alone one that may yet end in me fighting to my death.

I toss the bead back to Casimir. "Here's a taste."

He studies it again, looking for traps.

Looks at me.

I raise my eyebrows back at him in mute challenge.

On one hand, I'm sure he doesn't trust me.

On the other, he knows he still has something I want. I definitely don't have the three weapons yet, and with his obsidian melting powers, he can get them much more easily than I can .

More to the point, I can't guarantee his spirits' freedom without his agreement. If I kill him, his successor isn't going to be more lenient.

Casimir pops the bead in his mouth, swallowing it whole.

I keep my face blank, but I really want to laugh. He didn't need to literally eat it, ohmygod. It's probably a dramatic gesture so his spirits will understand what happens, but still.

Then his eyes widen, and he flexes one arm experimentally.

A crater of obsidian explodes behind him.

"Well, well," Casimir purrs. "I will accept this, with one stipulation. That you will supply me with equal power for each weapon continually."

Too far. "I have an entire world to protect; I am not an errand girl."

Casimir shrugs. "Then no deal."

I narrow my eyes. "Until Dark Earth's power is restored, I will agree to continue delivering three weapons' worth of power while we make use of the weapons in Low Earth."

"You will bring me an equivalent power every time you restore one of the weapons."

"Not possible. But I will continue my pledge while we make use of any of the weapons," I counter.

He considers.

"Sierra," Nariel growls softly.

I know . I'm offering a huge amount of power to his most immediate enemy .

But Nariel's intervention is timely, because if he has reservations—

Casimir smiles. "Done. But you will not give the same or more to Makora, or anywhere else in Dark Earth."

I scowl. That will be annoying to get around. "Done."

Casimir purrs, "I can't wait to hear your last suggestion."

I've gotten everything I want so far, but Nariel is now in the worst possible position for this.

Here we go.

"You know now that Nariel can appear in your stronghold at will," I say.

Nariel's head whips to stare at me, and I lift my chin.

This is why we did the plan this way. I needed the leverage of one of his secrets.

Nariel told me he would help me any way he could, but we both know he didn't mean this.

"Is that a threat?" Casimir asks mildly.

I take a breath. "No. It is an offer to make a protective barrier so that within a location—your bedroom, perhaps?—Nariel cannot harm you."

Only now do I look at Nariel, whose expression rapidly cycles through shock and then goes utterly blank with his fury.

My stomach bottoms out.

"Well, well," Casimir says again. "I'm amazed at how quiet you're being throughout all this, Nariel. Any opinions?"

Nariel breathes, staring at me .

Breathes again.

"The wizard master and I," he bites out, "have an agreement. But I assure you we will be discussing its terms again shortly."

"Changing the deal after it's struck," Casimir says, "how like an angel."

"Then you won't?" I ask.

"Cast this barrier on my whole territory."

I shake my head. "I can't. It needs to be a physically enclosed space. Not just a field. And once I've cast the spell, I won't move it."

Not that that will be a problem for Casimir, given his ability to move obsidian around, and his eyes narrow as he considers the implications.

"The entire stronghold, then."

I purse my lips, gazing at it consideringly. It's really big. Like medieval castle sized. Nariel's spire is tall, but it doesn't take up this much real estate. Not to mention there may be more chambers underground.

I nod slowly. "Yes. Assuming what is belowground is not significantly larger than what I can see, I can do that."

Casimir grins. "Then you have yourself a deal, wizard master."

Only now that he has what he wants from me will he use my title, in mockery.

Not the deal itself.

Nariel's pain .

I can't look at Nariel anymore.

And a moment later, I don't have the option to.

Nariel vanishes, the shadow sphere around Casimir and me vanishing with him.

"He's always been a sore loser," Casimir drawls. "I'll take my payment now."

His spirits cheer for their shrewd, now more-powerful leader as my heart twists.

But when he brings the weapons back up from underneath the obsidian bedrock, I don't hesitate to take them.

I made a deal with a devil, and I'll leave with what I came for.