Lucian reached for the book; Vance tugged it just out of range.
“I feel I would be remiss not to remind you that this is a life you are playing with. While I do not doubt that the spell will work—or your considerable power—we’ve never had to worry about the potential consequences of accidentally removing something vital. And well, frankly, you’ve never done this at all.”
Leaning forward so as to look him straight in the eye, Lucian unleashed the grief that had consumed him since discovering what had become of Effie. “Do you really think that given everything we’ve been through to get her here, I would fuck it up now?”
Vance’s eyes went wide with shock. “You’re in love with her,” he whispered. “I didn’t realize.”
“Love is for mortals. It is far too simplified an emotion for what happens when a Guardian finds the one who makes his soul sing.”
Eyes cloudy with confusion, the Councilman asked, “A mating bond?”
Lucian sighed, not about to debate the intricacies of the fuj d’âme with him. “If that helps you understand the depth of my devotion to her, then fine. Call it what you will. Can we get on with this now?”
“Of course, Guardian. Let me gather what you will need.”
His knees almost buckled with the force of his relief, but Lucian remained upright. If he’d known invoking the mating bond would have had the Councilman jump to aid him, Lucian would have claimed it as soon as they arrived in the Vale.
Vance placed a few colorful jars on the table, speaking as he worked. “I will go with you and help set up—”
“No.”
“No?” Vance asked, hurried movements pausing as he risked a glance at Lucian. “But it’s the safest way. One thing out of place—”
“I cannot allow you to set foot inside that cell, Councilman. You will tell me what I need to do.”
Vance wanted to argue. It was obvious in the pursed set of his lips, but he must have seen the futility of it because he simply grabbed a piece of parchment and started sketching what appeared to be a map.
“You will be amplifying your own power by invoking the elements. These items are physical representations of each of them. They need to be placed in precise locations throughout the cell before you begin.”
Lucian peered at the jars more carefully, trying to discern what they contained, but the contents were unfamiliar.
“The colors correspond with the elements. I’m assuming you are aware of the pairings.”
Lucian gave a sharp nod, barely managing to keep from rolling his eyes.
“Good.” Gesturing to the map again, Vance placed his finger beside one of four dots and started moving it in a circular fashion. “One by one, starting from the northern point, you are going to open the jars and do the following.” Vance mimed pouring something into his hand and pressed his closed fist first to his forehead, then to his lips, and finally to the center of his chest. “As you do so you will repeat the following words: apertum, roboro, incipere.”
As he spoke, Vance performed the motions again, one word for each of the three gestures. Once he was done, he looked at Lucian expectantly.
“Apertum, roboro, incipere. I got it.”
“After you complete your circle, you will move to the center of the room where your girl should be placed before you begin. Then you will start the final invocation. It is imperative you enunciate these words exactly as I show you. I’ve written them here phonetically for you as well.”
Lucian glanced at the paper and nodded to show that he understood. “Pour out the jars, say the words, then what?”
The Councilman looked mildly aggrieved. “Then with any luck the force of the elements will be yours to command. While you speak the words, you will need to picture in your mind that which you wish to eliminate. You will repeat the invocation five times, each time imagining that the impurities are being pulled out of the source.”
“I can do you one better,” Lucian said with the ghost of a grin. “I don’t need to imagine anything. I’ll be looking right at it.”
Vance blinked. “Well, yes, I suppose that will be more effective.”
“So that’s it; that’s everything? Sprinkle some dust, mumble some words, picture the corruption leaving her body and it’s done?”
“Not quite. After the final repetition, hold the image of what remains in your mind. Focus wholly on it until you are certain that is all that remains. Then, only then, will you release the elements.”
Lucian shrugged. “Sounds easy enough.”
The Councilman shook his head. “The process may sound simple, Guardian, but you will be channeling incredibly powerful magic. One wrong uttering, and things will get away from you. You cannot lose focus for even a moment.”
“I won’t.”
Vance studied him, his eyes searching Lucian’s face before he finally said, “Alright then.” Packing away the map and the jars, he held them out to Lucian. “May the Mother aid your quest.”
“The Mother allowed this to happen in the first place. So if you don’t mind, I’d rather leave Her out of it.”
If he was scandalized, the Councilman did not show it. He merely dipped his head. “Then I shall see you when it’s done.”
Lucian stood outside of Effie’s cage, hands braced on the bars. She was no longer lying where he’d left her. His eyes lifted from the scrap of red and shifted to the darkness at the back of her cell.
“I know you’re awake.”
A soft snarl sounded at his words, the clinking of chains overloud in the relative silence.
Lucian braced himself. He wasn’t entirely sure what was waiting for him inside, but he knew it was going to haunt him long after he was done here.
“I’m coming in.”
Why he felt the need to announce his next move he couldn’t say, except that if he talked to her like she was still human, it made her seem like less of a monster.
There was another clink before a slow continuous melody filled the cell. It took Lucian a heartbeat to catalogue the sound as chains running against stone. Closing his eyes, Lucian filled his lungs with air.
Before he could save her, he was going to have to disable her. Again. Lucian had a feeling this time it wasn’t going to be a simple matter of knocking her unconscious. She was waiting for him. Perhaps he shouldn’t have made Ronan and Kael wait for him in the hallway. Three against one was certainly better odds, but he wanted privacy for what he was about to do.
Dropping his hands, Lucian lifted his head. His eyes swirled with bronze fire. No one said he had to fight fair.
Power surged through him and between one breath and the next, Lucian had walked through the bars as if they were no more substantial than smoke. If she somehow managed to take him out, he didn’t want her to be able to escape.
There was a jostle of chains as she shifted, mirroring his steps in some macabre imitation of a dance. Barely any of her essence’s natural radiance was left. Instead of the intricate and blinding light he’d seen the first time he’d looked at her, there was only pulsing darkness filled with a dozen flickering golden beads. It was almost like staring at the night sky as the stars slowly faded from view.
It was worse than he realized. Barely anything was left of her.