Page 53 of Heart of the High King
“Well, yes…until Justice barged in and snatched them all. Life was beside herself with joy rebirthing those souls,” Death groused.
“And how long ago was that? Move on. What are we going to do about this situation? Ugh, I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to your punishment.”
“Agreed?You had no choice. You broke the rules.”
“Stop fighting. It solves nothing. Go now. If I must watch Rafferty die, I will do it without your bickering in the background,” Innocence whispered.
With a dramatic roll of her eyes, Death pushed Innocence out of the way so she could stare at the circle. “I think I have a plan.”
“Fate won’t bring Aleksander here. I already thought of that,” Courage countered.
Death’s attention went to Aleksander, who was staring out at his wide swath of land. “Oh, that dragon is so gorgeous,” she commented, producing a fan made of bones and waving it. “But Fate is right. They are not ready.”
“The only damn way Rafferty can survive is with a soul tied to his. He’s too weak without his dragon to make it through the night,” Innocence contended, straightening her billowy cream-colored gown and squeezing her way between Fate and Death to watch Rafferty.
“The wolf will do,” Death said, her fan dissipating into the air.
Courage crossed her arms over her metal breastplate. “I sent him to help, but he’s already dead. You always have the stupidest ideas.”
“Don’t you have a sword to sharpen or something?” Death demanded. “Be gone.”
“If you have a plan, you need to act swiftly. He’s getting worse.”
Lifting her hands, Death splayed them in front of the circle. Black smoke flew from her fingertips, and the wolf’s spirit grew irritated. The medical professionals trying to keep Rafferty alive grew uneasy; then a woman screamed as the wolf’s spirit came into view. They ran from the bay where he was being treated, and Fate poked her sister in the side.
“Making those people leave him is only going to hasten his death, idiot.”
“Not at all,” Death remarked with a smile. “They will call inmychosen, and he’ll get the job done.”
“Look, we let you create necromancers because it amused you, but that does not make them yours. They’re on the side of the living.”
“Arch Lich Chander Daray is mine, dammit, just as the High Kings belong to you. Chander can come here and tie that wolf’s soul to Rafferty’s, saving his fucking life since you idiots messed this whole thing up.”
“Chander’s alive! He can’t be yours!”
“Mated to a dead man, Fate. Lives with even more dead men that he calls family. He certainly is mine. I made sure he was of half-demonic blood.”
“You have everyone believing he’s the wrong demonic race,” Courage pointed out. “Not your smartest move.”
“No, they don’t know, so they call him undetermined. When the Imperian gains his wings again, he will straighten out the confusion,” Death said, continuing to wind up the wolf, so he stalked around Rafferty’s bed.
“Let’s not even get into how you let the Imperian be created,” Fate muttered. Quickly turning to another circle, she ensured the man in question was still stranded. “He is capable of destroying everything we’ve built, and his abilities nearly match our own. Near the well, he is stronger than all other sorcerers put together.”
“I had no issue with the Imperian’s creation,” Courage argued. “But how she allowed the events that followed is what boggles my mind.”
“Dammit, focus on our problem,” Death demanded. “You know none of that was my fault.”
“No, I don’t know. Tell us, sister,” Fate ordered.
“Do shut up,” Death snarled.
“Let us not fight. How in the world is Chander going to know to resurrect the wolf to save Rafferty?” Innocence asked. “He has no time to gather Sorcery D’Vaire and come up with a plan—besides, there was a cost to the gifts we gave to the High Kings, and Rafferty has issues with magic. Those damn doctors brought in every druid available and have done horrific damage to him.”
“Ugh, I miss the other side of the veil already. Fewer stupid people. Didn’t I just point out Chander was mated to a dead man? Fate can nudge the living, and I can nudge the dead. Why do I have to explain this to you? Have I been away so long that you idiots forgot how powerful I am?”
“I don’t doubt your power. Didn’t I just spend over a year with you?” Fate groused.
“I have an idea to not only save Rafferty but to keep him protected in the future should he find himself in a bad situation again. Obviously, I can’t trust you fools to keep him safe. You know how I feel about D’Vaire. There is no excuse for allowing one of its High Kings to nearly die,” Death responded.
