Page 33 of Take No Prisoners
"Not that I remember."
Vadim nodded. "You still have questions."
"Why can I hear your voice in my head?"
"You must be siphoning the power from me. Both healers and death weavers have telepathy. Our power relies heavily upon consent."
"People consent to die?" That made no sense to Niall.
"I have been known to put people out of their misery, if they so choose." Vadim sighed. "It's the true form of my power. I can only enforce my consent over others and take their lives in self defense."
"That's why you couldn't kill my parents."
He nodded. "They didn't attack me. They surrendered."
"They knew that would hurt me most of all. I loved your parents. They were family. We are all family, and we're taking you home at last."
Niall was distracted from Vadim's inner monologue by a pull from Klaus. He reached for Klaus's shoulder instinctively, knowing it would help him hear better, but Vadim stopped him.
"I've wanted to heal him for months, but he's so far gone, I'm worried it would kill him first. I don't have much finesse with healing. It's all or nothing for me, so siphoning my power could still kill him."
"You can heal, though?"
Vadim shook his head. "I could never access that side of my power. I sailed to Hearthstone to study under their healers at Hearthstone's weaver academy after Aquarion's healer made no headway with me. I met Prince Hesse there."
Prince Hesse had been a powerful fire mage, the first after a long line of weak rulers.
"It's too bad the academy no longer exists," Vadim continued. "They would know more about your reverse siphon abilities."
"How do you know I'm a reverse siphon?"
"You stole my power and used it to heal, something even I can't do." Vadim shrugged. "I felt it when you restored Renald's life, and you turned a lock of my hair blond again. You must be a siphon like Coryn, except she can only take what she's given."
"That's why you think I'm a reverse siphon."
"Yes." Vadim started at a touch on his arm.
Klaus tugged on his sleeve and pointed. "There's something weird on the island closest to us. It's not a weaver."
Vadim took Klaus's hand in both of his and pulled him to the deck railing facing the aft. "Stan? Tovey?" They peered around their sail masts at his call. "We need to move."
"Will you please stop giving orders on my ship?" Efren turned from the wheel and stepped into Vadim's space, shoving Klaus aside.
"It wasn't an order," Vadim said. "It was a statement of fact. We need to reach Aquarion as quickly as possible to warn the elders. I'll bring the rest of the wind weavers up from the hold."
"Godsdamnit!"
Vadim huffed a sigh that stirred the wisps of white against his forehead. "What is your problem now?"
"We don't need your naval fools blowing wind in our sails."
"Yes, you do. Someone cast powerful magic on that island. If it wasn't the elders, we might still have time to warn them."
"Fuck's sake." Efren turned back to the wheel. "Go with him. Make sure he doesn't break anything."
Niall hurried after the death weaver with Klaus at his heels.
Chapter 8
