Fear chilled my skin. There was something definitely off about Vusario. I had never really liked him, but now I was downright afraid of him.
“Why are you here?” I demanded. “Surely not to help me.”
He laughed, a cold sound. “No, I’m not. You have made this very difficult indeed, Queen Sia.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that I’ve been trying to do this the easy way. The mercenaries I sent should have been able to do the job, but alas.”
The mercenaries. My stomach lurched. “It was you all along. You’re the one who wanted me dead.”
“Not dead.” He smiled, and suddenly, he reminded me of a snake.
I drew in a wavering breath. “Right. It was never about killing me. You wanted them to steal my magic.”
“And give it to me, of course. I would have preferred you not know my role in this.” He shrugged. “But they were incapable.”
“Why the hell do you want my magic? You have your own.”
“Oh.” He whistled low. “Your magic is capable of great things.”
“Terrible things, more like.” I glared at him. “Does this mean you knew what I was all along?”
He nodded. “I did indeed. Long ago, I came upon the prophecy about you. The Truth Teller, honest as she is, didn’t realize all of it. Neither did I, at first.” He gave a soft, ugly laugh. “Until yesterday when the maze blew up, I had no idea how little I understood.”
“You’re speaking in riddles, and it’s annoying as hell.”
“I knew that I wanted your magic, silly girl. I didn’t know that you didn’t fully have it yet. That you wouldn’t get all of it until you were here. I knew it would be easier to steal if you were away from the protection of the Court of Starlight and Darkness, but I didn’t realize I would get so much more if I just waited.”
“So you bungled up your plan, but it worked out in the end?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.”
“I don’t think it is.” I tried to draw my sword from the ether, but nothing came. Damn it. I tried again. Still nothing.
“Trying for a weapon?” He smiled like a snake.
“Whatever.” I slumped back against the wall. “Maybe I should just let you have the damned magic.”
“Excellent.” The look in his eyes was positively reptilian, and I shuddered.
The witch with the deathly magic.
If my magic was really that dangerous, should it go into the hands of a guy like Vusario?
No.
He was clearly evil.
And what Eve had said was right. Just because the magic was dark didn’t mean I had to be. I could choose to be better. To do better.
If he had it, who knew what kind of destruction he could wreak. “Why do you want it, anyway? It has to be for bad reasons since it’s basically just destructive garbage magic. Whom do you hate so much that you would want to destroy them?”
“King Lore, or course.”
Oh, shit.
This had just gotten a whole lot more complicated. “But why?”
Now I wanted answers. Bad.
Slowly, I rose to my feet. Without my sword or access to the stars, I didn’t know how I’d defend myself against him. I had new magic, but no idea how to use it. And it was such an ugly power that I was scared to try.
“This is becoming tiresome,” he said. “I’ve answered some questions, which is more than kind of me, but I’m not about to waste my time or give away too much information.”
“You already have.”
“No, I haven’t. I want you to tell King Lore that I am coming for him.” He strode toward me, moving with an eerie grace.
When he reached me, I lashed out, aiming my fist for his nose. He dodged.
Damn it, I was too slow, still reeling from the explosion earlier.
I tried to call on any of the magic inside me, but it just roiled in an ugly way, like snakes slithering in my belly.
Vusario gripped my neck.
I kicked, my knee landing against his thigh. He grunted but didn’t release me.
“Let me go.” I punched him in the neck, but the blow was too weak.
“Give it to me.” His power surged, drawing the magic from me.
I thrashed, trying to break free, but I couldn’t land a proper blow. The longer he held me, the more my head spun, and my body grew weak. The magic flowed out of me as he took it, a much more effective thief than the ones on the train.
Panic flooded me, making my heart race and my skin chill. My vision doubled as oxygen became scarce in my bloodstream. Weakness pervaded my limbs, and my stomach turned to acid as he continued to draw the magic out of me.