Page 74 of Time's Fool

“You saw her clearly?” Rhea said, as if she doubted me, although we had been through this before. But she hadn’t waited for details.

“The eyes,” I said, and stopped, my throat filling up.

“What about the eyes?”

“Blue lightning, in a man’s face . . . brown beard . . . portly—”

I had to struggle by the end to get out anything at all. And then finally fell mute, having exhausted myself articulating just those few words. What was happening to me? What was—

The ghost abruptly grasped my hand in both of hers, a soft, cool touch. And, a moment later, I could breathe again. I couldn’t really, of course, but I felt energy flowing through my non-existent veins, nonetheless.

She released me, panting a bit, and with a small piece of brown hair having escaped her bun to fall over her forehead. “That is as much as I can do,” she informed me.

“What did you do?” I asked, and amazingly, my voice was clear.

“Gave you some of my power. It wasn’t much, but it’s all I can spare. I didn’t know I was going to be coming here and didn’t charge up—”

“Your power?” I interrupted. She did seem to like to talk.

“My life energy. Spirits can exchange it between themselves, although voluntary donations are rare.”

I stared at her for a moment, caught off guard. “Thank you, mistress,” I finally said, and meant it. “I do not know how to repay such a gift—”

“Live,” she said forcefully. “And for that, we must return you to your body—quickly. I will not be able to help again.”

But Rhea still seemed fixated on Morgan. “This man you saw,” she said to me. “He was dressed as a war mage?”

I shook my head. “He wasn’t merely dressed as one. He was the one in charge. She took over his body—”

“Another magic user,” Hilde said grimly.

“—I think for the same reason that she did the coven leader’s. To give herself a force to use against us.”

“A war mage commander?” Rhea said, in obvious disbelief. “I’d like to see a spirit control one of those for longer than an instant! He would repel her immediately. They are trained—”

“And coven witches aren’t?” Hilde asked. “There is some mystery here, where Mistress Morgan is concerned—”

“You think?” Rhea said savagely.

But I didn’t think it was because of ire at the older woman this time, or at Louis-Cesare, either. There was fear in her eyes, although she tried to mask it with anger. But that didn’t change the fact that this mission was fast unravelling around her—and she knew it.

“What gave you that idea?” she asked. “Her ripping Dorina’s spirit out of her body? Or sending it into the future?”

Hilde’s eyes narrowed. “I was merely going to say that I think—”

“I don’t give a damn what either of you think!” Louis-Cesare snapped. He had been trying to follow the conversation, half of which he couldn’t even hear, with increasing anger, and now he exploded. “We have to get Dorina back to her body. That is our task, our only task, until it is completed!”

The ghost woman nodded in agreement. I thought it strange that she and the vampire were the ones most focused on helping me. But he was determined, and a compromise was quickly reached.

Hilde and Louis-Cesare left to begin scouring the surrounding streets for my body, after I gave them my best guess as to where the attack had taken place. It was difficult; I’d been traveling by rooftop and didn’t know the area well. But a vampire can see in the dark as well as in daylight, and the witch could protect him from any mages they might encounter, not that he’d seemed to have much trouble with the last one.

Together, they should make quick work of it.

The rest of us headed for the battle, and the body snatching witch, who Rhea clearly felt she had a score to settle with. And for the first time, I thought that Mistress Morgan might have a problem. Because the fear I’d glimpsed a moment ago in the young heir had been replaced by an iron-jawed determination.

She threw up a shield as thick as any I’d ever seen from a war mage, and strode down the street toward the battle, her eyes flat and dangerous.

I followed, not having a choice, being a disembodied spirit tugged along behind her. And so did the ghost, despite looking like she wished she was anywhere else. My vision had improved with her donation, and I realized that her eyes were a soft blue gray. They were also troubled, and her mouth was pinched in worry.

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