Page 15 of Possession

As I follow, I rub at the arm she reddened with her grip. Aris doesn’t seem susceptible to injury while I very much am, despite us being in the same body.

I shudder at the memory of him taking control, how my limbs felt numb and worthless as they were used in ways I hadn’t directed. I’d faded to the background in my own body.

We need to talk about what happened, I say, more nervous than I’d like to sound.

Of course, Mary.

Later.

Of course.

Even though he’s agreeing with me, I’m left feeling uneasy. His smugness, ever present, has multiplied in a matter of minutes. He is powerful again, and he knows it. It’s alarming. The excitement has him rushing around, nestling against every organ and bone.

I can’t help but feel a little betrayed by his reaction. Is he really so happy to shove me to the back and force me to feel him move my limbs and speak through my mouth?

How do you think I’ve felt the past three years? I haven’t had a body.

That doesn’t mean you can take mine!

We’re already sharing it.

I take in a sharp breath of damp air. The smell returns me to the present, and our precarious situation. I can’t get distracted now. Like I said. We’ll talk about it later.

With renewed purpose, I quicken my pace and catch up to Cera at the bottom of a staircase. Cera stops and motions for me to walk in front, but I just look at her. Does she really think I’ll put my back to her? I know how good she is with a knife.

She will not attack.

I hope you’re right.

I reluctantly climb the first few steps, tensing when I hear her follow behind. It’s a long staircase, as the cellar is deep underground. Down here, it’s almost as chilly as it was in our cell, which is probably swarming with mages by now. The thought of all of the guards—Henry included—combing through our belongings dampens my mood even further. Have they summoned the Grand Mage by now? Will they come after us?

Punish us?

I shove the thoughts aside. I need to focus on one enemy at a time, and, right now, there’s one just a foot behind. My grip on the handrail tightens enough to unsettle the wood. It feels uncared for and chips away, falling below.

The more we climb, the closer we get to the outline of a door with a copper knob, heavy and revealing nothing of what lurks behind it. I’ve no idea what to expect on the other side.

“How did you even get inside the mage’s facility?” I ask quietly, trying to distract myself.

“It’s what I do,” she says.

Infiltration, Aris tells me.

“They have weak security, honestly,” Cera goes on to say. “While it did take a while to get in, that was the hardest part.”

I consider this, unsure what to ask next. I have so many questions that I don’t even know where to start. What happened to my amulet when she touched it? Is Aris free? And other, maybe less pertinent questions, like: How did you get through the energy field? How did you use magic without a wand?

Unfortunately, I don’t get to ask anything, because the knob of the door is turning before I can reach for it. I brace myself for whatever might be coming and unwittingly flinch back from a sudden stream of light, knocking into Cera behind me. She curses while my eyes adjust and I steady myself again. Squinting, I can only make out the silhouette of a man in the doorway.

“My, my, welcome!” says the silhouette cheerily; I can hear the smile in his voice.It so thoroughly contrasts with the way my day has gone that I’m briefly stunned.

Hm, Aris says to himself, thoughtful. I’m not sure what he’s uncovered in this man’s mind, and he shares nothing.

“Silva,” Cera greets from behind me.

The man laughs again, a sound of pure elation, and by then I can make him out better. He’s older, maybe in his late sixties—tall with a trim suit he’s accessorized with golden cufflinks. His hair is completely gray except for a small patch of brown in his well-trimmed beard, which he strokes as he looks down at me.

“What’s going on?” I ask, somewhat irritated, somewhat afraid. My best assumption is that this is who hired Cera, but I have no idea why.

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