Page 4 of Possession

Though he’s the reason I’m stuck here, part of me has to respect him, if not for his status, then because he made the amulet to contain Aris. That is no easy feat. It took the entire arcane world to create the spell to trap him, and the Grand Mage was the only one strong enough to cast it. A guard once told me, with slurring words and hooded eyes on New Year’s Eve, that before the Grand Mage forged the amulet, he looked around forty years old. Youth was the price of the magic. If it’s true, I think it’s noble what he did, giving up so much to serve the betterment of mankind.

Betterment of mankind, Aris scoffs and chitters in my head, but I’m not what’s really bothering him. I can feel him itching for movement, craving a body that he can control. He wants arms to reach through the field, hands to wrap around this man’s skinny throat; he would snap it in an instant, relishing in the sound of misplaced bone. Then again, considering how angry he is, Aris might take his time. He might drag it out for three years. He might put him in a cage.

Aris’ opinion of the Grand Mage differs greatly from my own. To him, this is his captor, nothing else, the person at the very top of his murder list.

There is a stiff, unwavering hatred in him, so powerful that I sometimes think it might be my own. It has festered in the dark like fungus and mold, crafted into something terrifying, something I would never want to be on the receiving end of.

It’s a palpable kind of anger.

The Grand Mage has stopped a few inches short of the invisible barrier, close to where Henry stood yesterday. He looks at us, though he says nothing. Everything is still; the room is quiet. It’s eerie, and I don’t know what to do. I’ve forgotten his almost otherworldly presence; he emanates something that makes me feel like crossing myself, even though I’m not religious and he’s supposed to be the good guy.

“Hello, Miss Dessen,” he says, his voice a gentle rasp.

“Hi,” I say with uncertainty.

“Hello, Aris.” He looks closer at me, and for a moment I honestly think he might be able to see Aris inside of me.

Tell him that his magic of thieves won’t keep me here forever.

Maybe we shouldn’t antagonize him at the beginning of the meeting?

Oh, what does it matter? Tell him!

The Grand Mage tilts his head to the side, and the slight movement distracts Aris from saying anything else. But he is curled and waiting to strike. “Does Aris have anything he would like to say?” asks the Grand Mage.

Again, I have the feeling that he can actually see, or at least hear, Aris. Who knows what this man can do? “Well, he says that your magic won’t keep him in me,” I say after a moment.

Oh, very good, Mary. Now tell him he is a useless hag.

Quiet, you.

He would normally bite back, but today he’s completely serious, all promise of doom and destruction. I haven’t thought of the Grand Mage over our confinement, having quickly learned that the mention sends Aris into a wild rage. Now, the Grand Mage’s presence has settled him into something new; his bitter hatred is quiet and calculating. He is biding his time. Waiting for the opportunity to strike.

The Grand Mage smiles, ignoring Aris’ greeting. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I wanted to see you today,” he says, then looks over his shoulder. “I apologize for the big reception. It’s only a precaution, you understand.”

I nod, but I can’t mask the tension in my body. Could they lower their weapons, at least?

You mean, lower their sticks.

They’re sticks that can shoot lightning.

Very well, he concedes. You know they’re only scared of us, Mary.

Why? It’s not like we can do anything from here.

When a spider hangs on the ceiling, the arachnophobe still frets from the ground.

I guess that makes sense. It’s something I’ll think about later—right now, there’s a question that has been eating at the both of us. “Why are you here?” I ask, then hesitate. I have no idea what to respectfully refer to him as, so I just say, “Sir?”

“I would like to reassess Aris’ current propensity for violence,” he replies.

I am currently feeling very violent.

I don’t know if it’s in our best interest to tell him that, I say while considering the Grand Mage’s words. He wants to… reevaluate Aris? Why?

What does it matter why the cricket jumps? The nature of insects is of no interest.

I have no idea why he’s being so metaphorical today. Right, well, these insects are keeping you captive.

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